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House of Commons Emblem

Board of Internal Economy

NUMBER 028 
l
1st SESSION 
l
44th PARLIAMENT 

TRANSCRIPT

Thursday, April 11, 2024

[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]

  (1105)  

[Translation]

Hon. Greg Fergus (Speaker of the House of Commons):
    Good afternoon, dear colleagues.
    I hope you all benefited from the break in our respective ridings these last two weeks. We are back, and we have to discuss important subjects today during this meeting of the Board of Internal Economy.

[English]

     We'll start off right away with a review of the previous minutes.
    Would anybody like to approve the minutes of February 29, 2024?
    Thank you, Mr. Julian and Madam Fortier. Are all in favour?
    (Motion agreed to)

[Translation]

    We will now move on to business arising from previous meetings. Would anyone like to raise a point on this item?
    Since there are no questions, let’s move on to another subject, the electric vehicle charging stations and implementing the pay-per-use system.
    I invite Mr. Dicaire to give us his presentation.

[English]

    I'm here today with a proposal for consideration by the board to enable a pay-per-use model for an electric vehicle charging station and to outline key next steps if the proposal is approved by the board.

[Translation]

    To date, working with our partners at Public Services and Procurement Canada, or PSPC, we are going forward with setting up 21 level 2 electric vehicle charging stations. They will be available to House of Commons Parking Services special permit holders.
    Currently, the charging stations are configured so that PSPC covers electricity costs.

[English]

    The proposed pay-per-use costing model will be composed of two types of charges.
    The first part is related to the cost of charging itself. The second part will begin once the charging period is over and an idling period starts. The idling fee will be time-based and is common in the industry. It aims at incentivizing users to move their vehicle once the charging portion is complete. Its purpose is to ensure fair and equitable use of the charging station shared between all permit holders.
    As of today, there are a sufficient number of charging stations in relation to permit holders, but we anticipate the demand to consistently grow in the coming years. Working in partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada, we continuously monitor the utilization and evaluate the need to add additional charging stations in due time when required.

  (1110)  

[Translation]

    This is what it would look like. A pay-per-use system would be set up to use existing charging stations through a PSPC-managed third-party application. The application would require MPs and their staff to create an account with the provider and connect it to their personal credit card or other payment options on their mobile devices.
    House of Commons Parking Services will continue managing the use of electric vehicle charging stations and issuing the cards required for their use within the Parliamentary Precinct.

[English]

    The next steps, if approved by the board, are as follows: First, the House administration will work in partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada to determine proposed pay-per-use rates, which would be brought back to the board for approval prior to implementation.
    Second, Public Services and Procurement Canada would reconfigure existing electrical charging stations to support a pay-per-use model and enable the background work required to ensure that the third party application would function properly. This step would not impact the current model in place today, as users would still be able to use a charging station with the card provided.
    Third, a trial period would start in May with a small group of existing permit holders from all parties and a limited number of electric charging stations, with feedback and adjustments being made to ensure readiness for a proposed general launch of the pay-per-use model in June 2024.
    Finally, a communication plan and the associated support process will be developed to support the general launch.
    This concludes my presentation. I would be happy to answer questions and concerns.

[Translation]

Hon. Greg Fergus:
    Thank you, Mr. Dicaire.
    We will now move on to questions and comments.
    Mr. MacKinnon, you have the floor.
Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons):
    We’re in favour of this kind of system, which is fair and where everyone pays. I’m especially pleased with the idling fees. It’s an incentive for people to go disconnect their cars and allow other people to benefit from the same infrastructure. On the Liberal side, this works for us.
Hon. Greg Fergus:
    Thank you, Mr. MacKinnon.
    Mrs. DeBellefeuille, you have the floor.
    We also agree with this proposal, but I’d like to ask a few questions.
    Mr. Dicaire, can you explain how you are going to manage the transition?
    You told us during your presentation that about 46 MPs have an electric car and there are currently 21 charging stations for those vehicles.
    The fact that MPs will have to move their vehicle will certainly be a problem in terms of managing the charging stations. In fact, elected officials are often busy at the House. They may be giving a speech, for example. That means you’re going to have to do a little extra work on management.
    To manage this, you’re going to send notifications to MPs that their vehicle is done charging and notify them they have to move it or face additional fees.
    Did I understand correctly?
Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    That’s correct, Mrs. DeBellefeuille.
    The application will inform the user that the charging period is done and the idling period is starting. That’s when fees start to apply.
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille:
    Are you planning to put fast-charging stations in our parking lot so that MPs can do a quick charge right before leaving for their ridings?
Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    With our partner, Public Services and Procurement Canada, we are currently assessing the electrical capacity required to support type 3 charging stations. We are assessing the possibility of installing this type of charging station in the future.
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille:
    These efforts are highly appreciated, because they could be very useful for MPs who have to leave for their riding and need to charge their vehicle to get to the next charging station.
    Could you give us details on your implementation timeline so that we can inform our MPs with electric vehicles?
Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    The trial period will start in May. We will communicate with existing permit holders and get some volunteers to help us with any needed adjustments by giving us feedback. This will help us plan the new service launch, projected for the month of June.
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille:
    It will be in June. It will therefore be during the current session.
Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    Yes, it will happen during the current session.
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille:
    That’s perfect.
    The whips are expecting information they can send to their caucus members.

  (1115)  

Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    It will definitely be done.
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille:
    Thank you very much.
Hon. Greg Fergus:
    Thank you very much, Mrs. DeBellefeuille.
    Mr. Julian, you have the floor.
Mr. Peter Julian (House leader of the New Democratic Party):
    Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
    I also fully support this proposal.
    Thank you for presenting this project to us. It’s good common sense.
    Mr. Dicaire, you talked about type 3 charging stations. Could you tell us how much time it takes to charge an electric vehicle with this type of charger?
Mr. Benoit Dicaire:
    Currently, within the Parliamentary Precinct, we only have type 2 charging stations. Obviously, charging times vary according to the environmental conditions and type of car.
    Charging a vehicle with a type 2 charger can take 4 to 6 hours, whereas with the type 3, which is a fast-charging station, the charge could take 25 minutes to an hour.
Mr. Peter Julian:
    Thank you very much.
    That’s an excellent proposal and I support it.
Hon. Greg Fergus:
    That’s great. I think there’s consensus around the table.
    Everyone approves the system proposed by Mr. Dicaire. It is therefore carried. Congratulations.
    Thank you.

[English]

     Colleagues, we are now going to move to an in camera session.
    We're going to move in camera for the remaining item on our agenda.
    [Proceedings continue in camera]
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