The hot room.
Evidence of meeting #138 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was building.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #138 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was building.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:25 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
The hot room.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
That's right.
Are there no plans to have one there?
12:25 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
Yes, there is space. We just aren't necessarily calling it the hot room, but if you will, there is space for them there, and they have additional space in the National Press Building because the West Block space is not as large as their current space.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Does the studio have the actual studio, a green room, as well as work stations?
12:25 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
No. There's a separate space for them within West Block.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Okay.
Obviously, it's not as big as the one here, but nevertheless it gives them space. Okay.
Did you consult with the media on this?
12:25 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
We consulted through the press gallery at the time. Currently Collin Lafrance is our contact who represents the press gallery. He works with us to determine requirements.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
In the Speaker's place, you have room for the office, obviously, as well as a larger space for entertaining people such as certain special foreign guests who come in, and so on and so forth. It's obviously not as big as it is here, but in comparison how big is it?
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
I couldn't give you the square footage right now off the top of my head, but we can come back with it.
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
It's a different building. The corridors in the West Block run down the centre of the wings, so all the rooms are narrower. That's why I'd have to go back and check on the figures for you.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Okay. I see what you mean with the smaller hallways.
In this particular case, with the way it is laid out there right now, in your opinion, which part of the current Centre Block—and I'm meaning House of Commons functions now—will be diminished over in West Block? Is it the MPs' offices? Is it administration?
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
All the requirements were reduced going into West Block, knowing it was a smaller building. Certainly there are fewer MPs' offices. The administration is in smaller offices. All the services have been reduced. Everyone has compromised to fit in.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
What's the comparison there of administration offices compared with MPs' offices?
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
I would have to go back and get you a figure on that.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Are these all what we originally set out to do? Has anything changed since we first began? Have there been modifications to the MPs' offices?
I think what you're saying—and pardon my ignorance on the issue—is that the offices are the same as what you would expect for any MP. It's just that there are fewer of them.
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
Yes, that's correct.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Was that your intention there from the beginning?
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
It was part of the design, because the building is much smaller than Centre Block. You just cannot put as much function as we have the ability and square footage to do here in Centre Block. We didn't have that availability in West Block.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
For the administration, was it the same thing? Are the offices the same size as here, except there are fewer of them?
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
No, they're reduced and there are fewer of them.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
They're reduced and there are fewer of them for the administration.
12:30 p.m.
Senior Director and Executive Architect, Real Property Directorate, House of Commons
Yes. In stage two of West Block, once we return to Centre Block, it's intended that all of that administration space and the higher-end offices will convert to MPs' offices.
12:30 p.m.
Hamilton Centre, NDP
Thanks, Chair.
I have to tell you, I could be wrong but I really feel like there was kind of a wake-up call being recognized by our witnesses here that there's a whole different approach to doing Centre Block than was done with West Block in terms of input, which is kind of surprising, but it is what it is. I guess it's better the wake-up call comes now rather than seven years from now or, in the case of West Block, after the fact. I'll characterize that as a good thing, even though it's somewhat surprising.
I want to compliment Mr. Simms. I think it's absolutely brilliant that the next Parliament—or the one after that, whenever they do it—wrestles with this idea of a second chamber. A few of us were interested in that when it first came up—I think it was here—and we had quite a discussion. We didn't even know it existed. The idea of a parallel chamber was mentioned in the context, not of helping the government out by giving them more time per se, whoever the government is, but as an opportunity for more members' time, because it runs parallel. I think that's what most of the other chambers do.
I have to tell you that when I first heard that, I think a few of us were kind of, “Hey, now there's an idea”. Without changing the dynamics of the place, without changing anything really, it's an add-on. My point is to have that discussion while the chamber still exists in West Block, because that could very easily provide the footprint.... What a great place to have it, in one of the main buildings on the Hill. I just want to compliment Mr. Simms, and I hope that the next PROC is seized of that issue and initiates that debate to wrestle with, because I think there's a good chance that future Parliaments might go with that, I really do. I think it's something that could be added without jarring everything else, good or bad, that has evolved in our 150-odd years.
That begs the question, and I do have a question. In terms of planning, if they did go with the second chamber, it sounds like the future of West Block, in terms of the reconversion, is not finalized, which would make good sense. Is it, as it seems to me, a prime time-wise opportunity to be looking at a parallel chamber? I thought it was a good idea, but you folks are the ones who are actually going to be on the ground. What do you think in terms of the timing of having that discussion on any kind of a secondary chamber when we already have one built? What are your thoughts on that off the top of your head?
