Government Operations Committee on June 20th, 2023

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Can we vote on the amendment, colleagues?

Mr. Bains.

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Can we suspend for a second, please?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Sure. We'll suspend for a moment.

We're back.

Mr. Bains, did you have something on it?

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

We're fine with the amendment. We're ready to vote on the clause.

(Amendment agreed to on division)

(Clause 38 as amended agreed to on division)

(On clause 40)

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We are returning to debate on clause 40. As I recall, it was one that we wanted to get back to after we saw whether other amendments were going to pass.

Mr. Housefather.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My understanding is that the way clause 40 is drafted, it's removing the number of a section that now is not removed from the act. By adopting G-6 and deleting the other line, clause 40 has to be defeated, or it should be defeated consequentially. It's essentially changing two references, subject to two subsections, to one, and we retain the other subsection. Either it would be consequentially defeated or I recommend that we defeat it.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Let me check with the analysts on that, please.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Colleagues, we're back.

I checked with our legislative clerks, and they advise me that, procedurally, clause 40 is okay. Ms. Laroche and Ms. Stevens may wish to weigh in on the legality of it, and if there are issues, it would be best, I understand, that we defeat it.

Ms. Laroche, Ms. Stevens, do you want to opine?

[Mary Anne Stevens, Senior Director, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat]

Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

What clause 40 does, as Mr. Housefather mentioned, is remove a reference to subsection 19.1(4). That's all that clause 40 does. The reason it's in section 51 of the PSDPA is so that if subsection 19.1(4) comes into play—and that's the prohibition on having another process once you've filed a reprisal—section 51 says that this does not prohibit the presentation of a grievance or having the Canada Industrial Relations Board consider a complaint under section 242 of the Canada Labour Code. I would suggest that those are things that you want to continue to have in place, so you don't want to remove the reference to subsection 19.1(4).

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thank you.

Can we move to a vote on this, colleagues? Shall clause 40 carry?

(Clause 40 negatived: nays 8; yeas 2)

Colleagues, we have five minutes left, but we're down to the very simple ones.

Shall the short title, “Public Sector Integrity Act”, carry?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

On the title, we have G-13. G-13, colleagues, is just naming the bill, but Mr. Housefather will introduce it.

Can we vote on G-13?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Introduce—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

It's “An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act and to make a consequential amendment to the Conflict of Interest Act”. It's solely a title issue.

Shall G-13 carry?

(Amendment agreed to on division)

Shall the title as amended carry?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Shall the bill as amended carry?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Shall the chair report the bill as amended to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Shall the committee order a reprint of the bill as amended for the use of the House at report stage?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Colleagues, that is Bill C-290.

Before we cheer, everyone, can we please give a special thanks to Ms. Laroche, Ms. Stevens and our two legislative clerks, Ms. Boyi and Mr. Vaive? Thank you for everything.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thank you, Ms. Stevens.

Thank you, Ms. Laroche.

Thank you, colleagues.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this extra hour, or 56 minutes, happen.

Colleagues, unless there is anything else, we are adjourned and we will see you tomorrow.