Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The government does not support this proposed amendment, for the following reasons.
This provision, as originally drafted, provides the mechanism by which the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons will enter into an arrangement with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Under this arrangement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will be a service provider to the office of the parliamentary protective service and will lead an integrated security force.
This service agreement must be executed by two main parties: first, the houses of Parliament as represented by the two Speakers, as the party that is procuring services; and second, the executive as represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Commissioner of the RCMP as the party that is providing the service. It is important that this provision clearly identify both parties to the agreement and respect the minister's accountability for the RCMP as a government entity for which he is responsible as a steward of public resources.
This suggested amendment would not achieve this and would negatively impact the stability and effectiveness of the new integrated security service.