Okay.
Evidence of meeting #106 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was guests.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #106 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was guests.
A video is available from Parliament.
February 13th, 2024 / noon
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
—and 91 police forces.
Noon
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay. That happens for all the guests on the lists you receive from each party, which are sent through the protocol office. You do that for each of them, but that's physical risk that you're talking about.
Noon
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
A thorough assessment of reputational risk has to be done by the parties themselves. You don't have any part in that.
Noon
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
If I were mandated to do it, I'd have the resources to do an open-source verification.
Noon
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Would that be different from the physical search you're talking about with the red light and green light?
Noon
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
Yes. It would be a reputational. It would be an open-source intelligence search.
Noon
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
What would that look like? That's if you're able to talk about it.
Noon
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
I have analysts who do that sort of thing and focus mostly on dangers and threats toward members of Parliament. We don't do it currently. If mandated, it would be a question of resources and being mandated by the Board of Internal Economy to do so.
Noon
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Would that individual party have to ask for it, or would protocol ask for it? Who would ask for it?
Noon
Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security Officer, House of Commons
It would be the board.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
I think it would depend on how things are set up.
To date, reputational verifications have not been part of what we have been asked to do, either the protocol office or the security office. When there are events like an address to Parliament, if that was the desire, then, as Pat alluded to, resource requirements would have to be addressed. Time requirements would have to be addressed. To date, we have always expected that the parties would do some kind of background checks before submitting the names to us.
Again, I have permission from Speaker Fergus to share a little bit of what he shared with the House leaders. One recommendation would be that rather than doing reputational risks on all the guests, all 500, we would do reputational verifications only on anybody who might be recognized in the gallery by any of the individuals addressing Parliament.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
That's a recommendation that you would suggest for here as well, as part of our report.
12:05 p.m.
Clerk of the House of Commons
It could be something that the committee might want to consider.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay.
It was also mentioned, I think, by Ms. Anctil that the event was rushed. Did that play a part in the ability to not do that thorough search? Is that typical for these sorts of events?
I know that a lot of work goes into them. It's a huge production. Was this one being specifically rushed part of the consideration of that reputational risk assessment and what was being asked?
12:05 p.m.
Chief of Protocol and Events Management, House of Commons
It was indeed very rushed. The timeline was very, very tight. However, it is not the mandate of the protocol office to do those reputational threats for all the guests who are invited.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Then you too would recommend that it either stay with the parties or that it be only those recognized.
12:05 p.m.
Chief of Protocol and Events Management, House of Commons
It would be addressed whoever had responsibility for it.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Yes. The fact that the Speaker didn't give any sort of notice that there would be a recognition is part of the problem of even that further recommendation.
12:05 p.m.
Clerk of the House of Commons
To that very point, again, something Speaker Fergus has suggested to the parties is that if one of the intervenors in an address to Parliament—the guest, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House, the Speaker of the Senate—intends on recognizing somebody in the gallery, then that name and that information is shared with all the parties and all the groups so that everybody can undertake their own background checks, if they wish, before sharing with their group or their caucus whether or not this person should be applauded.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
12:05 p.m.
NDP
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bardish Chagger
Thank you.
We will now enter into our second round. Mr. Duncan will have five minutes, followed by Mr. Gerretsen for five minutes.
Then we'll move on to Ms. Gaudreau and Ms. Mathyssen, who will each have two and a half minutes.
After that, if there's any time left, I'll give the Conservatives and the Liberals a few minutes, otherwise the meeting will end.
Go ahead, Mr. Duncan.