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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Monday, June 2, 2014

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Monday, June 2, 2014 at 11:15 a.m., in Room 112-N, Centre Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Peter Van Loan, John Duncan, Rob Merrifield and Dominic LeBlanc; Mr. Philip Toone; Mrs. Nycole Turmel

Acting Secretary to the Board: Mark Watters, Chief Financial Officer

Also Present: Richard Denis, Deputy Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Pierre Parent, Chief Human Resources Officer; Eric Janse, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Robin Kells, Secretariat

Minutes of Previous Meetings

The minutes of the meeting of May 12, 2014 were adopted with amendments. The minutes of the meeting of May 14, 2014 were adopted as presented. Both sets of minutes were approved for tabling.

Business Arising from Previous Meeting

The Board noted the correspondence distributed since its last meeting on May 14, 2014.

Administration

Mandate for Collective Bargaining

The Board approved a collective bargaining mandate for negotiations for the renewal of all House of Commons collective agreements.

Use of House Resources

Large-Volume Mailings

With Mrs. Turmel and Mr. Toone dissenting, the Board agreed to the following:

  • that the NDP mailings under recent investigation were in contravention of the Board’s by-laws on the grounds that they were prepared by and for the benefit of a political party;
  • that the House Administration provide advice to the Board on appropriate remedies;
  • that the Board spokespersons be authorized to report to the public that the mailings have been found in contravention of the by-laws, and that the Board is seeking advice on appropriate remedies; and
  • that, further to a previous request for proofs of mailings, all proofs of mailings related to this matter be provided to the House Administration for analysis by June 13, 2014.

Satellite Offices

The Board directed the House Administration to provide analysis of the use of travel, information technology and any other House of Commons resources by NDP employees in a cost-sharing arrangement at its next meeting.

The Board discussed recent media coverage of its investigations on satellite offices and large-volume mailings and whether information was being shared inappropriately with the media.

Conference

The Board approved the funding to host the 24th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum to be held in Vancouver, Canada, in January 2016. In so doing, the Board approved temporary funding of $242,720 for fiscal year 2014–2015 and $1,090,735 for fiscal year 2015–2016, for a total of $1,333,455. Pending approval by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, this funding would be shared using the usual formula between the Senate (30%, i.e., $400,036.50) and the House of Commons (70%, i.e., $933,418.50). Further, the carry-over of any unused approved funding from fiscal year 2014–2015 to fiscal year 2015–2016 would be allowed.

The meeting was adjourned.

Mark Watters
Acting Secretary to the Board