Information & Ethics Committee on May 12th, 2023

[Sandy Tremblay]

No.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

You aren't allowed to carry it over.

[Sandy Tremblay]

Well, we don't really have a need to carry it over. We also have a reserve of $100,000. We think that would be plenty to fulfill our mandate this year.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Pursuant to section 45 of the act, if you have “reason to believe that a public office holder or former public officer holder has contravened the Act”, you can examine the matter on your own.

How often are examinations launched on the initiative of the commissioner?

[Melanie Rushworth]

Are you asking about the number of investigations that have been launched in the last couple of years?

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I mean investigations under the initiative of the commissioner on public office holders.

[Melanie Rushworth]

All examinations that are launched are under the authority of the commissioner. If you give me a moment, I'll check in my notes to see if I have the full number that were launched.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

You can also submit them. I don't want to put you on the spot.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

I was going to suggest that, Mr. Green.

[Melanie Rushworth]

Thank you very much for that recommendation. I would be happy to get back to you with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Thank you, Ms. Rushworth.

Thank you, Mr. Green.

That concludes our round of questioning.

Ms. Rushworth and Ms. Tremblay, I understand that it's an unusual circumstance not to have the commissioner before us in dealing with the main estimates, but I want to thank both of you for according yourselves very well. You were very knowledgeable in your responses.

On behalf of the committee, I want to thank Ms. Bélanger as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what's coming. Hopefully some of the recommendations of the committee are part of that. Thank you so much.

I'm going to dismiss the witnesses. There are a few issues of committee business—the main estimates in particular—that we have to deal with here.

I am going to ask the committee whether we have unanimous consent to adopt all votes referred to the committee in one vote.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Shall all votes referred to the committee in the main estimates 2023-24 carry?

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF LOBBYING

Vote 1—Program expenditures….......$4,843,470

(Vote 1 agreed to on division)

OFFICE OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND ETHICS COMMISSIONER

Vote 1—Program expenditures….......$7,421,554

(Vote 1 agreed to on division)

OFFICE OF THE SENATE ETHICS OFFICER

Vote 1—Program expenditures….......$1,325,451

(Vote 1 agreed to on division)

OFFICES OF THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMMISSIONERS OF CANADA

Vote 1—Program expenditures – Office of the Information Commissioner….......$14,212,216

Vote 5—Program expenditures – Office of the Privacy Commissioner….......$26,250,549

(Votes 1 and 5 agreed to on division)

Shall I report the main estimates 2023-24 to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

On division.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

That completes that part of our business.

Ms. Saks, I understand you have a procedural motion that you would like to put forward to the committee.

Go ahead, please.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair. I'll make it quick for colleagues.

Ryan Turnbull will be joining us at committee for the near future, replacing MP Khalid. I would like to request access to the digital binder so that he is able to access all the information we need to conduct business.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Okay. René and Matt, are we good?

(Motion agreed to)

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Is that noted, Madam Clerk?

That concludes today's meeting. I want to thank everyone.

I see that Ms. Hepfner's hand is up. Go ahead, Ms. Hepfner.

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I would like to move the motion that I gave notice of earlier today, if that's appropriate.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Ms. Hepfner, it does require time. You put the motion on notice. I'm going to clarify with the clerk, but I believe it's 48 hours before you can move that motion.

Give me a second, please.

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

It does, and this is not formally committee business, just so we're clear. These are issues that we are dealing with at the end. The main estimates are not part of committee business. That's part of today's meeting, so unless I have unanimous consent to have Ms. Hepfner move the motion she placed on notice earlier, we won't be able to dispose of that today. That is my advice.

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

It was my understanding that we were in committee business, and that's why I thought I had the leeway to move that motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

There was no indication of committee business that was put onto today's notice, Ms. Hepfner. We were disposing of the issue of the main estimates, and then Ms. Saks indicated to me that she had a procedural issue to insert Mr. Turnbull, and we dealt with that. Unless I have unanimous consent at 10:45 at the end of the meeting here...?

I don't have unanimous consent, so the motion is on notice and you'll be able to move it at the next earliest opportunity.

Go ahead, Monsieur Villemure.