The Joint
Interparliamentary Council met this day at 12:17 p.m., in Room 705 of the
Victoria Building, the Honourable David Tkachuk, Senator, presiding.
Representing
the Senate:
Hon. David Tkachuk, Carolyn Stewart Olsen,
and Marie‑P. Charette‑Poulin, Senators.
Representing
the House of Commons: Joe Comartin, Harold Albrecht, Hon. Rob Merrifield
and Philip Toone, MPs.
In
attendance: From the International and Interparliamentary
Affairs Directorate:
Jeremy LeBlanc, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Associations;
Gérald Lafrenière, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Exchanges; and
Marie-Andrée Rainville, Manager, Resource Planning and Administration.
From
the Senate:
Naaz Askari, A/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; and
André Simard, Senior Financial Advisor, Policy and Financial Planning.
1.Approval of Minutes
On motion
of Mr. Toone, the minutes of the meeting of November 21, 2012 were
approved.
At 12:18
p.m., the Council proceeded to sit in camera.
2.Supplementary Budget Requests (NATO, IPU and
CPA)
The
Council considered requests from the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association,
the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Canadian
Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) for additional
funding.
After
discussion, on motion of Mr. Merrifield, it was agreed that the Canadian NATO
Parliamentary Association be allotted an additional $66,000 in order to fund
the upcoming activities of the association and that the two other requests be
considered at the next Council meeting following presentations from the Chairs
of the Canadian Group of the IPU and the Canadian Branch of the CPA.
At 12:36 p.m., the Council resumed sitting in public.
3.Composition of Executive Committees
The Council discussed a
provision of the model constitution for associations which suggests that
parliamentarians should not be eligible to serve on more than one association’s
executive committee. The Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Associations,
explained that few associations had included such a provision in their revised
constitution and that, even in those associations where the provision exists,
it has not been uniformly applied. In addition, the wording of the model
constitution is somewhat ambiguous and could be interpreted as either mandatory
or permissive.
After
discussion, on motion of Mr. Merrifield, it was agreed that the model
constitution for associations be amended to prohibit parliamentarians from
serving as Chair or Co-Chair of two different associations, but that the
restriction against serving on more than one executive be lifted; and
That
Co-Chairs write to the Chairs and Co-Chairs of all associations encouraging
them to amend their constitutions to reflect this new provision.
4.Schedule of Future JIC Meetings
In light of the possibility
of Council meetings being interrupted by votes in the House of Commons on
Wednesday afternoons, it was agreed to attempt to hold future meetings at 12:15
p.m. on Wednesdays.
At 12:45
p.m., the Council adjourned to the call of the Co-Chairs.