The Joint
Interparliamentary Council met this day at 3:31 p.m., in camera, in
room 356‑S of the Centre Block, Mr. Joe Comartin, M.P., presiding.
Representing
the Senate:
Hon. David Tkachuk, Hon. Carolyn Stewart Olsen,
and Hon. Marie‑P. Charette-Poulin, Senators.
Representing
the House of Commons: Joe Comartin, Hon. Rob Merrifield,
Philip Toone, Massimo Pacetti and Randy Hoback, MPs.
Others present: Chairs and Co-Chairs of Parliamentary Associations: Hon. Donald H. Oliver, Senator (IPU); Hon. Mauril Bélanger, MP; Hon. Raynell Andreychuk,
Senator (Canada-Africa); Hon. Janis G. Johnson, Senator (Canada-US), Daryl
Kramp, MP (Canada-China), Mike Wallace, MP (Canada-Japan), Ed Holder, MP
(Canada-UK); Dean Allison, MP (OSCE); Robert Aubin, MP (Vice-Chair, APF);
Élaine Michaud, MP (Vice-Chair, Canada-France); Scott Simms, MP (Member of
the Executive Committee of Canada‑Europe).
From the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT): Robert Fry, Director General and Corporate
Secretary;
Todd Kuiack, Director of Parliamentary and Cabinet Affairs;
Yves Duval, Deputy Director, Parliamentary Affairs; and
Taryn Russell, Parliamentary Affairs Officer.
In attendance: From the International and Interparliamentary
Affairs Directorate:
Jeremy LeBlanc, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Associations;
Gérald Lafrenière, Deputy Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Exchanges; and
Marie-Andrée Rainville, Manager, Resource Planning and Administration.
From the Senate: Nicole Proulx, Director of Finance, Finance and
Procurement Directorate.
From the House of
Commons: Gilles Larocque, Senior Financial Advisor, Policy
and Financial Planning.
1.DFAIT Briefing
Further to one of the
recommendations of the Subcommittee on Restructuring Parliamentary Associations
adopted on March 14, 2012, DFAIT officials provided a confidential
briefing to the JIC and, at the invitation of the JIC, to the Chairs and Co‑Chairs
of all parliamentary associations, with regards to the Government’s foreign
policy priorities.
At 3:57 p.m., the
meeting was suspended.
At 4:22 p.m., the
meeting resumed.
2.Approval of Minutes
On motion of Senator
Charette-Poulin, the minutes of the meeting of October 16, 2012 were
approved.
3.Budgets
The Clerk of the JIC
provided an overview of the current financial status of all associations based
on the information provided by each association as part of the
November 2012 budget forecasts of association activities for the current
fiscal year.
The Council considered
requests for additional funding from the Canadian NATO Parliamentary
Association, the Canadian Group of the IPU, the Canadian Section of
ParlAmericas and the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE.
After discussion, on
motion of Mr. Merrifield, it was agreed that the Canadian Section of
ParlAmericas be allotted an additional $15,000 and that the Canadian Delegation
to the OSCE be allotted an additional $15,082 in order to fund their upcoming
activities and that the other requests be considered at the next meeting of the
Council.
4.IPU Conference
The Clerk of the JIC
provided an update on the success of the 127th IPU Assembly held in
Quebec City. Due to the sound financial management of the organizing
team, a surplus of approximately $500,000 is anticipated in the budgetary
envelope for the conference.
It was agreed that
the Co-Chairs write to the Chairs of the internal economy committees of both
Houses to update them on the status of the budgetary envelope for the
conference.
At 4:33 p.m., the
Council adjourned to the call of the Co-Chairs.