Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 16th, 2017

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

I have maybe a minute left and a lot of questions, so I do apologize if I bounce around a bit.

I just want to ask about and confirm with you some of the additional dollars we're looking at in funding, such as the $5.8 million in permanent funding. I want to confirm that the plan is to make operations a priority, rather than administration. To me, putting people on the ground instead of into administration is where this money will be going. Can you confirm that as being a priority?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

You have about 30 seconds to answer that.

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

It is a priority, and we're putting that forward for consideration. As you know PPS was created with the front-line members who were brought together. We're working hard again to create the corporate side of the House to do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

Mr. Graham.

[Robert Graham]

Yes, the purpose of the administrative functions is to hire the people necessary to support operations and provide the agility necessary to provide operations with the resources they need.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

Sorry, Mr. Schmale, your time has expired.

Mr. Dusseault, you're next.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank our guests for joining us today.

I would like to begin with you, Mr. O'Beirne. It seems to me that you are the focus of attention today. I have a very simple question for you: who is your boss and to whom do you report?

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

As a result of the amendments made to the Parliament of Canada Act, the Parliamentary Protection Service, or PPS, was created. That led to the creation of

memorandum of understanding.

According to that memorandum of understanding, I report to the Speakers of the Senate and of the House of Commons with regard to any aspects concerning security throughout the parliamentary precinct and on Parliament Hill, as well as policies on these matters. However, in terms of operations, I report to the RCMP commissioner.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

So you report to two entities: the RCMP and the two Speakers.

I will turn to the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Has the relationship with the RCMP improved since those changes were made? Does the RCMP better understand the particularities of the House of Commons, such as parliamentary privileges? Can you comment on what has happened since the 2015 amendments?

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I thank the honourable member for his question.

I have a very good relationship with Superintendent O'Beirne, who is the director of PPS, and with PPS in general, and I believe that is also the case with the House of Commons administration. The relationships have evolved, and we continue to work together to get to know each other better. As you know, the House of Commons administration does not really have the same capacities as PPS and its director. That said, I think that things are going very well.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. O'Beirne or Mr. Speaker of the House, I would like you to talk about the transition period.

When you appeared before the committee, you said that some services that were previously provided by the RCMP would now be provided by PPS, that there would be a transition period and that it may lead to an increase in the main estimates.

Is that the case now? Have all the RCMP services that should now be provided by PPS been transferred? If so, is that reflected today in the main estimates?

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

After PPS was created, the RCMP did provide support for the transition. Human resources were allocated to facilitate that transfer. Those positions are crucial for continuing the transfer of those services from the RCMP to PPS and for consolidating the organizational aspect. So the main estimates contain a request for funding to help PPS consolidate those services going forward.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

In the main estimates, there is an increase of PPS expenditures in terms of personnel. The expenditures, which were $39 million in 2016-2017, will be $45 million in 2017-2018. That is an increase of nearly $6 million for PPS, and that is only in terms of personnel.

Can you tell us whether that amount partially responds to the requests made by the PPS employees' bargaining units? Will that $6-million increase under the “Personnel” category in the main estimates be used to hire more staff? What will it be used for?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

You have 20 seconds left.

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

Are you asking for clarifications on the 2016-2017 main estimates?

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Yes. In the “Personnel” category, the amount has increased from $39 million to $45 million between 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

Are you asking that we explain that $6-million difference?

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Exactly. There is a $6-million difference between 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. How would you justify that increase?

[Supt Mike O'Beirne]

Okay.

I can say again what Mr. Speaker told you this morning. That funding is related to the mobile response team, Senate transfers, operational resources for 180 Wellington Street, the security contract for 90 Wellington Street, a communications specialist, infrastructure agreements between PPS, the Senate and the House of Commons, support services, human resources, compensation, and so on.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Okay. It's mostly....

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

We'll have to stop it there. We have gone past the time.

What we will do is thank our guests who are here with us now: the Speaker, the Clerk, and others. Thank you, all, for being here.

I see that we have a member, Mr. Chan, who would like to say something briefly before I suspend the meeting to bring forward the next set of witnesses here, the witnesses from Elections Canada.

Have you reconsidered the idea of requiring...?

[Arnold Chan, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

No.

First, I want to thank our guests for appearing and for explaining today's estimates.

I just want your direction, Mr. Chair, on whether to move the appropriate motion with respect to the adoption of the main estimates for the House of Commons and the Parliamentary Protective Service now or at the end of the meeting?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

My intention is to conduct all the votes at the conclusion of the other panel.

[Arnold Chan, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

That's fine.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

Thank you.

I'll suspend briefly to allow the change of witnesses. Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Blake Richards]

I will call the meeting back to order.

I have a point of order.

Mr. Reid.