Information & Ethics Committee on May 4th, 2015

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Today, we are holding the 35th meeting of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

The first order of the day concerns committee business. We are going to review the committee's plans since it has been some time since we have made any decisions on this.

I see that Mr. Angus already has his hand up and that he would like to speak and make some suggestions about future studies concerning committee business.

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have two motions. We don't have much time left in this parliamentary session, but there's some unfinished business. One motion deals with the main estimates, which has always been one of the duties of committee.

I am looking to see if we can get agreement to invite whoever is available and to have a meeting to which we invite the various commissioners who report to this committee, so that we can undertake a study of the main estimates for 2015-16 calendar year. The motion is as follows:

...that the Committee invite as part of the study the Information Commissioner of Canada, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Lobbying Commissioner of Canada, and the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner of Canada; and that the Committee report to the House by Friday, May 29, 2015.

In bringing that forward, since we don't have that much time left, I'm not expecting that we're going to be doing a whole series of meetings. I think we should put out the invitation and see who's available and we will discharge our duties of reviewing the mains and reporting back to Parliament as part of the function of this committee.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

The motion has been put forward

We will now debate it.

Mr. Calandra, would you like to take the floor?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

No we're fine.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Since no one has anything to say about the motion, there will be no debate. I therefore put it to an immediate vote.

(Motion agreed to)

If I have understood correctly, we would like the various commissioners mentioned in the motion to be invited and we will hear from those who are available between now and June 23.

So this is how we will proceed, and we will invite the four commissioners, as indicated in the motion.

Mrs. Davidson, you have the floor.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Could you clarify the date that you said you'd have them come before us? I thought you said June something, but the motion calls for the report back by Friday, May 29.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

You're right. My mistake. May 29 is the deadline to report back to the House on the main estimates.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

We need to submit all of this in time so that we can write a report and that, as the chair, I can table it in the House by May 29. Therefore, we will try to invite the commissioners who are available at those times, in compliance with the May 29 deadline.

Thank you for the clarification. I missed that.

Are there any other comments?

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Now that we have agreement, can we move on to the second order of business then?

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Ms. Borg, would you like clarification on the topic of study that Mr. Angus just proposed?

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Yes, but I think you have to move the motion before I can speak to it.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Everyone agrees on the motion that just carried.

I see that there is another recommendation about future business for the committee.

Mr. Angus, the floor is yours.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Again this is just housecleaning for our final month and a half before this Parliament ends.

One of the reports that was referred to our committee was from the Office of the Information Commissioner with 85 recommendations. It was entitled “Striking the Right Balance for Transparency: Recommendations to modernize the Access to Information Act”. It was referred to the committee on March 31, 2015. I'm bringing forward that we invite the commissioner to inform us on what she found in her report and her recommendations, and that we spend a day on that and then that will be another one of the completed items in our list of obligations. So I put that forward for discussion.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

The motion is moved.

The first person on my list is Ms. Borg, who will speak to the motion.

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Thank you.

I would like to support this motion. I think it is important that we study the report and do our duty as a committee. I know that there isn't much time and that we said we would meet only when necessary, but I think the motion is necessary, as is studying the report.

It contains 85 recommendations, which is a lot. I think it is important that we have the opportunity to ask questions about these recommendations to determine what we, as parliamentarians, can do. I think it would be good to leave a legacy for the next Parliament.

Thank you.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Thank you.

Are there any other comments on the motion moved by Mr. Angus? There do not seem to be any.

(Motion negatived)

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Are there any other recommendations for committee business?

Mr. Calandra, you have the floor.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Yes, sorry.

I wanted to thank the analysts for the very in-depth report that they did and that we've all received.

I seek the guidance of the committee because of how in depth it is and I haven't got through it all yet. I'm wondering if we might start our clause-by-clause on this next week, on Monday, if that's in agreement?

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Mr. Calandra, in terms of planning our future business, are you proposing that we postpone the study of our draft report on identity theft to Monday, May 11?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

If I could add one other thing?

Is it possible then, depending on the availability, for us to deal with Mr. Angus's previous motion on Wednesday if they're available, if that works?

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

It is being proposed that we meet to discuss our draft report on May 11 and immediately contact the commissioners mentioned in Mr. Angus' motion, carried a little earlier, and invite them here on May 25 so we can do the report.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

No, I was suggesting this Wednesday, if possible.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Yes, it's possible if one of the commissioners is available.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

It's only one day, right?

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

We will contact the commissioners and give them the times available, so May 6, May 13, May 25 and possibly May 27. It might be feasible. May 6, May 13, May 25 and May 27 are dates that are available for receiving the commissioners, so that includes this Wednesday if one of them is available. We will contact the commissioners immediately after the meeting.

Would you like to discuss this proposal, Mr. Sims?

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

You said just for one meeting for these commissioners. Is that correct? Did I get that right? On Wednesday, we'll have just the one meeting for this motion that was just passed.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I was contemplating one meeting for all of them.

It's your time on the floor so I won't...but I was contemplating one meeting for all of them.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

I don't mind.

Given the time constraints you're probably only going to get one meeting out of this and then you have to get into the report. So the report would then follow and be the next Monday?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I guess I was assuming.... I was hoping they would all be available for Wednesday. We could spend two hours with them. Then we would take whatever time we need to finish off the report. If they have to come in separately, I don't know that I want to entertain two hours with each of them separately because then we would never get through the report. For me, right now, the priority is listening to all of them, but also getting this report done because we've spent a lot of time on it. I don't want to run out of time on that.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

I'm fine with that.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

I will allow the discussion to continue.

Mr. Angus, you have the floor.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

I think we're close. I'm certainly willing to hear people on Wednesday. If it's not possible then you've suggested other dates and we'll see what.... Your staff will be doing the work of trying to locate and find. If we're ready to go Wednesday, that's great. If not, there will be another day because we've identified a few. We need to have it done by May 29 so that we can report it back to the House. I put it in your hands to come back with a recommendation for time.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Fine.

Given the discussion we just had, we will do everything we can to contact the commissioners and make sure that it respects what we just discussed and that it respects the committee's wishes.

I understand that there is also agreement to postpone the study of the draft report to May 11. That's what I understood. I'm at your disposal. It is up to the committee.

Is there anything else you would like to discuss regarding future business? Are there any other comments?

Mr. Calandra.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I move that we adjourn.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

He is proposing a motion to adjourn, which is not debatable.

(Motion agreed to)

The committee adjourned.