2015
Legislative Session: Fourth Session, 40th Parliament
Legislative Assembly Management Committee
This is a DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY of debate in one sitting of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. This transcript is subject to corrections, and will be replaced by the final, official Hansard report. Use of this transcript, other than in the legislative precinct, is not protected by parliamentary privilege, and public attribution of any of the debate as transcribed here could entail legal liability.
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS
(Hansard Blues)
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015
The committee met at 2:05 p.m.
[Madame Speaker in the chair.]
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
Madame Speaker: I call to order the Legislative Assembly Management Committee on Tuesday, May 26.
Motion to approve the agenda as circulated?
A Voice: Moved.
Motion approved.
E. Foster: A motion to approve Doug Horne as the substitute here today for our caucus chair, Jackie Tegart.
S. Simpson: And a motion to approve Michelle Mungall as the replacement for the House Leader, Mike Farnworth.
Motions approved.
Madame Speaker: Review of previous minutes, item 2, of April 27, 2015. Any items outstanding?
Hon. M. de Jong: Just in item 3…. Someone asked me about this. This capital city living allowance. I think we sent that to the subcommittee, didn't we?
Madame Speaker: It's my understanding it's going to be reviewed by both caucuses in June. Eric, would that be correct?
E. Foster: That's my understanding. Yeah.
Hon. M. de Jong: Right. But I think at the meeting…. That's fine. That's appropriate. But I think we said that it would be referred to the finance and audit committee. That's what we said at the last meeting. I think it's fine for the caucuses. I think that's a necessary part of that exercise, but I think the minutes should reflect what we said at the meeting, which was that it would go to finance and audit.
Madame Speaker: Any reference in the Hansard for the meeting?
Hon. M. de Jong: Yeah.
Madame Speaker: We can certainly add it to the workplan.
Hon. M. de Jong: The workplan for what?
Madame Speaker: For finance and audit.
Hon. M. de Jong: Okay. I'm trying to think what the minutes should say, and that is….
Madame Speaker: Kate, do you have the Hansard here?
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Committees): No, I don't have the Hansard here. I can look it up.
Hon. M. de Jong: I have it here.
"Madame Speaker: Would it be your desire that that gets referred back to finance and audit for consideration…?"
"Yeah, I think that's the appropriate thing to do…. I think the committee is the proper place to begin that examination, have a report come back."
Madame Speaker reminded us that "at every second election we should be reviewing the compensation package." Where in that cycle….
De Jong: "My comments were restricted to this, so that's probably a separate matter…."
"Any other comments?" No.
Anyway. How the finance and audit committee engages with the caucuses, I think, is important and appropriate. But I think the minutes have to reflect what took place, which was that we decided to refer it to finance and audit.
E. Foster: So we need to amend the minutes?
Hon. M. de Jong: Yeah. The minutes just need to be amended to reflect that.
Madame Speaker: Any further discussion? Any other items arising from the minutes?
Motion to accept the minutes as amended, as circulated?
Motion approved.
Madame Speaker: Item 3 — no reports.
Item 4. Finance and audit committee.
Hilary, over to finance and audit.
Finance and Audit Committee Report
H. Woodward: The first item is finance and audit committee April 23. The minutes are presented for your consideration, for information.
Madame Speaker: Any business arising from the minutes of Thursday, April 23, 2015, finance and audit?
Any comments?
D. Horne: Not that it's a big deal, but I was actually present as well.
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): My apologies. I will certainly amend.
Madame Speaker: Seeing no further comment. The minutes of the finance and audit committee for April 23, 2015 be accepted.
Motion approved.
Madame Speaker: Item B. Report of the finance and audit committee, decision item 1.
Over to you, Hilary, for fourth-quarter updates.
H. Woodward: Decision item 1 is the 2014-15 financial update for the fourth-quarter report for the Legislative Assembly of B.C.
At the finance and audit committee's May 12 meeting, they reviewed the fourth-quarter report information. There are two reports in your package. The first one is the operating expenses by function, and the second report is the capital expenditures report.
I'll start with report No. 1. The Legislative Assembly ended the 2014-15 fiscal year with a $6.8 million, or 9.8 percent, surplus. That is slightly higher than the $6 million surplus forecast as at December 31, 2014.
Forecasted reductions are in all nine expense categories, and the reductions relate to operational savings. They're primarily due to lower salary and benefits costs resulting from unfilled vacancies and also a higher than required benefits charge.
There are lower than expected travel costs; lower than expected operating costs, primarily in the areas of contracted services, office and business expense and facilities maintenance; and lower than expected amortization expense following last year's review of the capital asset balances.
Are there any questions on report No. 1?
Madame Speaker: Any questions for Hilary?
H. Woodward: I'll proceed on to report No. 2. That's the capital expenditures report. As at March 31, 2015, the Legislative Assembly was $2.4 million, or 71 percent, underspent in their capital for the 2014-15 fiscal year. These figures are relatively unchanged from the third-quarter forecast results presented at the last meeting.
The primary reasons for the underspending capital include the deferral and/or cancellation of a number of previously approved capital projects. There's the reclassification of capital projects to operating, as a result of our capital asset policy. There are also some savings resulting from capital projects being completed under budget, and an unused capital contingency reserve of approximately $1.6 million.
Explanations for all the notable variances are included in the report.
Again, I'd be pleased to answer any questions on report No. 2.
S. Simpson: Could you tell us what this projects? The fact that we've taken a number of projects here that did not go forward in the fiscal year and are kicked forward to the next fiscal year — what does that do around projected capital expenditures going forward?
H. Woodward: Part of that was we actually reallocated our capital plan for the upcoming year. One of those projects was the generator transfer switch project. That was a significant project, so we've made that a high-priority item for this year coming forward.
S. Simpson: That project was $1 million-something, was it?
H. Woodward: It was….
G. Lenz: It was $347,000.
Madame Speaker: Any other questions or comments for Hilary?
H. Woodward: There is a motion on page 1 of the report.
Madame Speaker: The motion is that the committee approve the Legislative Assembly's 2014-15 fourth quarter financial results from the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, quarter 4, as presented today.
S. Simpson: So moved.
Madame Speaker: So moved. Second?
J. Tegart: Second.
Motion approved.
Madame Speaker: Any closing remarks now?
H. Woodward: There were just also a couple of informational items included in that report. This was information that was presented to the finance and audit committee at its May 12 meeting. One was an MLA travel card review. There was a survey done of the travel card, and the possible options to address some of those issues raised in the survey were discussed by the finance and audit committee. The agreement is to release those survey results to all members and to review this issue again in six months.
Another item was the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia master security plan guiding principles. Those were circulated to the finance and audit committee and will be circulated here today in due course.
The other item is the parliamentary committees activity report for fiscal year 2014-15. That information was also circulated to the finance and audit committee on May 12, and that material is included in your package.
C. James (Clerk of the House): If I could just make a comment on the MLA travel card review. I have been in discussions with the Bank of Montreal, who is the provider for the credit card for members, and we are working on ways to make it more effective and efficient and economical for all the members, some of whom have experienced some difficulty with the card. Discussions are going very well.
As for the master security plan guiding principles prepared by the Sergeant-at-Arms, I do have copies, and I'll be happy to provide those to members of this committee following the meeting.
The parliamentary committees activity report, which the executive financial officer has just referred to, was distributed at the finance and audit committee meeting when it last met. It demonstrates a very robust level of committee activity. I'm not sure if the Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Committees has a comment to make about that.
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): Thank you. Yes, I'm always pleased to talk about the work of our parliamentary committees. I'll just take a moment to draw members' attention to our activity report for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which covers the work of parliamentary committees during the second, third and part of the fourth sessions of the 40th parliament.
Just for the information of members, during those three sessions which occurred during that fiscal year, 28 government members participated in the work of parliamentary committees, 28 opposition members and two independent members; 32 members served on more than one committee, and in some cases, some members, in fact, served on more than four parliamentary committees during that fiscal year.
We supported a record number of six concurrent public consultations, three statutory officer appointment processes, two statutory review processes and 16 separate areas of inquiry. For the information of members, other details related to the levels of activity in a near-record year are also included in the report.
E. Foster: Through you, Madame Speaker, to the Clerk. You mentioned…. You quickly kind of breezed through the travel card. I've had quite a few questions from members regarding what may happen. When can I tell them we're going to have an update on the card?
C. James (Clerk of the House): I would think within two weeks.
E. Foster: Okay. Thanks.
S. Simpson: The process there, just so I understand it, is that a couple of weeks from now you get some resolve around proposals, options, whatever, from the bank. I'm not certain when the next finance and audit committee meeting is, but would that then come back for a discussion there where it's been before? And then any recommendations about changes…. Do they come back here, or do we make those changes? I'm just not sure how we get to making any adjustments around that card. What has to happen in the process to do that?
Madame Speaker: We could certainly make those determinations at finance and audit. It's not an expenditure discussion. It doesn't need to come to LAMC.
S. Simpson: Okay. I'm good.
Madame Speaker: It will be the caucus chair's input that will be most valuable in terms of hearing back directly from your membership.
Any other comments? Any other questions? Any other questions for Hilary on any of those reports?
Kate, on item 5, Legislative Library strategic priorities, 2015.
Legislative Library
Strategic Priorities
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Clerk of Committees): Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon again, Members.
We have distributed, in support of your committee's meeting this afternoon, a copy of the strategic priorities report for the Legislative Library for the five years that range from the year 2015 through to 2020. It is a project that we have been working on in our office over a number of months in conjunction with library management staff and clients of the library in the buildings. I'm pleased to walk the members through the plan today. I thank you for your interest in the work of the Legislative Library and this plan.
If I might, then, I'm just walking through the report. The work on the strategic plan project began with a comparative review of other jurisdictions. You'll note on page 2 that we have examined other parliamentary libraries in Canada and elsewhere and recognize that many are facing similar challenges of technological change and the changing needs of members and responding to those changes by enhancing digital services and improving communications with members while managing internal budget reallocations in the context of fiscal constraints.
On pages 4 and 6 of the report we provide an overview of the library's history, governance structure and resourcing. Members may be particularly interested in a chart on page 6, which illustrates that the Legislative Library here in British Columbia compares very favourably with legislative libraries across Canada in terms of cost-effectiveness and the delivery of reference services for members and other assembly clients.
Our Legislative Library handles about 3,600 reference questions each year, close to the same number that is managed by the library in Ontario and with a portion of that library's budget. The B.C. library's annual expenditures are also interesting to compare to Alberta, where they are about 25 percent less than those spent next door.
Overall, the budget and staffing have been limited in recent years. The organization has underspent its annual budget due to carrying some funded but vacant positions. Approximately 80 percent of the budget is staff salaries and benefits, and 20 percent is for the collection, information systems and other office expenses.
An overview of library services is provided on pages 7 and 8. As members know, these range from providing reference services to legislative clients, providing access to on-line databases and access to their vast print collection, producing valuable information resources and partnering with other institutions to enhance digital access.
On pages 9 and 10 we provide an outline of the feedback that we received from a series of interviews with staff — essentially, staff from government caucus, staff of opposition caucus as well as staff from the independent members' offices and all assembly departments as well. We asked those clients about their levels of library usage and the library's strengths and challenges and sought their views on future priorities and services of the library.
Without exception, all of the clients that we spoke to commented on the library's knowledgable and helpful staff, and they noted their appreciation for the library staff's timely and confidential assistance with their reference questions. They described the library as a trusted information resource and appreciated the library's central location.
Library clients also identified the trend towards digital technology as a major challenge for our library, noting increased competition from other on-line information resources and commercial databases and the necessity to update and streamline the library's external website resources. Our library clients noted, of course, that in our work environment here at the Legislature there is an increasing reliance in every office on electronic access to information products and services.
Based on the client feedback and our review of other jurisdictions, on pages 11 through 15 we have recommended a series of strategic priorities for the Legislative Library for the coming years.
The first priority noted is to expand the library's digital access and services through the development of an integrated and comprehensive digital strategy to meet legislative clients' needs and to collect, preserve and provide access to information. We've also recommended that new digital materials continue to be added to the collection and that more of their valuable historic print content be converted to digital form to enhance accessibility.
We've also worked towards supporting further integrated access and user-friendly and searchable interfaces to enhance client service.
On page 12 you'll note the second priority: that the library build on existing outreach and engagement activities to strengthen relationships with members and other clients. The library will aim to build awareness of their services and products as well as their historic and current collections of information, focusing on how members and staff can take advantage of these resources.
The third and final priority area is identified to enhance operational performance of the library. We recommended a review of existing service standards to strengthen quality assurance and encourage excellence in library services and to improve performance management and reporting to provide more information to assembly management, library staff and clients with information about the library's progress in meeting their strategic goals. Performance measurement and reporting, as members know, also provide a good framework for supporting operational decisions on staffing and budgetary resources.
We've also recommended an assessment of staffing needs to develop current staff skills and to examine opportunities to prioritize filling any vacant positions as budgetary resources may permit.
That's a high-level overview of the main conclusions of the report. Members will also note that there is a section included on library space planning on pages 16 to 17, which notes, of course, that the library has occupied a wing of the Parliament Buildings since 1915 and that in recent years the work of the library has evolved, as it has for many of the other occupants of the Parliament Buildings — members, caucuses and other departments. In some areas members will know that library operational space has been reallocated in recent years to address shifting priorities.
We would recommend, given the ongoing challenges of space at the Legislative Assembly, that the strategic priorities for the library having been proposed here would support any future consideration of changes to library space in conjunction with a long-term space planning process for the assembly as a whole.
That's a very quick overview of a very detailed document. I appreciate the opportunity to bring it forward to your committee today.
The final section, on pages 18 and 19, outlines a plan for implementing the proposed priorities, including key actions, timelines and responsibilities. The implementation plan includes regular updates to this committee.
I would like to close by acknowledging the contributions of library management staff and look forward to their ongoing input, support and assistance.
Madame Speaker: Thank you, Kate. Questions?
D. Horne: Has there been a hiring freeze in the library for a while? I was surprised by the organizational chart, which shows, basically, that 25 percent of the positions, or slightly over, are currently vacant but funded. I'm just wondering: was that because they were waiting for the plan to be complete before they filled those positions? What's the status? What's happening with that at this point?
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): Yes, since about 2007 the library has not filled some librarian positions and some support staff positions. Attrition was also occurring as a result of some staff retirements, with the accompanying impact on services.
The current staff complement, as you noted, is 18.5 employees. The funding has carried forward for the remaining positions, pending confirmation of a strategic priority, some strategic planning for the library and assembly support for filling those positions on a prioritized basis.
Madame Speaker: Any other questions for Kate?
Hon. M. de Jong: Two questions. They're not really questions for you, Kate, although please feel free to comment on them. I think they are questions for the committee, ultimately — maybe not even today if we're still digesting the contents of the report.
It sure made an impression on me, as I went through and looked at the work that's been taking place and proposed, just how much of a focus there is in terms of library products.
You talk about that, the on-line dimension to that, the strategic priorities, so much of which is on-line media monitoring, databases, digitalization of projects, digital and print material databases — how much of it relates to the electronic work. Then I got to the end part that you referenced, around the space.
Look, I think the question we have to confront at some time is: how much of the library needs to be in the precincts or should be in the precincts? The question that's never…. I mean, we sort of skirted around. The archival collection. That is not an ideal building for much of the collection. It is not environmentally sound. The people do a great job protecting documents. But as we contemplate additional space pressures, you get the sense when you read this that a good chunk of this work could be located off site without compromising…. In fact, in some instances, should be located off site from the point of view of better protecting the materials.
I know you generally want to have a clear sense of what your objectives and work plan are. I almost think about the thing in reverse. The last bit of the report is about space planning. As I read through all of it, I thought to myself that probably, in order to go forward with some of this work, a key decision is going to be: how much of the library is going to remain? Maybe all. Maybe the committee, LAMC, says that we don't want to change any of that.
But if we decide that we are comfortable with the bulk of the collection moving off site or we are comfortable with the notion of some of the electronic database work moving off site, that is really going to influence the decisions that we make. There may be some cost ramifications.
How far do we want to go? Would the archival experts tell us that there is an urgency around providing a more environmentally secure place for some of the historic documents? I think they'd work with the archives on some of that. I think we have to answer that question.
The second thing that emerged…. We like the front service counter dimension to this, but then the secondary…. I looked on page 7, under library services. If you look there, under reference services…. These are maybe uncomfortable questions.
Apparently, some of our colleagues were in, and the always, always helpful staff…. Let me emphasize that this is not in any way a criticism. "Can you find me the article on bridges published two years ago in the local paper?" Armed with research crews, is that something that we think the library staff should be doing for MLAs? Maybe it is. I think historically it has been. "Do other provinces have laws governing trophy hunting?" That's kind of clearly a research…. "Whatever happened to the photo radar program?"
I think a secondary question is: to what degree do we wish to preserve, on behalf of MLAs, that kind of research component? If we do, that suggests a certain presence somewhere — if not in the building, then elsewhere. If we feel those are functions that caucus research departments are designed and funded and equipped to pursue, then that also influences the kinds of decisions that we make.
Madame Speaker: Maybe I can speak to your first point, in terms of housing the collection. There are a number of discussions underway simultaneously with the museum, in terms of their collections building. You're exactly right in terms of the collections not being housed in a place that's currently climatically controlled.
If one of those discussions of the two or three streams underway today happens, we can easily look to coming back to the finance audit and then eventually LAMC with an alternate rehousing of the collection, which makes the point you've made. It will free up tons of space.
Hon. M. de Jong: Well, we can do that, but it might be…. In that case, it's sort of determined by if they can come to an agreement. LAMC can say that we want to move this collection to a more secure…. We can make that decision and add a degree of imperative to it, because these conversations have been going on for some time.
I mean, the last thing is, with potentially more MLAs on the way and always the issue around the physical plant and space planning, I just think that the key decision here, the conceptual decision for this group, is: do we want to look at, are we prepared to look at moving a significant portion of the library operation out of the main building of the precincts? I think we have to confront that question.
Madame Speaker: Certainly, if it's the will of the committee, we can put it on the workplan for the fall and come back to this table with two or three different options. I certainly think that that's the direction of all the conversations we've had to this point. The collection is not currently safe and needs to be rehoused.
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): If I might, there was an appraisal done of the library collection in the year 2014 which was a very thorough assessment of all of its historic collections.
I think it's important to note that the current mandate of the library is to serve the information needs of today's members. Much of the vast historic collection, it seems to me, should be reviewed by the library director and his team to assess whether or not it needs to be a part of the ongoing collection of that library. There are very valuable historic documents in that collection, but I would presume that the library management team would conclude that they're not central to today's information needs. That will have a profound effect on the operational space requirements of the library.
[The bells were rung.]
Madame Speaker: Hon. members, division has been called. Is it the will of the group to reconvene?
S. Simpson: I think that if we're going to have this conversation, I'd like to come back. I think there's a bigger conversation around this.
Madame Speaker: Okay. We shall return.
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): We're recessed?
Madame Speaker: The committee will stand recessed.
The committee recessed from 2:37 p.m. to 2:52 p.m.
[Madame Speaker in the chair.]
Madame Speaker (Chair): We'll continue the discussion we left off at, which was around issues surrounding the library.
S. Simpson: A couple of things. One is I like the report.
I guess in regard to the Government House Leader's comment about reference use, I know I'm a member who uses it a lot for a whole variety of things. I find that the work they do is very positive. It provides a lot of support, I find, to be able to go out and look for things and look for things in ways that I'm not sure even the staff who work for the caucuses do nearly as well.
I find they're very diligent and they're very conscientious about making sure that what they do is not partisan in nature and provides independence. I often find it provides a good foundation, so I'm a big supporter of that particular piece.
On the digital side, anything we can do to provide more digital resources is good. Just looking at the costs of TNO. It just makes me shake my head at how much it costs for a TNO licence. It's crazy. But we buy them, tens of thousands of dollars of them for the caucuses on both sides. So anything we can do to find other sources, I think is a positive.
I really want to comment, I think, on the comment made by Mike and about the library and its services. I don't disagree that I think we could do things with the library around, particularly, archival information and that.
The concern that I have is that we're about to have a one-off conversation about the library. I've talked here. And I think a few LAMC meetings ago I talked about the idea of the long-term life of the precinct, past the time when all of us will be here, when there'll be somebody else in these seats and not us, and our need to look down the road at what happens to these buildings.
We know whatever we do in order to restore and to preserve the integrity of the buildings, there's going to be a lot of money involved at some point down the road, probably, in that restoration and in sustaining the buildings. We know that there are buildings on the site whose days are numbered and that are going to have to either just be demolished or replaced or whatever. And we have access…. We have things like the Queen's Printer building that has some options and the new museum, which may have some options.
I think we need to have that bigger conversation. I think we talked at a time about whether that's something for a committee of the Legislature and to bring some expertise in — whether it's architectural, historical, heritage expertise — and then for that committee to come back and be able to give direct advice to LAMC and to the Legislature about what a future long-term plan looks like, including what happens with the library. It may very well be to say: "We can do these things with the library much more quickly." And there may be things longer term.
I think that has value, because somebody has to do that work. I don't think we're well equipped to do it as LAMC, just because of the nature of how we work. We're much more kind of day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year. We're not so much the long-term vision thing. That's not what we do best. And a committee of the Legislature or whatever to do that work.
I also think the value in that is…. It is going to be a significant amount of resources, whatever we do, to protect the integrity of what I would say is the most important building in the province, the Legislature. We need to have a process that's educational for the people of British Columbia, as well, and for them to embrace this as their building and the foundation of the democratic process in this province — and, hopefully, embrace the importance of enhancing the building and making sure it's around for a long time to come.
I'm not at all adverse to what has been suggested here. But I do think that what we really need to do is get on with the job, if people think it has value, of deciding how we give somebody the responsibility, whether it's a legislative committee or whatever, and the job to go away, not take forever — they should be able to do this in not an endless period of time — and come back to the Legislature and, ultimately, for LAMC to be looking at something that says: "Here's what a plan looks like going forward, here's even what the framework of that plan looks like, here are the pieces that have to be addressed, and here's how we talk to British Columbians about it."
I just worry that we keep kind of putting band-aids on things or fixing things short term, and we really do need to have a longer-term look at the future of this precinct.
Madame Speaker: Any other comments?
E. Foster: I'm in agreement with Shane on this. I know we've done a little bit of preliminary work on a bit of an ad hoc with the opposition Whip and myself and the Deputy Speaker and staff. I think this is a good idea, and I think it ramps it up and formalizes the idea. We can have a really good look at the short- and long-term needs of the precinct. So I'm very supportive.
K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk): Thanks to members for your input this afternoon.
I would note a couple of things with respect to the discussions about library space. I have been advised that the print collection is still heavily used. It surprised me in terms of the research that we had uncovered. On page 6 you'll notice that the circulation rates for print documents in British Columbia are much higher than at other parliamentary libraries. So we recognize there are still some high levels of usage of the print collection. With a strong digitization program in place, it is likely that we could move towards more and more electronic services, but that will be a gradual process. It won't occur immediately, but it will be certainly a priority that the library will embrace and work towards.
I would also mention just briefly, as members know, the complexity of library space. When the wing was built in 1915 and being purpose-built for a library, the stacks were built in marble slabs with shelves continuous from the basement floor right up to the fifth level. So it would be very difficult to renovate into office space without substantive renovations and capital investments. That being said, I'm cognizant of members' desire to do this, perhaps on an assembly-wide basis.
On page 17 you'll note that my recommendation would be that we would consider the strategic priorities for the library in conjunction with the overall space planning for the assembly as a whole, the precinct as a whole — so, as Mr. Simpson suggests, not as a facility alone space review project but rather in the context of shifting priorities and needs of the members and all of the other building occupants here at the assembly.
Madame Speaker: Just further to that. It's not necessarily all the print collection, but we do have, apparently, very valuable pieces stored somewhere in the bowels of that building. That could be the first look — the first flush, if you will — that something needs to be removed for its own safety. Should there ever be a fire, today we would, apparently, lose it all. As Kate has indicated, those stacks are, frankly, open. A fire would move through very, very quickly.
Perhaps in today's business we adopt the report and then entertain, perhaps, additional motions for what the next step might be. Is that the will of the group?
Hon. M. de Jong: Sure, so moved.
Madame Speaker: The motion is that the Legislative Assembly Management Committee adopt the Legislative Library Strategic Priorities, 2015-2020 report as presented today.
Motion approved.
Madame Speaker: The motion is carried. I am in your hands.
S. Simpson: Well, I would move…. I haven't thought about this as a sort of motion, but I think I would move that LAMC direct finance and audit — so there are some people who can think about what this might look like — to look at bringing forward a proposal for a long-term look at the precinct. Then it can be a discussion there.
Ultimately, the decision will come back here to LAMC at a future meeting, but that will allow staff to go away and think about it a little bit, have a discussion at finance and audit, and then see if there is a recommendation that makes sense to bring back. There can be some discussion about what's doable and not doable so that we don't kind of start blue-skying too much here ahead of time.
I would like for LAMC, I guess, to give some direction to finance and audit to go away and think about that bigger, long-term question of the precinct and come back with a recommendation about how we grapple with it. Maybe it's the committee. Maybe there will be a somewhat better idea come up.
Madame Speaker: A recommendation and/or options, certainly.
S. Simpson: Yeah, whatever — to do that there. Then the decision will be made here at the LAMC table, at a future meeting.
Madame Speaker: Further comments to Shane's motion?
Mike, your light has gone on.
Hon. M. de Jong: I think that was just an anticipatory light, which troubles me greatly. [Laughter.]
S. Simpson: But doesn't surprise anybody.
Madame Speaker: It's all in the posture, Minister.
Anyone else wishing to make a comment?
The motion is that we refer this business for future consideration by finance and audit, and returning to this table.
Motion approved.
Madame Speaker: Any other items?
Clerk of the House: Update
C. James (Clerk of the House): Very briefly, the Legislative Assembly is currently working on a number of precinct-related projects. I will be providing written information and an update to committee members regarding the status of these projects within the next two to three weeks.
The 2014-15 quarter 4 MLA disclosure reports and redacted receipts are scheduled for public release on June 30 of this year. There is a schedule that we have that will be coming out again, I think, in due course. So members will be able to see, along with their constituency assistants, the timeline for all of the preparation for the information.
We have, thanks to Hilary and her team, streamlined the process. There are some efficiencies that have been realized, and Hilary and financial services should be commended with that. We do know that for some constituency offices it has been somewhat onerous.
Draft individual member reports and redacted receipts will be available for review by members and their designated staff on June 4 of this year. That's my brief update.
Madame Speaker: Any questions for the Clerk? Any questions for anyone else around the table?
Thanks to our substitutes. A motion to adjourn, and we will circulate dates for the next meetings.
Motion approved.
The committee adjourned at 3:04 p.m.
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