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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, April 16, 2026

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy (Board) of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 12:02 p.m., in room 225 A, West Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Francis Scarpaleggia, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Steven MacKinnon, Mark Gerretsen, Arielle Kayabaga and Andrew Scheer; Mr. Chris Warkentin and Mr. Yves Perron

Secretary to the Board: Eric Janse, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present:

House of Commons: Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; Michel Bédard, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Executive Administrator; Jeffrey Leblanc, Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Natacha Flanagan, Secretariat

Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC): Christa Dickenson, President and Chief Executive Officer

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of March 12, 2026, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of correspondence distributed since its last meeting.


The Board agreed that, further to the discussion on the support provided by the Translation Bureau at its meeting of March 12, 2026, additional information and documentation are needed for the following items:

• The administration of the most recent accreditation examination, including the relative weighting assigned to each auditor or examiner, as well as the methodology used to determine the weighting.

• The number of simultaneous interpretation requests refused by Translation Bureau since January 2026. More specifically, requests submitted by

o government departments and other organizations; and

o the House of Commons in support of its parliamentary functions (including committees, caucuses, and interparliamentary and other events).


The Board also directed the House of Commons Administration to prepare a report on the use of parliamentary resources by a Member of Parliament.


RECORD OF DECISIONS SINCE THE LAST MEETING

On March 26, 2026, the Board approved a request for funding and other related benefits for unrecognized and recognized parties in the House of Commons, for the duration of the 45th Parliament, as follows:

Additional budgets

· The additional budget for Opposition Party Leaders applicable to the 12-to-25-Member range will be replaced with a budget calculated based on a per-Member allocation of $93,077 (indexed annually) for each Member in the 1-to-25-Member range.

· An additional budget will be provided to the government caucus, to be allocated to the Chief Whip and/or the Member responsible for the Research Office, in proportions determined by the government caucus, in an amount equal to the increase in funding that its leader would have received had the caucus been in opposition.

· An additional budget, calculated based on a per-Member allocation of $93,077 (indexed annually), will be provided to parliamentary groups that are not recognized parties but that six or more Members were elected in the general election of April 28, 2025.

· The number of Members elected in the general election of April 28, 2025, will be used to calculate the additional budget.

· Any parliamentary group receiving the additional budget will designate one Member to be responsible for managing it and will notify the Chief Financial Officer in writing of that designation.

· The designated Member will be deemed to be a House Officer for the purposes of this budget and, as such, will be subject to the By-laws of the Board of Internal Economy and the policies set out in the Members’ Allowances and Services Manual.

· The additional budget will be in place for the remainder of the 45th Parliament and will come into effect upon adoption, on a prorated basis.

Parliamentary offices

· Each party that is not a recognized party but for which six or more Members were elected in the general election on April 28, 2025, will be allocated two single offices in West Block.


CPAC: REQUEST FOR SUPPORT

Christa Dickenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CPAC, appeared before the Board and answered questions.


At 12:41 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:42 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.


APPOINTMENT OF EXTERNAL AUDITORS

Following a competitive procurement process, the Board approved the appointment of the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton as the external auditors of the House of Commons’ financial records for fiscal years 2026–2027 to 2028–2029, with the option to extend the mandate to 2030–2031, subject to the House Administration finalizing a contract with the firm.


The meeting was adjourned at 12:46 p.m.

Eric Janse
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy