Proceedings of the Standing Joint Committee for the 
Scrutiny of Regulations

Issue 1 - Evidence - March 10, 2016

OTTAWA, Thursday, March 10, 2016

The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations met this day at 8:35 a.m. to organize the activities of the committee.

[Français]

Daniel Charbonneau, Acting Joint Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee for the Senate, it is my duty to preside over the election of the Senate joint chair. I am now prepared to accept nominations to that effect.

Senator Runciman: I move that Senator Pana Merchant be joint chair of the committee.

Mr. Charbonneau: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Runciman that the Honourable Senator Merchant do take the chair. Is it your pleasure to adopt the motion?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

Mr. Charbonneau: I invite Senator Merchant to take the chair.

Senator Pana Merchant (Joint Chair) in the chair.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Good morning. My name is Pana Merchant and I'm a senator from Saskatchewan. I came to the Senate in 2003. I sat on the Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations for six months at the beginning of my term, so I look forward to working with you this time.

I'd like to thank Senator Runciman for nominating me and I would like to thank members for adopting the motion.

[Traduction]

Andrea McCaffrey, Joint Clerk of the Committee: Honourable members of the committee, we can now proceed to the election of the joint chair for the House of Commons.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the joint chair must be a member of the official opposition. I am ready to receive motions to that effect.

[Français]

Mr. Kmiec: I move that Harold Albrecht be joint chair for the House of Commons.

[Traduction]

Ms. McCaffrey: It is moved by Mr. Kmiec that Mr. Albrecht be joint chair of the committee.

Are there any further motions?

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?

Hon. members: Agreed.

Ms. McCaffrey: I declare the motion carried and Mr. Albrecht duly elected joint chair of the committee.

I now invite Mr. Albrecht to take the chair.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Congratulations.

[Français]

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Thank you, Mr. Kmiec, for the nomination, and thank you to all of you for allowing me to serve in this capacity. I have been a member of Parliament since 2006 for the riding of Kitchener—Conestoga in southwestern Ontario. I had the privilege and honour of serving on this committee for a year or so a while back. This committee works very well collaboratively to reach consensus on the majority of items. I look forward to working with each of you. We both welcome your personal interactions when you have things to discuss with us at any time.

Ms. McCaffrey: Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the first vice-chair must be a member of the government party. I am prepared to receive motions for the first vice-chair.

Mr. Badawey: I would like to nominate Gary Anandasangaree.

Ms. McCaffrey: It was moved by Mr. Badawey that Mr. Anandasangaree be elected first vice-chair of the committee. Are there further motions?

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

Ms. McCaffrey: I declare the motion carried and Mr. Anandasangaree duly elected first vice-chair of the committee.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the second vice-chair must be a member of an opposition party other than the Official Opposition. I am now prepared to receive a motion for the second vice-chair.

[Traduction]

Mr. Kmiec: I would like to nominate Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the member for Sherbrooke, as second vice-chair.

Ms. McCaffrey: It is moved by Mr. Kmiec that Mr. Dusseault be second vice-chair of the committee.

[Français]

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

Ms. McCaffrey: I declare the motion carried and Mr. Dusseault duly elected second vice-chair of the committee.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): We will move to Motion No. 4, Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. May I have somebody move that, please?

Senator Moore: So moved.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Motion No. 5, to publish the committee's proceedings. Is someone prepared to move No. 5? Senator Martin.

All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Motion No. 6, unrevised transcripts. Can somebody move that motion, please? All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Motion No. 7, adoption of the first report. We might need some direction on how and when this report is tabled.

Peter Bernhardt, General Counsel to the Committee: The first report simply deals with the committee's criteria for viewing the instruments, which has been pretty constant over the years. It also deals with the reduced quorum. I believe, subject to correction from my colleagues on the clerk's side, there is also an expenditures report required by the Senate.

It's a routine report and traditionally has been adopted at the start of each session. It is then concurred in by the two houses, and that approves the criteria that the committee uses.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Any questions? All in favour of the motion?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Did somebody move it?

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): I believe that Senator Moore moved the motion.

Senator Moore: If you want, sure.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Motion No. 8, authorization to approve payment of expenditures of the committee.

Ms. Jordan: So moved.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Motion No. 9 relates to travel. Would someone move No. 9? Mr. Brassard.

Any discussion? All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Motion No. 10 concerns the electronic media coverage of all public meetings. Would somebody move that, please?

Thank you, Senator Ataullahjan.

All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Motion No. 11, travel by members. Would someone move this? Senator Black.

All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): With regard to Motion No. 12, I see that the time slot for regular meetings is 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. I have a committee in the Victoria Building at 10:30 a.m. Is it possible to know the length of our meetings? Might it be possible to move the time to 10:15 a.m.? We can always stay longer if we need to, but I wonder if that's possible.

Ms. Jordan: Are you suggesting that we start at 8:15 a.m. and go to 10:15 a.m., or start at 8:30 a.m. and go to 10:15 a.m.?

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): I was going to leave it at 8:30 a.m. because I also have a committee that starts at 8 a.m. I will just go in to ensure they have quorum and then I will come over here.

Senator Runciman: I don't see a problem with leaving it at 10:30 a.m. I have been on the committee for a number of years and I don't think we have ever gone until 10:30. We have vice-chairs who can sit in when a joint chair has to leave.

The Joint Chair (Senator Merchant): Good; no problem.

Could someone move Motion 12? Mr. El-Khoury, thank you.

All in favour?

Hon. Members: Agreed.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): Mr. Bernhardt, is there other business or anything else to consider today before we adjourn?

Mr. Bernhardt: No.

The Joint Chair (Mr. Albrecht): The next meeting is two weeks from today.

After we are formally adjourned, Mr. Bernhardt and staff are prepared to offer a briefing, in particular for those who are new to the committee and those who have not been here for a while.

(The committee adjourned.)