July 23, 2019
House of Assembly Management Commission
No. 73
The
Management Commission met at 3:40 p.m. in the Committee Room.
MR. SPEAKER: (Trimper):
I'd like to
convene this meeting of the Management Commission.
I'd
especially like to welcome back the former Members and the new Members of the
Management Commission. I'd also like to welcome everyone to this Committee Room.
We finally have it outfitted. Thanks to the Minister of Justice and Public
Safety and the support of the people that he deals with, we have some lovely
tables and we're outfitted now. So we are good to go now and it's very
convenient for us to set up.
I am
Perry Trimper, I am the Speaker of the House of Assembly and I Chair the
Management Commission.
I will
now turn to my left and go around the room for introductions.
CLERK (Barnes):
Sandra Barnes, Clerk.
MR. PETTEN:
Barry Petten, MHA for
Conception Bay South.
MR. BRAZIL:
David Brazil, Opposition
House Leader.
MR. REID:
Scott Reid, Deputy Speaker.
MS. COFFIN:
Alison Coffin, MHA, St.
John's East - Quidi Vidi.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Andrew Parsons, Burgeo - La
Poile.
MR. LOVELESS:
Elvis Loveless, Fortune Bay
- Cape La Hune.
MS. RUSSELL:
Bobbi Russell, Policy & Communications Officer.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you very much.
Our
first item is under Tab 1, and it's an approval of the minutes from February 20,
2019, and also for our minutes from March 13, 2019.
By the
way, I should add – people may be wondering why we have two sets of minutes. The
previous minutes for February 20 actually contain budget details that hadn't
been passed at that time. So we had to hold them back until that exercise had
been completed.
So we
have two sets of minutes. Do I need two separate motions?
CLERK:
Yes, please.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
So the
first motion, to approve the minutes held on February 20, 2019.
I have
a mover and I have –
MS. COFFIN:
No, I don't feel I can
second because I wasn't here. I'm just wondering now, in terms of procedure,
because I wasn't on this Committee before, am I even able to vote on the
minutes?
CLERK:
Yes.
MS. COFFIN:
Yes?
MR. SPEAKER:
Sure.
CLERK:
Yeah.
MS. COFFIN:
How can I attest to their
accuracy?
MR. SPEAKER:
Do you like what you see
before you?
MS. COFFIN:
Oh, fair enough. Okay.
CLERK:
In this case it happens to
be the budget, and it's all –
MS. COFFIN:
Right.
CLERK:
– reflected in the
Estimates.
MS. COFFIN:
Right. Okay, because quite
often when I'm –
MR. SPEAKER:
Good question.
MS. COFFIN:
– approving minutes, are
they reflective of what actually happened? If I wasn't there I'm unable to
attest to that.
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER:
So I have a mover and a
seconder.
All
those in favour of the minutes for February 20, 2019?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
That
first motion is carried.
On
motion, minutes adopted as circulated.
MR. SPEAKER:
I need a mover and a
seconder for the minutes for March 13, 2019.
MR. BRAZIL:
So moved.
MR. SPEAKER:
Moved by Mr. Brazil,
seconded by Mr. Loveless.
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
The
motion is also carried.
On
motion, minutes adopted as circulated.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you very much.
One
item that we also need to – under the same Tab 1, is that we need to have, and I
need to reveal a proposed schedule for Management Commission meetings to
conclude this calendar year. Before you are three proposed dates of September
25, November 6 and December 4. These are on Wednesdays, and we try to establish
these well in advance so Commission Members can work that into their calendar.
I'd
also like to welcome to our Management Commission Minister Coady, the MHA for
St. John's West. Thank you to you; I know you've been busy with the media.
MS. COADY:
I went back to my office,
thinking this was 5:30.
MR. SPEAKER:
Oh, okay, all right.
Welcome.
MS. COADY:
It's all good.
MR. SPEAKER:
Anybody have any comments on
the dates? Do these dates work for people? Do we have any concerns or questions?
MS. COFFIN:
Is the House open for
November and December?
CLERK:
Yes.
MR. SPEAKER:
Yes.
MS. COFFIN:
So we would met after that?
CLERK:
Right after –
MS. COFFIN:
No problem.
CLERK:
– that Private Members' Day so –
MS. COFFIN:
Right. Okay.
MR. SPEAKER:
So Wednesday at 5:00 we
usually rise and immediately thereafter we convene and deal with –
MS. COFFIN:
So that would be the 6th and
the 4th, what about the September 25 one? Of course we're not sitting then.
MR. SPEAKER:
We'll have to come back with
that.
MS. COFFIN:
So, I'm here, it's good.
MR. SPEAKER:
Mr. Parsons.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I mean, I can say yes to it
now, but that's the only one that's dicey in the sense that you never know what
could come up before it. We all know where we're going to be the other two
dates.
MR. SPEAKER:
I think as conflicts arise,
bring them to my attention and we'll try to accommodate as best we can. That's
how we function.
Thank
you.
MS. COFFIN:
Do you have any expectations
of being in town sometime in October?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Oh well, I'm going to be
around in September and October but you can never plan the days –
MS. COFFIN:
Right, yeah.
MR. A. PARSONS:
– for sure. It's never
definitive. I'd say, just listen, go for it and we'll figure it out.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
So I'm
going to put a motion to the floor that the Commission approves the following
meeting schedule for fall 2019. We've got Wednesday, September 25; Wednesday,
November 6; and Wednesday, December 4 for this year. I need a mover.
Ms.
Coffin, and a seconder: Mr. Loveless. I see a pattern.
All
those in favour, ‘aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, ‘nay.'
The
motion is carried.
Thank
you.
Tab 2,
for the new Members, you should know that we will regularly receive financial
reports as to what's happening. They are provided for your information. There is
no decision required, but they're there for your perusal and they are consistent
with the House of Assembly
Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act that we provide regular
updates as to how the Members are doing versus their budgets and allocated
expenses. So you can check on everyone, including yourself, to see how they are
going. So I provide them for your info only.
Any
questions or discussion?
On to
Tab 3, this is dealing with budget transfers report for the fiscal year 2018 to
2019 and we have a Transfer of Funds Policy that requires that certain budget
transfers do need to be approved by this Commission. So, in accordance with
policy, it makes it mandatory that they be reported at the end of fiscal year.
Well, we concluded and then we haven't had a Management Commission meeting since
this fiscal year started, so that's why you're seeing them now.
Again,
there are no decisions required; they're provided for your information. I
suggest again also to the new Members to have a look through them and, if you
have any questions, you can raise them now or come and see us some time.
MS. COFFIN:
What kind of training do you
get for $30,000?
CLERK:
That was the –
MR. SPEAKER:
That was the harassment –
CLERK:
– harassment-free –
MS. COFFIN:
Oh, that's good training.
Yeah, okay. I'm just curious.
MR. SPEAKER:
(Inaudible) there was
somewhat, yeah.
MS. COFFIN:
Yeah.
MR. SPEAKER:
In profile.
MS. COFFIN:
Right. Good, good.
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah.
Let's
go to Tab 4. This is the Caucus Operational Funding Grant Reports. So, again, no
motion is required but they're provided for your information. So my office, any
independent Members – that's difficult to say – as well as the caucuses, all
have funding grants that are reported and they're presented for your
information.
By the
way the calendar worked in the Legislature this year, we had two sets of
reports. So from the 1st of April of 2018 to the end of March this year, and
then from the 1st of April to April 17.
CLERK:
That's because of
dissolution.
MR. SPEAKER:
We rose at that point and
the writ was dropped that evening. Okay? Information purposes only.
Now,
Tab 5, Budget Transfer Request, and we have two separate requests here. These
are funds that are provided to caucuses, and because of the results of the
election we have to move some budgeted items around.
There
is some urgency to this, so I'm going to put forward the motion. I'll read it to
you, and then also going to include that we'd like to waive – typically when a
Commission makes a decision we have a two-day waiting period, but I've been
informed by our Finance team that it would be appreciated if that could be
waived in this circumstance.
So I
will –
MS. RUSSELL:
Give the motion for the first one and then –
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah, okay.
Here
goes motion 1.
Budget
Transfer 1: The Commission approves the following transfer of funds and waives
the two-day waiting period for Commission's decisions.
So from
subdivision 1.1.06.10, the Government Members Caucus – Grants and Subsidies in
the amount of $9,100, and that's to be transferred to subdivision 1.1.07.10, the
Official Opposition Caucus – Grants and Subsidies Subdivision, the same amount
of $9,100.
Mr.
Petten is –
MR. PETTEN:
No, I'm –
MR. SPEAKER:
You're quite content with
that?
MR. PETTEN:
Yeah.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay. So you're going to
make a motion, and I need a seconder.
Seconder Mr. Parsons.
All
those in favour of that transfer?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Anybody against that?
CLERK:
I'm going to get him to sign
that.
We need
someone to sign –
MS. RUSSELL:
Yeah, sure.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
MS. RUSSELL:
Yeah.
MR. SPEAKER:
Oh, yeah. We require a
signature.
MS. RUSSELL:
Yeah.
(Inaudible.) Do the second one now and (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah.
So we
have a little – we provided you a briefing note on the second budget transfer,
we found an error. It happens sometimes, but we do catch them, too. So we're
quite proud of that.
I'm
just giving you an update now – Bobbi is. So it will just take a second for that
to appear in front of you.
This
item relates to the mandatory orientation and training that we offer to the
newly elected Members. Those of us who were here for the last Assembly went
through that training. We needed to transfer funding in to ensure that expenses
associated with our new Members receive the same training. So that's what this
item is about.
Again,
we would ask to waive the two-day waiting period for Commission decisions to
become final. So here we go.
Budget
Transfer 2: The Commission approves the following transfer of funds and waives
the two-day waiting period for Commission decisions from subdivision 1.1.04.09,
Members' Resources – Allowances and Assistance, the amount of $7,500 to
subdivision 1.1.04.02, Members' Resources – Transportation and Communications,
the same amount of $7,500.
I need
a mover and a seconder.
Mover
Mr. Petten; seconder Ms. Coffin.
All
those in favour, ‘aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
The
motion is carried.
Tab 6.
CLERK:
(Inaudible.)
MR. SPEAKER:
Yes, that was included in my
motion. I said it both times, yeah.
Tab 6,
this relates to the appointment of the Audit Committee Members and Chair. The
way this works is that the government and the Opposition each appoint a Member,
that will be the first task, and then we will entertain a motion as to who would
chair those two.
So, the
first one I will look to the government, I guess, or who on the floor to propose
a Member for the government side.
MR. A. PARSONS:
We would move that Elvis
Loveless be appointed.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
Do I
require a seconder (inaudible)?
MS. RUSSELL:
Yeah.
So you
have to have – yeah, you have another name and then we do both of them in the
same one and then you'll do the Chair.
CLERK:
Yeah, yeah.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay. All right.
I'll
need a proposal from the Opposition as to who you'd like to see represent.
MS. COFFIN:
Am I considered Opposition?
CLERK:
It's usually one from either
side and –
MS. COFFIN:
Yeah. I mean, I sit on the
other side.
MS. RUSSELL:
It's two Members of the
Management Commission in the legislation –
CLERK:
Yeah, and just typically –
MS. RUSSELL:
– one of whom has to be
(inaudible) –
MR. SPEAKER:
Right now, as the Chair, I'm
just looking for a motion.
MR. BRAZIL:
I nominate Alison.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay, if that's your motion?
Okay.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I'll second it.
MR. SPEAKER:
All right.
MS. COFFIN:
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay, so the first motion is
that the Commission appoints Elvis Loveless and Alison Coffin as Members of the
Audit Committee effective immediately.
All
those in favour of the motion?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
The
motion is carried.
Now I
need to entertain a motion as to who will be the Chair of this Committee.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I move that Elvis Loveless
be the Chair of the Audit Committee.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you. I need a
seconder.
Ms.
Coady.
All
those in favour of that motion?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
The
motion is carried.
So the
Commission appoints Elvis Loveless as Chair of the Audit Committee effective
immediately.
You can
add that to your résumé now.
CLERK:
Minister Parsons served as
Chair of the Audit Committee, so he can –
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you very much.
Tab 7,
this is the audited financial information from the Office of the Auditor
General. There's no motion required here, it's just section 32(3) of the
Auditor General Act states that the
auditor, appointed under subsection 1 of that act, must submit his or her report
to the Commission. So the report is filed there, financial in nature of course,
and is provided for reporting purposes only. No decision.
Tab 8:
This is an interesting request from the Member for Burin - Grand Bank. It
actually dates back to the previous Assembly but we've carried on. Let me just
give you a little bit of background.
Under
the rules, each Member is provided with an intra- and extra-constituency – I&E,
we call it – allocation. It is capped at the annual amount that varies for each
district as outlined in Schedule A of the rules. The types of travel permitted
on the allocation are also specified in the rules and they're outlined in a
particular note there, BN 2019-013.
The
correspondence that we received back in March – former Member for Placentia West
- Bellevue and the Member for Burin - Grand Bank – requested that the Management
Commission consider an amendment to the provision of the rules respecting types
of travel permitted on the I&E allocation.
Specifically, the correspondence outlined that the Burin Peninsula is the only
area of the province that borders a foreign country, i.e., Saint Pierre et
Miquelon and France. It further outlines that matters of mutual importance to
both areas requiring occasional travel to Saint Pierre et Miquelon for the
purposes of conducting constituency-related business, a very important line.
Related travel costs are not currently eligible.
So,
several of us, the Member for Burgeo - La Poile, Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair
and for Labrador West do border adjacent provinces. They are able, through the
wording that exists now, to venture across the border as long as it relates to a
constituency type matter.
So, the
request to us, this Commission, was to also change the wording so it would allow
for this international hop over to France. Actually, we haven't specified,
you'll note – very clever, I thought it was a very good move, by the way, to my
communications person here – that we've just changed the wording so one would be
eligible, but by saying and tying it to the constituency-related issues, the
intent most of the time will be for the two Members on the Burin Peninsula; but
the boundaries could change. For example, it could have a new name. So instead
of locking us in that way we've just said international travel, as long as it
relates to your constituency.
MS. RUSSELL:
Well, it actually specifies Saint Pierre et Miquelon –
CLERK:
Saint Pierre et Miquelon.
MS. RUSSELL:
– in the amendment.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay, thank you.
MS. RUSSELL:
But instead of specifying the two Burin Peninsula districts, if the boundaries
change we'd have to go back in and do an amendment.
So in
order to use the I&E allocation for that purpose, a Member would have to
establish that it's directly related to constituency business. So those would be
the two obvious districts that would be able to establish that connection.
MR. SPEAKER:
Unless Cape Breton became
its own nation.
MS. RUSSELL:
Yes.
CLERK:
(Inaudible.)
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah, okay. Right on.
Thank
you.
Any
discussion on this matter?
MS. COFFIN:
I would have one question,
which would be: Is there going to be an additional funds associated with this?
MR. SPEAKER:
No.
MS. COFFIN:
So it's within your current
allocation.
MR. SPEAKER:
Yeah.
MS. COFFIN:
Okay.
MR. SPEAKER:
They need to work with their
current allocation. I had the same thought.
They're
accountable to that budgeted amount, so they need to work accordingly.
MS. RUSSELL:
It's just changing what you can spend that particular allocation on.
MS. COFFIN:
Yeah, yeah, where you can
put that money. Okay, so (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER:
So, any further discussion?
I'm
looking for the motion. Oh, here it is.
MS. RUSSELL:
No.
MR. SPEAKER:
No?
MS. RUSSELL:
It's back on the previous page.
MR. SPEAKER:
Oh, okay.
CLERK:
The wording of the amendment
is in your briefing. It appears right at the end. The Law Clerk drafted it.
MS. COFFIN:
After the letter
(inaudible).
CLERK:
It's right at the end, the
very last page of what you have.
MR. SPEAKER:
So let me read to the
Commission – are you done? Yeah.
CLERK:
Yeah.
MS. RUSSELL:
Mm-hmm.
MR. SPEAKER:
I'll read to you all the proposed motion.
Pursuant to section 64 of the House of
Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, the Commission
approves the following proposed amendment to the
Members Resources and Allowances Rules
subject to final wording by the Office of the Legislative Council.
Section
30 of the Members Resources and
Allowances Rules is amended by deleting the word “and” at the end of
paragraph (f) and by adding immediately after that paragraph the following:
“(f.1)
to and from Saint Pierre-et-Miquelon where the purpose of the trip is directly
related to constituency business; and”
MS. RUSSELL:
That's the end of it.
MR. SPEAKER:
Oh right, okay.
MS. RUSSELL:
It's just the “and” required
at the end.
CLERK:
It has to be fitted in.
MR. SPEAKER:
Okay.
I need
a mover and a seconder.
Moved
by Mr. Parsons, seconded by Mr. Petten.
All
those in favour of this motion?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Against?
The
decision is carried.
MR. A. PARSONS:
I got a lot of constituents
(inaudible) directly in Bermuda (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER:
You just need to convince
us.
MR. A. PARSONS:
It's just (inaudible).
AN HON. MEMBER:
You can do it but only by
kayak, and within your I&E.
MR. SPEAKER:
If it is the next piece of
land, maybe Ireland also can count for St. John's.
With
that, that concludes our business on the agenda.
I thank
all the Members. Again, I welcome the new Members.
I look
for a motion to adjourn.
MR. BRAZIL:
So moved.
MR. SPEAKER:
Seconded by Ms. Coffin.
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
This Committee stands
adjourned.
On
motion, meeting adjourned.