Evidence of meeting #2 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was witnesses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
9:35 a.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
We are often accompanied by staff members, and they do not get the meals. I say this because, you can often hear our assistants making choice comments about members, and how members get the meals and assistants do not. We allow our staff to attend meetings, even in camera meetings, because we consider them important. So we should show them some flexibility when we pass this rule.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay, quantity and quality. Any other comments?
I call the question.
(Motion agreed to)
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We also had a motion for gifts: that the chair be authorized to purchase gifts on behalf of the committee for visiting delegations to Canada meeting with the committee or for foreign hosts when the committee is travelling abroad.
I don't know how frequently this happens, but you had this as a motion in the past.
Mr. Watson.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Purchasing documents: that the committee be authorized to purchase documents for the use of the committee.
Mr. Braid.
9:35 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
For everyone's full disclosure, can you remind us what the budget of this committee is and what staffing there is? We have a clerk who is with us. I don't know if this clerk is assigned to this committee full-time or is assigned to other committees. We have a researcher or two. I don't know if they are full-time associated with this committee or not. I ask for everyone's benefit.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
As you know, we do have two analysts assigned to us through the Library of Parliament, paid for by the Library of Parliament. There has been a restructuring within the library, and so there are actually silos of several committees under one senior researcher. So Jean-Denis Fréchette is our head analyst. He's overseeing all the research of several committees, and then we have Tim and Penny assigned to us.
You're not doing work for other committees, are you?
February 5th, 2009 / 9:35 a.m.
Tim Williams Committee Researcher
Not at this particular point in time, but what's envisioned is that depending on the subject matter committees take up, we will supply the analysts who have the appropriate expertise for the subject matter. I've been with this committee now for eight years and I don't really imagine going to another one, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be assigned to another one at the same time.
On top of that, it's also worth mentioning, I think, that we are not simply assigned to...our one job is not to supply committees with help, but it's also to answer members' questions from both houses, and we also help out on interparliamentary associations. So while we are assigned to this committee, we have a number of other jobs.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
And I know that in agriculture our researchers also work on a Senate committee as well. Do you guys do some work for the Senate?
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
How much time do you have available to dedicate to this committee, if you look at the jobbing you do?
9:40 a.m.
Committee Researcher
Statistically speaking, I think analysts spend approximately 70% of their time working for committee.
