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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, December 5, 2024

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy (Board) of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 11:09 a.m., in Room 225-A, West Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Mona Fortier, Karina Gould, Ruby Sahota, and Andrew Scheer; Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille and Mr. Peter Julian

Secretary to the Board: Eric Janse, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present:Translation Bureau: Jean-François Lymburner, Chief Executive Officer; Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Service to Parliament and Interpretation; Annie Plouffe, Acting Vice-President, Special Projects. House of Commons: Suzie Cadieux, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Benoit Dicaire, Chief Information Officer; Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; Mélissa Côté, Deputy Director, Resource Management; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Executive Administrator; Jeffrey LeBlanc, Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Guillaume La Perrière, Director, Accessibility Implementation; Michel Bédard, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Natacha Flanagan, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of November 28, 2024, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of correspondence distributed since its last meeting.


INTERPRETATION RESOURCES UPDATE

Jean-François Lymburner, Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, appeared before the Board and, along with Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Service to Parliament and Interpretation, Translation Bureau; Annie Plouffe, Acting Vice-President, Special Projects, Translation Bureau; Suzie Cadieux, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; and Benoit Dicaire, Chief Information Officer, answered questions.

The Board requested that

- the Translation Bureau follow up with more data on delays in transfers for remote interpretation services;

- the matter of disorder and noisy disruptions in committees and their impact on the health and safety of interpreters be raised at the Liaison Committee; and

- the question of capacity of interpretation services to support parliamentary activities be raised at a future meeting.


PROPOSED 2025–2026 MAIN ESTIMATES

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, supported by Mélissa Côté, Deputy Director, Resource Management, presented the proposed 2025–2026 Main Estimates, and with Eric Janse, Clerk of the House of Commons, and Natacha Flanagan, Chief of Staff, answered questions.

The Board approved the proposed 2025–2026 Main Estimates for the House of Commons in the amount of $656,529,409 to be submitted to Treasury Board, and took note of the $121,412,326 for services received without charge to be included in the operating budget for information purposes only. The Board also requested that the House Administration provide additional information about resources related to Corporate Communications and the Press Gallery.


STRATEGIC INTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIONS

Eric Janse, Clerk of the House of Commons, supported by Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, presented the Strategic Internal Assessment of Operations (SIAO) framework and answered questions.

The Board approved the direction for the SIAO.

The Board agreed that a subcommittee, consisting of the Speaker as chair, and one Board member from each recognized party, be established to support the House of Commons Administration in the execution of the SIAO.

The subcommittee is to report periodically as appropriate to the Board, which retains authority over all financial and administrative matters respecting the House and its Members.

The Board also agreed to a one-year extension of the House of Commons’ Strategic Plan from March 31, 2026 to March 31, 2027.


PROGRESS REPORT ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ACCESSIBILITY PLAN FOR 2024

Guillaume La Perrière, Director, Accessibility Implementation, presented a progress report on the implementation of the House of Commons Accessibility Plan 2023–2025, and answered questions.


UPDATE ON THE CONSTITUENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PILOT FOR MEMBERS

Benoit Dicaire, Chief Information Officer, provided an update on the status of the constituency telecommunications service pilot for Members, sought approval to maintain the pilot until the next election, and answered questions.

The Board approved that the House Administration

• limit new Member participation and focus on current deployments until the next general election;

• maintain the pilot until the next general election;

• prepare for mass deployment as part of the post-election Constituency Office Technology Lifecycle Program;

• lead with the HoC-managed approach; and

• offer the MP-managed deployment (MP-managed telephony) as an opt-out alternative for Members who choose to manage their deployment independently.


The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

Eric Janse
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy