The committee met at 10:01 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Approval of Agenda and Minutes

Mr. Speaker: We have circulated the agenda. There are going to be some changes.

Members, you may be aware that the Clerk is not with us today. She’s still at the trial, so we won’t have any Clerk’s report.

Also, the members were advised, after a request from Stephanie, regarding MLA travel guidelines on airfare. Perhaps we can add that as a new item before we go in camera to discuss personnel matters.

Those are the amendments. Any other amendments, Members? No.

Okay, then may I have a motion to approve the agenda as amended?

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: Now, the minutes of the December 16, 2021, meeting of the committee were circulated.

Any changes to the minutes of December 16? If not, may I have a motion to approve the minutes as circulated?

S. Cadieux: Motion to approve.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: The next item will be dealing with the accountability report 2020-21, recommendations from the subcommittee on administration and operations.

Artour, please take us through that.

Legislative Assembly
Accountability Report

A. Sogomonian (Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services): Mr. Speaker, the Clerk did ask that I pass on her regrets for not being able to attend the meeting today.

The draft accountability report 2020-21 is coming forward to your committee, as the Speaker mentioned, as a recommendation from the subcommittee on administration and operations. As noted in the covering briefing note, section 5(9) of the Legislative Assembly Management Committee Act requires your committee to report annually to the Legislative Assembly on the decisions made by your committee during the previous year.

Since the 2013-14 fiscal year, this reporting has been undertaken on an annual basis through an accountability report, which outlines your committee’s activities and decisions during a fiscal year, as well as the operations of the Legislative Assembly and of the Legislative Assembly administration.

The report outlines operational highlights during the noted fiscal year and offers insights on our performance in key strategic areas, including support for core functions of the Legislative Assembly, effective oversight and accountability with respect to our financial and administrative management, strengthening public engagement and information services, and maintaining a safe and sustainable work environment for members and staff.

I will note that this is the first year where the Legislative Assembly’s audited financial statements for the noted fiscal year were considered and approved by your committee separate from the accountability report. Your committee approved the 2020-21 financial statements last November, and they are available on our website. We did so as we prepared to shift our performance reporting model.

As the first assembly administration strategic plan takes effect on April 1 of this year, we expect that this current performance reporting model will conclude with an accountability report for the current fiscal year, to be considered in the months ahead.

[10:05 a.m.]

With that, I’m happy to answer any questions.

Mr. Speaker: Any discussion, any questions? None.

Okay, then may I have a motion? The outline is in the briefing note.

The motion is: I move that the Accountability Report 2020-21 be adopted as presented, that it be deposited with the Office of the Clerk and that the Chair present the report to the Legislative Assembly at the earliest opportunity.

May I have somebody to move this motion?

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: The next item is the Legislative Assembly governance framework, a recommendation from the subcommittee on administration and operations.

Artour, again, please take us through that.

Legislative Assembly
Governance Framework

A. Sogomonian (Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services): Again, this is another recommendation coming forward from the subcommittee on administration and operations, as the Speaker mentioned. This framework is the result of a mandate letter deliverable that I have, in the current fiscal year, to prepare a detailed governance framework for approval by your committee.

The framework is, as far as we are aware, the first of its kind, certainly in Canada. I’m very hopeful that it will be a key component in establishing our Legislative Assembly as a leader in parliamentary governance, as we modernize our administrative practices and strengthen governance and oversight processes that have been well underway over the past three years and that will continue into the foreseeable future, as much work remains.

The framework recognizes the important constitutional rights and duties of members of the Legislative Assembly and ensures that the processes set out throughout the document uphold and protect the autonomy and independence of the Legislative Assembly as the legislative branch of government. The framework adopts good public sector governance practices but also recognizes, at its core, the distinct and unique nature of governance within a parliamentary institution.

The governance principles embedded within the framework recognize the nature of parliamentary life and the principles that apply to it, which are outlined from pages 7 to 9. The framework also adopts and embeds within it the five key widely recognized principles that underpin good governance — being accountability, leadership, integrity, stewardship and transparency. The document outlines the statutory framework applicable to our Legislative Assembly and provides certainty about our organizational structure, including roles, responsibilities, authorities and accountabilities.

Certainty on delegations of authority is set out, which provides clarity in decision-making within the organization. This includes delegations pertaining to a period of dissolution of the Legislative Assembly as well as in the management of emergency situations.

The core functions undertaken by your committee and key processes in support of good governance are solidified, some of which are new or aspirational and which we anticipate will be fully realized by the 2023-24 fiscal year. The framework also outlines your committee’s operating guidelines and the procedures that guide the proceedings of your committee’s meetings, and it provides an overview of the roles and authorities of advisory subcommittees and working groups.

The accompanying briefing note titled “Navigating the Legislative Assembly Governance Framework” lists the governance decisions made by this committee from its creation in 1992 up until pertinent decisions made in 2020. It also notes four previous decisions of your committee that were not incorporated into the governance framework and outlines why. On adoption of the governance framework, these prior decisions will be superseded.

As noted earlier, the briefing note also outlines new and aspirational aspects of the governance framework and why they are being incorporated. These aspects are critical to support good governance within the Legislative Assembly and were important to include to ensure that we have a solid governance framework and related processes in place. I don’t believe that any of them are surprises.

In conclusion, I’ll note that this document is intended to be a living one. It will be subject to regular review and refinement, as the Legislative Assembly’s administrative practices continue to evolve and mature with the ultimate goal of sustaining good governance practices. I hope that it will be a helpful and authoritative internal reference document and that it will also help those outside of our organization who want to better understand our unique and complex operating environment.

There are two motions proposed for consideration by your committee today. The first is the approval of the Legislative Assembly governance framework as presented. The second is to authorize the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly to update the framework, as required, to reflect decisions of your committee which may affect the contents of the framework and to maintain version control in the listing of changes. This will allow us to ensure that the document does in fact remain a living one, that it’s actively updated as needed without burdening your committee.

Effective controls on this are maintained by a provision within the framework itself that requires that your committee undertake a review of it at least once every parliament.

[10:10 a.m.]

With that, Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to answer any questions.

Mr. Speaker: Any discussion, questions? No. Okay.

May I have the first motion on screen, Artour, please?

The first motion reads: that the Legislative Assembly governance framework be approved, as presented.

May I have a mover?

Hon. M. Farnworth: So moved.

Mr. Speaker: Any seconder? It has been seconded.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: The second motion, Artour.

The second motion reads: that the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly be authorized to update the Legislative Assembly governance framework, as required, to reflect decisions of the committee and to maintain version control and a listing of changes made.

S. Cadieux: So moved.

Mr. Speaker: Okay, moved. A seconder? It has been seconded.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: Thanks, Artour.

Okay. Now let’s go to item 5, as we mentioned in the amended agenda, MLA travel guideline reference.

Stephanie, would you like to speak on that, please.

Members’ Travel Guidelines
for Airfare

S. Cadieux: Sure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We had made some allowances for a period of time to allow travel to be reimbursed ahead of things, because people were having to book so far in advance and carrying a lot of charges on their cards. We’re encountering that same challenge now, going into this session, where MLAs that must travel by air are having to book far in advance to ensure that they’re going to be able to attend session, which means they’re having to carry charges on their personal credit cards.

We’re hoping that we can extend that provision we made for COVID — that we would continue that through this session.

Mr. Speaker: Any other comments?

S. Furstenau: I just had a question, to Stephanie’s point. In the memo we got, it said: “Extend the accommodation time to December 31, 2021.” Is that what exists right now? Then we would be moving that to extend it, as Stephanie said, to the end of the session.

S. Cadieux: Correct. That’s what we’re asking for, Sonia.

S. Furstenau: Okay. I support that.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Do we want to make it to the end of the fall session? That way, we’re not having to revisit later on.

P. Milobar: I was going to ask the same thing.

S. Cadieux: That would work for me.

Mr. Speaker: How many members are affected by this now, Stephanie? Do we know?

S. Cadieux: Pretty much anybody who has to fly. So that’s about half of our caucus.

Mr. Speaker: All right. If that is what we have, then we will have a motion moved later on, when we are….

Maybe we can do it now, I guess, Artour? Yes. All right.

The motion is: that further to the resolution of the committee as of May 27, 2021, members’ travel guidelines on airfare be modified in the “Members’ guide to policy and resources” until November 30, 2022, to permit the reimbursement of prepaid flights.

That’s the motion. Somebody to move.

S. Cadieux: So moved, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker: It’s been moved. It’s been seconded.

Motion approved.

Personnel Matters

Mr. Speaker: Now we have a couple of other items that need to be discussed, personnel items, in camera.

May I have a motion to proceed in camera to consider personnel matters.

It’s been moved, seconded.

Motion approved.

The committee continued in camera from 10:14 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Mr. Speaker: All right. We are in public session now.

Artour, may I have the first motion, regarding the constituency assistant transition allowance, please.

The motion reads: that the constituency assistant transition allowance and related provisions be approved, as presented.

May I have a mover? It has been moved. Seconder? It has been seconded.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: The second motion, please.

It reads: that the proof of COVID-19 vaccination program implemented by the committee on September 3, 2021, be extended under the same terms until June 30, 2022.

May I have a mover? It’s been moved. A seconder? It has been seconded.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you. Any other business? None.

All right. Then may I have a motion to adjourn.

It has been moved. Somebody to second it? It has been seconded.

Motion approved.

The committee adjourned at 10:27 a.m.