Minutes

The Joint Interparliamentary Council met this day at 4:00 p.m., in room 356-S of the Centre Block, Mr. Andrew Scheer, M.P., presiding.

Representing the Senate:  Carolyn Stewart Olsen, Senator.

Representing the House of Commons:  Andrew Scheer, Harold Albrecht, Marcel Proulx, Mario Laframboise, Chris Charlton and Leon Benoit MPs.

Others present:

Chairs and Co-Chairs of Parliamentary Associations: Hon. David Tilson, MP, (Canada-Europe); Hon. Consiglio Di Nino, Senator, (OSCE PA); Hon. Bryon Wilfert, MP, (Canada-Japan); Leon Benoit, MP, (NATO); Janis Johnson, Senator, (Canada United States); Donald Oliver, Senator, (IPU); and Hon. Claudette Tardif, Senator, (Canada France).

Other Parliamentary Association Executive Committee members present: Massimo Pacetti, MP (Canada-Europe); and Mike Wallace, MP, (Canada-Japan).

In attendance:

From the International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate: Ian McDonald, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Associations; Gérald Lafrenière, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Exchanges; and Marie-Andrée Rainville, Manager, Finance and Administration.

From the Senate: Julie Pilon, Manager, Financial Policy, Planning and Corporate Reporting, 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. Laframboise, the minutes of the meeting of March 2, 2011 were approved.

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

David Tilson, MP, Chair of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, and Massimo Pacetti, member of the Executive Committee, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC

Hon. Consiglio Di Nino, Senator, Director, Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), presented the work and planned activities of the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE PA, as well as their related budget request for the 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

Hon. Bryon Wilfert, MP, Co-Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, and Mike Wallace, member of the Executive Committee, presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

Leon Benoit, MP, Chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association (NATO PA), presented the work and planned activities of the association, as well as their related budget request for the 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

Hon. Janis Johnson, Senator, 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 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

Hon. Donald Oliver, Senator, President 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 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

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 2011 2012 fiscal year, and answered questions from members of the JIC.

The Council agreed to further consider the budget requests of all Parliamentary Associations at the next meeting to be scheduled for March 23, 2011.

The Council agreed, in advance of further consideration with regards to the budget at the JIC meeting of March 23, 2011, that there be an allotment of $50,000 to each association in order to meet expenses related to activities coming up early in the new fiscal year, such as, but not limited to, airline tickets or hotel bookings, which often benefit from advanced purchase in order to reduce costs related to association activities.

4. Timing of Annual General Meetings:

The Council considered the question of the timing of annual general meetings and maintained an earlier decision from November 2010 that associations wait until April 11, 2011 before they hold their AGMs and that all AGMs be concluded before the end of May 2011 and directed the Clerk to prepare a letter for the signature of the Council’s Co‑Chairs for those associations that have not yet planned their AGM during this period.

At 5:30 p.m., the Council adjourned to the call of the Co-Chairs.

Eric Janse

Clerk