Evidence of meeting #14 for COVID-19 Pandemic in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Chair, of course. Pierre Lavallée was the former CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. We are very proud that we now have Michael Sabia as the new chair of the Infrastructure Bank. He did a fabulous job in Montreal at—
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Can the minister tell me how long Mr. Lavallée was the CEO of the Infrastructure Bank?
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, I can't give you the exact months. He was the CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank since the beginning, but let's be clear: Crown corporations work at arm's length from the government and must have—
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Can I ask the minister how well she knows her file: 50%, 75% or 100%?
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, that's quite a condescending little comment. I'd like to say that I know my file very well. What I know is that Canadians want infrastructure built, they want it built across the country, in the member opposite's riding and in ridings across the country. They want cleaner, healthier, more connected—
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
How much of the $35 billion of infrastructure money that was allocated to that bank has been spent so far?
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, the Infrastructure Bank is a new, more flexible financing model for infrastructure investments. It was set up; it is now in its new phase. We're very excited that it's going to be moving forward—and stay tuned.
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
In the context of Mr. Duclos' advice to his cabinet colleagues about openness and transparency, I'd like to ask the minister how much Mr. Lavallée was paid annually.
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, as I said, Crown corporations work at arm's length from the government. Our government follows the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act when it comes to employee compensation, but remuneration ranges are publicly available. I'd note that this information for the bank's CEOs has been in the public domain—
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Chair, I'm asking the minister how much Mr. Lavallée made. There was no answer to that. If it is in the public realm, she should know that. She said she knows her file very well.
How much of a bonus was Mr. Lavallée paid recently when he left on April 2?
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, I am not involved in HR discussions when it comes to the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Mr. Lavallée. Crown corporations work at arm's length from the government. They need to have flexibility to meet their commercial mandates.
As I say, the information about salary ranges is publicly available, but personal HR—
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Rota
I would ask those of us virtually to mute.
Mr. Brassard, there is about 15 seconds left. I'll cue you for a very short question.
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
According to a table, Mr. Lavallée could have received a bonus after year one of zero to 75% of his base salary, which was $510,000 to $600,000 per year; or in year two, which he was in, zero to 120% of his base salary. How much of a bonus did he receive?
Liberal
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
The rate of any remuneration paid to the chief executive officer is based on the recommendations of the board. Our government follows the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act when it comes to employee compensation. Let me say this: We're very excited about the new phase of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. We have Michael Sabia there as the new board chair. We need to move forward on—
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Parliament's now been suspended for three months, since Friday, March 13. Will the government commit to reopening the House of Commons with its full powers, with social distancing, on Monday, September 21?
Pablo Rodriguez LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Chair, as my colleague knows, we're meeting here four days a week, with questions on any topic for an hour and 35 minutes instead of 45 minutes a day. Democracy is as important for us as it is for the opposition.