Evidence of meeting #1 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was going.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
I'm getting a sense from committee members that we'd rather have all of that conversation beginning in the fall and hit the ground running.
Just for our own preparation, I'm also seeing some agreement to hear from a number of officers of Parliament who report to this committee--the lobbyists registrar, the ethics commissioner, freedom of information. I'm getting a sense that we're going to want to hear from some of those folks to get an update on their work. They're mandated to appear before us.
And just before we break, here's another good point, Pat, that perhaps I can look to you on. The committee was essentially finished the open government study, is that correct?
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
There was one more witness to hear. The only advantage in signing off on that is it allows the analyst to write a report over the summer and then come back to it--
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
At least a summary of evidence. We could give permission to begin that work right now, but there is the question of whether or not we need to hear from the last witness, the Commissioner of Official Languages.
Pat, do you have an opinion on this? Maybe we could hear form the analyst with regard to where we are on this. It's about efficiency of time, folks. If you get together in the fall and say, “Okay, write the report” and then slap on a lot of other work for the analyst to do, everything is going to take a lot longer.
Dara, do you want to comment?
Analyst, Library of Parliament
I was thinking more along the lines that since there is no direction for a report, if we import the evidence from last session, I could prepare a summary of the evidence and what happened at each meeting. That way in the fall you could decide if you want to go ahead with a report, how you want to go ahead with it, if you want to hear from any other witnesses and that sort of thing. I could at least prepare a summary that you could use.
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
I'm going to make a suggestion. We need a motion from committee to allow the analyst to do that.
Dean, do you want to--
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
I personally would have a hard time with the committee producing a report based on witnesses that I never heard, especially if that report had recommendations in it that would bear the name of every person on this committee who never heard those witnesses.
If the analyst wants to prepare a chronology of what occurred and why the study was undertaken, the committee could determine if it wants to pick up on that and do some work to produce a report. I wouldn't want to have a report produced, even if we heard from the Commissioner of Official Languages, the final witness, and then tried to put a report together. I wouldn't want a report coming out with my name on it.
NDP
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Whether or not we call it a report, I would like the work to be done over the summer so we have time to reflect on it. In the fall we can decide if we're going to shelve this and not follow up on it, or decide that a lot of good work was done and it's up to us to bring it home.
I'd like the analyst to have this period to prepare the information so we can study it when we come back, and we'll decide whether or not it is sufficient and we can sign off or if we're going to tear up the whole thing and start over.
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
We need to move a motion. Chad has the language for it. I'll have him read it out. It will allow the analysts to prepare at least a summary of what we've heard so far so people can look at it in the fall.
The Clerk
Mr. Chair, the motion would read that the evidence and documentation received by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics during the third session of the 40th Parliament in relation to its study on open government be taken into consideration by the committee in this session.
NDP
The Chair NDP Nathan Cullen
All in favour? Wonderful.
(Motion agreed to)
Thank you, everybody. There is no meeting on Tuesday. Have a fantastic summer.
The committee is adjourned.
