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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Monday, November 5, 2012

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Monday, November 5, 2012 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, Gordon O'Connor and Rob Merrifield; Mr. Nathan Cullen; Mrs. Nycole Turmel and Ms. Judy Foote

Secretary to the Board: Audrey O'Brien, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Mark Watters, Chief Financial Officer; Richard Denis, Deputy Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Kevin Vickers, Sergeant-at-Arms; John Janusz, Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms and Director of Security Services; Marc Bosc, Deputy Clerk; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer; André Gagnon, Clerk Assistant (Committees and Legislative Services Directorate); and Suzanne Verville, Secretariat

Tabling of Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of October 1, 2012 were approved for tabling .

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting of October 15, 2012 were adopted.

Members' Allowances and Services

Moving Expenses

The Board did not approve a request for exception from a Member to authorize the reimbursement of expenses incurred moving from one secondary residence to another within the National Capital Region.

Main Estimates 2013-2014 and Supplementary Estimates (C) 2012-2013

The Board approved Main Estimates 2013-2014 in the amount of $428,770,693 which represents a decrease of $17,164,340 or 3.85% over fiscal year 2012-2013.

This amount includes the following adjustments:

Reductions from the 2012-2013 Main Estimates of $21.3 Million;

  • $9,405,000 resulting from the Strategic and Operating Review and the budget reduction for 2013-2014;
  • $7,435,000 resulting from the Strategic and Operating Review and the budget reduction for 2012-2013;
  • $2,775,000 received in temporary funding for the 127th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Québec City;
  • $600,000 representing decreased contributions to the Members of Parliament Retirement Compensation Arrangements (RCA) Account as determined by Treasury Board;
  • $557,000 representing temporary funding for asset management;
  • $452,000 representing a decrease in the Employee Benefit Plans (EBP) contribution rate from 17.6% to 17.4%, as determined by Treasury Board for fiscal year 2013-2014;
  • $106,000 representing temporary funding for the online recruitment tool; and
  • $5,000 representing termination of the payment of the annual accommodation allowances to the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

Increases from the 2012-13 Main Estimates of $4.2 Million;

  • $99,000 for fiscal year 2013-2014 notably for the 40th Annual Session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie in Ottawa in July 2014; the 11th Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region to be held either in Yellowknife or Whitehorse in October 2014; and an increase to the remuneration of participants in the House of Commons Page Program .
  • $3,009,000 (which includes an amount of $445,970 for Employee Benefit Plans) for salary increments for unrepresented employees, Protective Services, the Cleaning Services Group, the Technical Group and the Law Group.
  • $662,400 reprofiled from fiscal year 2012-2013 to fiscal year 2013-2014 to allow project funding to be carried forward ($556,800 for asset management and $105,600 for the online recruitment).

In addition, the Board approved the Supplementary Estimates (C) for fiscal year 2012-2013 in the amount of $15,501,000 which includes funding for severance payments as a result of collective bargaining and new terms and conditions for unrepresented employees, offset by reductions resulting from the reprofiling of funds for the asset management and the online recruitment.

Use of Parliamentary Resources

The Board discussed the House Administration's assessment and recommendations regarding the use made of some funds provided to the former Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe . The Board requested revisions to the recommendations.

Administration

All-Party Party

The Board did not agree to provide transportation from Parliament Hill to the Government Conference Center for people attending the All-Party Party.

Security in the Galleries

The Board agreed to change the policy regarding the access of Members' guests to the galleries in the Chamber.

Parliamentary Associations Joint Interparliamentary Council Report

The Board took note of the third report on Parliamentary Associations' Activities and Expenditures for the fiscal year 2011-2012 presented to the Joint Interparliamentary Council to be made publicly available through the Parliamentary Web site.

December 24, 2012

The Board agreed, in accordance with past practice regarding a working day that falls between two days off, to provide employees of the House of Commons Administration with a paid day off on Monday, December 24, 2012. The Board also agreed to provide the staff with a paid day off on Monday, December 31, 2012.

Members' Allowances and Services

Secondary Residence Leases

The Board considered the issue of automatic payment to the landlord for monthly secondary residence lease expenses and approved the recommended policy and business processes, effective April 1, 2013, noting that Members must provide an original copy of the secondary residence lease agreement.

Resettlement – Training Expense Reimbursement

The Board approved recommendations concerning the application of the resettlement policy, particularly regarding expenses incurred by former Members and the deadline for reimbursement of expenses, as of the next general election.

Insurance for the Secondary Residence

The Board agreed to maintain the status quo regarding the insurance premiums for the rented secondary residence as an allowable expense.

Meal Expenses for Members' Designated Travellers and Dependants

The Board agreed to maintain the current policy regarding the reimbursement for meal expenses for designated travellers and dependants when travelling.

Telepresence

The Board was briefed on Telepresence, a new service that is being explored to supplant the videoconference service currently offered by the House Administration. While it acknowledged the benefits of Telepresence, the Board took note of the significant investment in infrastrastructure and other costs that would be required to realize such a project. After discussion, given the prohibitive cost of implementation, the Board decided not to proceed with a Telepresence project but requested that the House Administration continue to seek improvements in the quality of the videoconference service within existing facilities.

The meeting was adjourned.

Audrey O'Brien
Secretary to the Board