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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, January 28, 2021

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, January 28, 2021, at 11:10 a.m., in Room 035-B, West Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Anthony Rota, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Mark Holland, Dominic LeBlanc, Ginette Petitpas Taylor and Pablo Rodríguez; Mr. Gérard Deltell, Mr. Blake Richards, Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille and Mr. Peter Julian

Secretary to the Board: Charles Robert, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration; Eric Janse, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Rebekah Kletke, Chief Operations Officer; Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer; Robyn Daigle, Director, Members’ HR Services; Philippe Dufresne, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer; Guillaume LaPerrière-Marcoux, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of December 3, 2020, were approved for tabling.


At 11:14 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:24 a.m., the sitting resumed.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of correspondence distributed since its last meeting and Eric Janse, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services, answered questions.


PRINTING AND MAILING SERVICES PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT PROPOSALS

Rebekah Kletke, Chief Operations Officer, presented a proposal to undertake a review of the printing and mailing services offered to Members of Parliament and answered questions.


The Board directed the Administration to proceed with an examination of the following:

- Internal processes and tools, to determine the measures needed to decrease the current average internal production timeline of 12 days;

- The possibility of setting up framework agreements with printing facilities across Canada, in consultation with Canada Post, so that internal production time frames can be supplemented and enhanced with external surge capacity during peak periods; and

- Access to broader external services through existing mechanisms.


At 11:45 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:48 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.


BILL C-65: NEW WORKPLACE HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION REGULATIONS AND PROPOSED POLICY FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES

The Board considered a proposed workplace harassment and violence prevention policy for Members and their employees and agreed to the following:

- That the new Members of the House of Commons Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy replace the current House of Commons Policy on Preventing and Addressing Harassment;

- That the standard letters of offer for Members’ employees be updated to replace all references to the current policy with the new policy;

- That the Legal Fees Policy of the Board of Internal Economy be updated by replacing references to “harassment” with “harassment and violence” and by replacing the definition of “Harassment and Sexual Harassment” with “Harassment and Violence: As defined in the Canada Labour Code.”; and that the designated recipient be listed as a point of contact for Members and employees who wish to make a request for initial financial support in cases of harassment and violence; and

- That the Members’ Allowances and Services Manual be updated accordingly.


USE OF MASKS AND EXTENSION OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

The Board agreed to make it mandatory for any person, including Members and their staff, House Administration employees, and parliamentary visitors, to wear a non-medical mask / face covering in common areas in the Parliamentary Precinct. The change supersedes earlier measures regarding the mandatory use of masks / face coverings and will remain in effect until Wednesday, June 23, 2021.


The common areas consist of the following:

• The Chamber

• Committee rooms

• Members’ offices and House Administration offices, excluding workstations/desks where two-metre physical distancing is possible

• Building entrances

• Elevator lobbies

• Hallways, including common hallways within House Administration work areas

• Washrooms

• Locker rooms

• Cafeterias and canteens

• Indoor parking lots

• Elevators and escalators

• Meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms

• Collaboration spaces

• Lunchrooms and kitchenettes


The mandatory requirement to wear a non-medical mask / face covering would not apply to:

• Members who are at their place in the Chamber and in committee rooms during parliamentary proceedings (while Members are not required to wear a non-medical mask / face covering when they are at their place, it is to be strongly recommended that they do so); and

• Members and other individuals participating in press conferences, including scrums, where two-metre physical distancing measures have been implemented.


Exemptions to the wearing of a mask / face covering apply in the case of:

• A person who has a medical condition that precludes the safe wearing of a mask / face covering or who is unable to put on or remove the mask / face covering without the assistance of another person;

• A person who needs to temporarily remove the mask / face covering to consume food or drink.


The Board also agreed that the following measures remain in effect until further notice:

• The House of Commons precinct is closed to public visitors and public tours are suspended;

• Parliamentary activities in the precinct that are not essential to the functioning of Parliament are suspended.


LEGAL MATTERS

The Board discussed a legal matter.


AMENDMENT TO THE MEMBERS BY-LAW: DEFINITION OF IMMEDIATE FAMILY

The Board considered a proposed amendment to the Members By-law to expand the definition of “immediate family.”


The Board agreed that, effective January 28, 2021, “immediate family” be defined under the Members By law as:

(a) a Member’s spouse;

(b) a child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother or sister of a Member or of a Member’s spouse;

(c) a nephew or niece of a Member or of a Member’s spouse; or

(d) the spouse of a person referred to in paragraph (b).


The Board agreed that, as a transition measure, Members be given one year to bring their current employment relationships and other non-employment contracts into compliance with the Members By law, as amended.


The meeting was adjourned.

Charles Robert
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy