Evidence of meeting #61 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was transfer.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Glenn Campbell  Director, International Policy and Analysis Division , Department of Finance
Gilles Moreau  Director General, National Compensation, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Department of Public Safety
Jonathan Roy  Senior Policy Analyst, Social Policy, Health, Justice, Culture, Department of Finance
Daniel MacDonald  Chief, Federal-Provincial Relations Division, CHT/CST and Northern Policy, Department of Finance
John Davies  Director General, National Security Policy, Department of Public Safety
Darryl Hirsch  Senior Policy Analyst, Intelligence Policy and Coordination, Department of Public Safety
Nigel Harrison  Manager, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
David Gillis  Director General, Ecosystems and Oceans Science Sector, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
David Lee  Director, Office of Legislative and Regulatory Modernization; Policy, Planning and International Affairs Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Samuel Godefroy  Director General, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Alwyn Child  Director General, Program Development and Guidance Directorate, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Annette Nicholson  Secretary and General Counsel, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Lenore Duff  Senior Director, Strategic Policy and Legislative Reform, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Dominique La Salle  Director General, Seniors and Pensions Policy Secretariat, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Nathalie Martel  Director, Old Age Security Policy, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Bruno Rodrigue  Chief, Social policy, Income Security, Department of Finance
Annette Vermaeten  Director, Task Force, Special Projects, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Eileen Boyd  Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Senior Personnel, Privy Council Office
Neil Bouwer  Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Lynn Tassé  Director, Canada Gazette, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Gerard Peets  Senior Director, Strategy and Planning Directorate, Department of Industry
Patricia Brady  Director, Investment, Insolvency, Competition and Corporate Policy Directorate, Department of Industry
Andy Lalonde  Manager, Preclearance, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Public Safety
Lynn Hemmings  Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

9:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Mr. Hoback, please.

9:05 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Thank you, Chair.

I have just a quick question. For a port of entry, if all of a sudden there was a fire at that facility and you had to relocate to a mobile facility or something, it would allow for that, correct?

Then, for example, you have the American customs basically looking at each other. If you had a situation like a flood, would you coordinate with American customs officials, to try to find a common area to move to so that you're both across from each other still?

9:10 p.m.

Manager, Preclearance, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Public Safety

Andy Lalonde

It's kind of interesting, because once we…. If we could relocate to the U.S.--is that the question?

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Yes.

9:10 p.m.

Manager, Preclearance, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Public Safety

Andy Lalonde

We would love to be able to do that. We don't have a means or an agreement to do that yet. In fact, that's what we are working on right now as part of the Beyond the Border action plan, the security and prosperity partnership. Negotiations will begin shortly with the United States so that we're able to do that at some point and establish a pre-clearance facility one day in the U.S.

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Okay. Thank you.

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Thank you.

I think that's all the questions, Mr. Lalonde. Thank you so much for staying with us until near the bitter end here. We appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

9:10 p.m.

Manager, Preclearance, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Public Safety

Andy Lalonde

The last person standing is either good or bad.

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

We have one more.

9:10 p.m.

Manager, Preclearance, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Public Safety

Andy Lalonde

Thank you.

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

We will bring in division 30, the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985, and we'll have Ms. Hemmings back before the committee.

Welcome back to the committee, Ms. Hemmings. Thank you for staying so late as well. We sincerely appreciate that and look forward to your giving us a brief overview of this change.

May 17th, 2012 / 9:10 p.m.

Lynn Hemmings Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Thank you very much.

This amendment stems from correspondence we received from the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations regarding their concern that the Air Canada pension plan solvency deficiency funding regulations and the Air Canada pension plan funding regulations, 2009, were made without proper statutory authority.

Subsections 39(2) and 39(3) of the Pension Benefits Standards Act allow regulations made under the act to apply generally to all pension plans or specifically to one or more pension plans, or to one or more classes of pension plans. These authorities came into force in 2010. Essentially, this amendment deems those two subsections of the Pension Benefits Standards Act to come into force prior to the making of the Air Canada regulations, thereby ensuring the validity of both those regulations.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

9:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Thank you very much for that.

We'll go to Mr. Marston, please.

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

I just want to be clear in what I'm hearing. You say the whole idea of this is to retroactively insert a law in where the courts or someone has suggested that it was not appropriate to do it?

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

No. It's to essentially ensure that there is statutory authority for those regulations. Those regulations are in force, and Air Canada has used the first set of regulations and is using the second set, so this essentially is just ensuring that there is proper statutory authority for those regulations.

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

But retroactively.

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

That is correct.

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Which, the way I'm hearing it, implies at least that the authority wasn't there at the time the provisions were put in place.

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

It's the scrutiny of regulations committee that is essentially making a housekeeping amendment to—

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Okay. That was my next question. What prompted this?

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

It was prompted by the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations.

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

So it wasn't an outside source that caused it. It was internal housekeeping, then.

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

No. In reviewing regulations, they decided that it would be prudent to make this kind of amendment to the PBSA.

9:10 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Okay. Thank you.

9:10 p.m.

Senior Chief, Payments, Payments and Pensions, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Lynn Hemmings

You're welcome.