Evidence of meeting #31 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 able.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Do we know if, as freelancers, they're able to have a health and safety incident report. Do they submit them?
Michel Patrice Deputy Clerk, Administration, House of Commons
I would believe that they do.
The translation bureau is the employer of the employees and they're the ones who retain the freelancers. I think the question is better put to them.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
I'll ask them.
One of the things that was mentioned here by you, Mr. Speaker—through the chair—is the fact that we could look at addressing what people's experiences are and who should and should not get to participate in setting some sorts of standards. I think that's an interesting idea, but I'm wondering about the implementation.
As the whip for the NDP, I know a lot of personal things about my MPs that I would not feel comfortable sharing with other members without their explicit permission. If you're framing it that way, do you have any thoughts or opinions on how that would actually go into implementation? It's one thing to talk about it and it's another thing to implement it.
Liberal
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
At a higher level it's easy to say. That's why it's so important that this committee look at all of the implementation and all of the issues that come up when you actually put something into place. Theoretically, I could say all kinds of neat things that sound good.
I would hope that this committee looks at the lives of MPs and what it involves. If it is, say, too revealing for somebody's personal situation, then how do we get around that? Or if it's something that is another situation where it doesn't quite fit into—
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
I'm sorry to interrupt, but I only have a few seconds left.
Another challenge is I imagine you're updating the systems all the time to service the House better virtually. If we don't have people using it, would you be worried about the supports, processes and updates not being rapid enough?
Liberal
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
What I found was as soon as someone brought something to our attention, the IT team was on it right away. Whether it's one person or 337 people using it, I don't see any error or any danger of the IT department ignoring it, or any of us ignoring it.
I'll stop there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bardish Chagger
Thank you.
The IT department can rest assured as long as I'm around they will be employed. I can use all of the IT help in the world.
Mr. Kmiec, it will be five minutes for you, followed by five minutes to Ms. Sahota.
October 4th, 2022 / 11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Thank you, Chair.
Speaker, on committee resource rationing, I heard the House has 57 committees. Does that include the caucus meetings?
Chief Information Officer, Digital Services and Real Property, House of Commons
We have 57 slots available right now, sir. That includes the national caucuses.
Conservative
Chief Information Officer, Digital Services and Real Property, House of Commons
Currently, the schedules are organized....
I'll let Eric answer that one.
Eric Janse Deputy Clerk, Procedure, House of Commons
It's a block system. I think we have six per block, maximum. If there are conflicts, or what have you, or if a committee goes beyond its two-hour slot, then it's up to the whips to decide which committee is pushed or outright cancelled. It's largely in the hands of the whips in terms of how to use those 57 slots.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Chair, this is where there's a problem.
We have four officers on each recognized party, including the caucus chairs. I found that during the pandemic when I chaired the meetings of the Conservative Party—I think we were the first ones to meet over Zoom—we had no interpretation for three meetings. I think that is a breach of members' privileges. We had people trying to interpret for others, and I think that's unfair. I think most of that has been resolved.
The slotting system.... When you're only supposed to have four officers...and you know, whips occasionally disagree. We do. We have in the past. I've disagreed with my whips in the past when I was chair.
In the future, are caucus meetings going to be dealt with differently? Can it be guaranteed that we can always get caucus meeting slots and not just have one per week? There are different caucuses that have different schedules of meetings. Is this something that's been looked at before in terms of how they would be treated?
Liberal
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
I believe that's something the House leaders establish amongst themselves on what gets priority so that the business of the House that is most important gets done. I would not want to take that away from the House leaders. They know and understand what's going on. I'm not sure it would work out that well to impose something on them. It's something that I would prefer to have them discuss amongst themselves to see what their priorities are.
Having been a national caucus chair—luckily it was before COVID—I know you're always struggling for resources. It's the same situation now where you just have to—
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Madam Chair, on the issue of research....
I finally get to interrupt you, which is great.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
I've complained to you a lot over the pandemic while I chaired meetings. You have many angry emails from me.
Liberal
Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
Those weren't complaints; that was just bringing stuff to my attention.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
On the staffing, there are so many more staff now in caucus meeting rooms, especially when they're hybrid meetings. There are the MMS staff. There are more interpreters cycling in and out as well.
For the staff that we need in general for the parliamentary precinct, if we adopt a hybrid model, do we need all of these people? Has there been an assessment done on the staffing needs? Will they go up or down?
I mean to include precinct security, the restaurant staff and the people who change the water—all of these people. If a third of members are not here on average every week, do we need all of these people here? What's the answer?
Clerk of the House of Commons
It really depends on how far you want to go with the idea of your commitment to a hybrid sitting or a hybrid model. If it's scaled back, there aren't necessarily the same sort of requirements.
I think we would really have to make an assessment following the decision of the committee and the House to accept a certain model to work with.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Can I then ask a question?
You had mentioned, Speaker, in your commentary in the opening about having worked with other jurisdictions. Are any of the provincial legislatures still in a hybrid format?
Liberal
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
In their communications then, Speaker, did they express any concerns about not continuing in a hybrid format?