Minutes

The Joint Interparliamentary Council met this day at 3:31 p.m., in camera, in room 356-S of the Centre Block, Mr. Joe Comartin, M.P., presiding.

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

Representing the House of Commons:  Joe Comartin, Hon. Rob Merrifield, Philip Toone, Massimo Pacetti and Randy Hoback, MPs.

Others present:

Chairs and Co-Chairs of Parliamentary Associations:
Hon. Donald H. Oliver, Senator (IPU); Hon. Mauril Bélanger, MP; Hon. Raynell Andreychuk, Senator (Canada-Africa); Hon. Janis G. Johnson, Senator (Canada-US), Daryl Kramp, MP (Canada-China), Mike Wallace, MP (Canada-Japan), Ed Holder, MP (Canada-UK); Dean Allison, MP (OSCE); Robert Aubin, MP (Vice-Chair, APF); Élaine Michaud, MP (Vice-Chair, Canada-France); Scott Simms, MP (Member of the Executive Committee of Canada-Europe).

From the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT):
Robert Fry, Director General and Corporate Secretary;
Todd Kuiack, Director of Parliamentary and Cabinet Affairs;
Yves Duval, Deputy Director, Parliamentary Affairs; and Taryn Russell, Parliamentary Affairs Officer.

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: Nicole Proulx, Director of Finance, Finance and Procurement Directorate.

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

1. Briefing from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT):

Further to one of the recommendations of the Subcommittee on Restructuring Parliamentary Associations adopted on March 14, 2012, DFAIT officials provided a confidential briefing to the JIC and, at the invitation of the JIC, to the Chairs and Co‑Chairs of all parliamentary associations, with regards to the Government’s foreign policy priorities.

At 3:57 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 4:22 p.m., the meeting resumed.

2. Approval of Minutes:

On motion of Senator Charette-Poulin, the minutes of the meeting of October 16, 2012 were approved.

3. Budgets:

The Clerk of the JIC provided an overview of the current financial status of all associations based on the information provided by each association as part of the November 2012 budget forecasts of association activities for the current fiscal year.

The Council considered requests for additional funding from the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, the Canadian Group of the IPU, the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE.

After discussion, on motion of Mr. Merrifield, it was agreed that the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas be allotted an additional $15,000 and that the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE be allotted an additional $15,082 in order to fund their upcoming activities and that the other requests be considered at the next meeting of the Council.

4. IPU Conference:

The Clerk of the JIC provided an update on the success of the 127th IPU Assembly held in Quebec City.  Due to the sound financial management of the organizing team, a surplus of approximately $500,000 is anticipated in the budgetary envelope for the conference.

It was agreed that the Co-Chairs write to the Chairs of the internal economy committees of both Houses to update them on the status of the budgetary envelope for the conference.

At 4:33 p.m., the Council adjourned to the call of the Co-Chairs.

Eric Janse

Clerk