Evidence of meeting #161 for Public Safety and National Security in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rcmp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
So I guess our real crime issues, with being understaffed, are not going to be addressed that way. Anyway, redeploying some cash that could go elsewhere....
How long do you think it will take for this committee to be operational?
May 8th, 2019 / 4:45 p.m.
Director General, Policing Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The minister said that he hopes to see the committee operational soon. In January the government announced its intent to proceed with the establishment of an interim arrangement to get the board up and running. I believe the minister said in a scrum yesterday that he expected it would be very soon.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Finally, do you think that a management advisory board will speed up the internal review process, the internal processes for resolving some of the matters when members have issues that need to be dealt with? Do you think that will speed up that whole process?
4:45 p.m.
Director General, Policing Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
When members have complaints, the board does not sit to receive members' complaints.
4:45 p.m.
Director General, Policing Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I didn't mean that they investigate complaints; I know they don't investigate complaints. I'm talking about fixing the systemic issues. The goal is to help the minister do that.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
This board has some size—up to 13 members—and presumably some diversity of views. Is it your expectation that the board will, or may, split on some key issues, and if so, how would they express dissenting views on those issues?
4:45 p.m.
Director General, Policing Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That would be very much up to the board to decide. The board will be free, under the proposed provisions, to determine its own procedures and its own method of working.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you.
Ms. Sahota has three or four suggested amendments, since we're not amending a bill as such.
We have 19 minutes. I propose that we run this for five minutes, because the whip will have a heart attack if we don't leave within 15 minutes. Lock him up and we don't have a problem.
4:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
We'll run until 4:55.
Ms. Sahota has presented these amendments, but they're not in both official languages, so I can't distribute them. I'm going to have to have you read them into the record and make your arguments as to why you think these should be considered as suggested amendments.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
This piece of legislation is really appreciated. The spirit of it is exactly what is appropriate. I just think it's a little vague.
I understand that perhaps that's been done so that the board will have the ability and flexibility to act differently when addressing different issues. However, I think some of the core things, which you mentioned in your opening remarks....
I'll just read out my proposals and then I'll explain them:
The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security recommends that the Standing Committee on Finance consider amending Division 10 on the Budget Implementation Act to:
1. Require full reports prepared by the Management Advisory Board, per 45.18 (3), to be automatically provided to the Minister;
In the legislation, it says that they “may” provide them, so this is more of a “shall”. I know that the minister receives a lot of reports, but I think it's important, especially if it's an official report, for him or her to be seized of the issue moving forward. That's been recommended. I further propose:
2. encourage diverse representation on future iterations of the Management Advisory Board, including but not limited to women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and members of visible minorities; and
3. require that Gender-Based Analysis+, or any future program that may reasonably be viewed as its successor, be incorporated into the Management Advisory Board's work.
Number four is on the fly. After our discussion today, I'm thinking that the mandate of the advisory board lacks any specific mention of harassment and cultural change. I think that should be encompassed in proposed paragraph 45.18(2)(a) of the mandate, but it's very vague. I would recommend that the finance committee figure out what language they want to use, but specifically mention that is the transformation or a part of the modernization plans.
Although you've mentioned in your introductory remarks that they are trying to achieve regional diversity—all of those different things—it's not actually stated in the legislation. This government may intend to make appointments based on that—or the council—but that might not be the case in the future. I think putting that language in would make the person who needs to make appointments aware that he or she must make sure that the board comprises all of those factors.
I haven't listed if there needs to any kind of mandated specific.... What's the word I'm looking for?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
Quotas or anything like that. They should be viewing it from that perspective, that there should be as much diversity as possible, so that the recommendations that are made are good, right? The work that's done by a more diverse board would be good.
Those are my recommendations to the finance committee.
Is there any discussion by any members?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
In the two or three minutes that we have left, is there any commentary, either from the officials or from members of the opposition parties?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
I would think that the composition of any board, any management committee, any commission, would be on merit, based on the competency skills you're looking for to do the job of whatever they're asked to do. That should be the number one requisite.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
That's not mentioned here either. I would think that anyone they select would be merit-based, of course. That's a given.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
No.
Basically, number 2 is saying that I encourage diverse representation on future management advisory boards: “including but not limited to”. It's just throwing out some ideas basically, of gender, of minorities, those with disabilities. It's not limited.