Minutes

The Joint Interparliamentary Council met this day at 4:01 p.m., in room 356-S of the Centre Block, the Honourable David Tkachuk, Senator, presiding.

Representing the Senate:  Hon. David Tkachuk, Hon. Carolyn Stewart Olsen, and Hon. Marie‑P. Poulin, Senators.

Representing the House of Commons:  Denise Savoie, Harold Albrecht, Hon. Rob Merrifield, Jamie Nicholls for Philip Toone, Massimo Pacetti, Randy Hoback and Gordon Brown, MPs.

Others present:

Chairs and Co-Chairs of Parliamentary Associations:
Hon. Donald Plett, Senator; Daryl Kramp, MP (Canada-China); Hon. Claudette Tardif, Senator (Canada-France); and Hon. Donald H. Oliver, Senator (IPU).

In attendance:

From the International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate: Jeremy LeBlanc, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Associations; and Marie-Andrée Rainville, Manager, Finances and Administration.

From the Senate: Nicole Proulx, Director of Finance, Finance and Procurement Directorate.

From the House of Commons: Gilles Larocque, Senior Financial Advisor, Policy and Financial Planning.

1. Approval of Minutes:

On motion of Mr. Hoback, the minutes of the meeting of December 7, 2011 were approved.

2. Association Budgets – Presentations by Association Chairs/Co-Chairs:

Randy Hoback, MP, Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and answered questions from JIC members.

Hon. Don Plett, Senator, and Daryl Kramp, MP, Co-Chairs of the Canada-China Legislative Association, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and answered questions from JIC members.

Gord Brown, MP, Co-Chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and answered questions from JIC members.

Hon. Claudette Tardif, Senator, Chair of the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and answered questions from JIC members.

Hon. Donald H. Oliver, Senator, Chair of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, and answered questions from JIC members.

3. Association Budgets:

At the invitation of the Co-Chair, the Clerk shared with the Council two supplementary budgets request addressed to the JIC, one from the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and another from the Canadian Group of the IPU requesting additional funding related to the costs of airline tickets purchased in this fiscal year for activities occurring at the beginning of next fiscal year.

After discussion, on motion of Senator Poulin, it was agreed, that $20,000 from the anticipated surplus of the Canada-China Legislative Association be allotted to the Canadian Branch of the CPA and that the 2012-13 CPA budget be adjusted accordingly.

Ms. Savoie moved that $40,000, from the anticipated surplus of the Canada-China Legislative Association and $37,000 from the anticipated surplus of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, be allotted to the Canadian Group of the IPU and that the 2012-13 IPU budget be adjusted accordingly.

After discussion, on motion of Mr. Pacetti, it was agreed that the debate be adjourned until the next meeting of the Council.

At 5:36 p.m., the Council adjourned to the call of the Co-Chairs.

Eric Janse

Clerk