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THE COMMITTEE OF SELECTION

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

OTTAWA, Wednesday, December 1, 2021

(1) [ English ]

The Committee of Selection met this day in room C128, Senate of Canada Building and with videoconference at 4:32 p.m. ET, for the purpose of its organization, pursuant to rule 12-13.

Members of the committee present : The Honourable Senators Downe, Duncan, Housakos, LaBoucane-Benson, MacDonald, Omidvar and Saint-Germain (7).

Members of the committee present by videoconference : The Honourable Senators Mercer and Woo (2).

Other senators present: The Honourable Senators Cordy, Dalphond and Dean (3).

Participating in the meeting: Gaëtane Lemay, Procedural Clerk, and Brigitte Martineau, Administrative Assistant, Committees Directorate.

The clerk of the committee presided over the election of the chair.

The Honourable Senator Saint-Germain moved that the Honourable Senator MacDonald do take the chair of the committee.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The clerk invited the Honourable Senator MacDonald to take the chair.

The chair presided over the election of the deputy chair.

The Honourable Senator MacDonald moved that the Honourable Senator Saint-Germain be deputy chair of the committee.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The Honourable Senator Housakos moved:

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair and two other members of the committee, to be designated after the usual consultations; and

That the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses, and to

schedule hearings.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The Honourable Senator Duncan moved that the committee publish its proceedings.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

At 4:35 p.m., pursuant to the order of the Senate of November 25, 2021, the committee proceeded to nominate the senators to serve on the several committees and to discuss recommendations to the Senate on issues relating to scheduling and coordination of committee meetings, and the duration of membership of committees.

After debate, it was agreed that the names of proposed committee members be submitted to the clerk of the committee by each recognized party and recognized parliamentary group.

It was agreed that the clerk of the committee prepare a report that includes all senators whose names were submitted to be nominated to serve on the various committees; that the report list all members by their recognized party or recognized parliamentary group; and that any non-affiliated senators occupying a seat designated by another party or group be so identified in the report.

It was agreed that the chair present the report to the Senate as soon as practicable.

It was noted that the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson will be nominated in the report to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, occupying a seat designated by the Canadian Senators Group; and that the Honourable Senator Gagné will be nominated in the report to the Standing Committee on Official Languages, occupying a seat designated by the Progressive Senate Group.

The Honourable Senator Woo proposed a draft recommendation on the duration of committee memberships.

After debate, the Honourable Senator Mercer proposed a dissenting opinion.

After further debate, the Honourable Senator Housakos moved that the following text be added to the draft recommendation:

That notwithstanding any usual practice, for the remainder of the current session, an unaffiliated senator named to a committee pursuant to the preceding paragraph may, by written notice to the Clerk, place himself or herself under the authority of the leader or facilitator to whom a seat was originally allocated for the purpose of making membership changes to committees, including joint committees, pursuant to rule 12-5.

After debate, the draft recommendation proposed by the Honourable Senator Woo, along with the additional text proposed by the Honourable Senator Housakos, was adopted.

It was agreed that a draft report be prepared by the clerk for the approval of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, taking into account today’s discussion; that the approved report be presented to the Senate as soon as possible; and that the dissenting opinion from the Honourable Senator Mercer be appended thereto.

The committee considered a recommendation on the scheduling of committee meetings and the coordination, facilitation, and enhancement of hybrid meetings.

After debate, the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson proposed that the recommendation include a provision about the priority of government business.

After debate, it was moved that the committee recommend that a hybrid

schedule be implemented on an interim basis, and that any subsequent changes to the

schedule be approved by the whip/liaisons.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted by a show of hands.

It was agreed that if a committee opts not to use their assigned time slot, it could be used by another committee or subcommittee, subject to the approval of the whips/liaisons.

It was agreed that the committee recommend that meetings of standing Senate committees be prioritized, subject to available capacity, for those that are meeting on government business.

It was agreed that the chair report these recommendations to the Senate and that a copy of the proposed hybrid committee

schedule be appended to the committee’s report.

The Honourable Senator Housakos moved:

That, pursuant to 4:03 2(2) of the Senate Administrative Rules , the committee’s authority to assign office space that has been returned by a caucus to the senators’ office accommodation pool, to senators and their staff, on the basis of seniority and special needs, be delegated to the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, and that the subcommittee report their decisions to the committee.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The Honourable Senator Omidvar moved:

That the committee allow the transcription of the in camera portions of its meetings; that one copy be kept with the clerk of the committee for consultation by committee members present; and that the transcript be destroyed by the clerk when authorized to do so by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, but no later than at the end of this parliamentary session.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The Honourable Senator Housakos moved that each committee member be allowed to have one staff person present at in camera meetings, unless otherwise agreed to by the committee.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

It was agreed that a draft report be prepared by the clerk regarding hybrid meetings for joint committees, and that a copy be circulated to all members when ready.

At 5:33 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.

ATTEST:

Shaila Anwar

Clerk of the Committee

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