Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 29th, 2012

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

In the cases I'm aware of, there has been a combination of actions or specifically costs have been recouped for items that violated the regulation or rule, and in other cases they have worked with the party or the caucus officials to take further steps to ensure that there would be no further violations.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Is there any public sanction?

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

No. Things that come before the board are treated in a confidential manner.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Madam Latendresse.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I would like to pick up on something we talked about earlier, an increase. You said in your presentation that there was a $3-million increase in the main estimates for the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances and Retirement Compensation Arrangements accounts.

Is that due to the fact that, following the last election, an abnormally high number of members retired?

[Audrey O'Brien]

Yes, precisely.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

To some extent, then, that will be permanent, because those individuals will be retired for a rather long time.

[Audrey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I want to make sure I understood correctly. The Retirement Compensation Arrangements or RCA is equivalent to the pension, but for members who do not qualify for the pension. So they receive a lump sum in the form of compensation, because they haven't accumulated enough years of service.

[Audrey O'Brien]

Yes, it is when they haven't accumulated the minimum number required.

I will let the Chief Financial Officer answer that, since he is more comfortable with figures than I am.

[Mark G. Watters]

Thank you, Madam Clerk, Mr. Speaker.

How it works is Revenue Canada sets out certain limits on the pension that a person can receive, that can be paid to an individual. When you exceed those limits, basically a separate pension plan is created. The funding for those two accounts provides members with their total pension. So funds are allocated to the pension plan itself and other funds are allocated to a supplemental pension plan, if you will, or a separate one. It has to do with Revenue Canada's maximum limits.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

That answers my question. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Madam Turmel, you have two minutes.

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

I actually have a question about employee benefit plans.

You said the employer's contribution rate will decrease from 18% to 17.6%. I have some serious questions about that. Every pension fund in Canada is increasing. The death benefit and the employment insurance fund are running deficits in most places. And yet you are reducing the employer's contributions. I would like to know how you came to that number.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Those figures are from Treasury Board. They did not come from the Board of Internal Economy; it was the government's decision, specifically Treasury Board's. Bear in mind that House employees' collective agreement is similar to that of government employees.

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

I will keep the rest of my comments for Treasury Board.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You still have a minute if you....

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

I have two quick points again on that document the analyst prepared. You have two figures I'm not quite clear on. One is rentals of $12 million a year. I assume that's rental property, as opposed to rental equipment--or is it a combination?

[Mark G. Watters]

That pertains principally to leases. Rentals are not necessarily rental property, but any leases that we would have on equipment--photocopiers, office equipment, and those types of things.

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Do we lease any properties?

[Mark G. Watters]

Yes, we do.

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

We do? Which ones?

[Mark G. Watters]

We do, but those leases are administered through Public Works and Government Services Canada, so they wouldn't be reflected in the main estimates of the House. Those would be in the main estimates of that particular department. But these would be rental payments that are paid for members or for House administration, for equipment, furniture, and those types of things.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We have Mr. Zimmer for four minutes, please.