Liberals again deny opposition attempt to hear from senate appointments board members

For immediate release

Today, Conservative democratic institutions critic Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston) made the following statement:

“Today at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, the Liberal majority defeated, for a second time, an opposition attempt to lift the veil of secrecy on the government’s new senate appointments process.

“The Prime Minister’s appointment of seven new senators from secret short lists provided to him by an unelected, unaccountable board raises questions that the committee is told can only be answered by the members of the advisory board itself. Yet the Liberal majority has again refused to allow those members to appear at a House of Commons committee. Their refusal adds yet another layer of secrecy to a process already rife with it.

“On February 25, 2016, I moved a motion to bring the chairperson and the two federal members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments to committee to answer any questions relating to their mandate and responsibilities before the end of March. That motion had the support of the NDP member of the committee, Mr. Christopherson (Hamilton Centre). The Liberals delayed a vote on the motion through four meetings until the last possible day, then defeated the motion even after it had been amended to extend the deadline to the end of April.

“Today, I moved a similar motion to bring those members of the board to committee before the end of May to discuss their recently-delivered report to the Prime Minister on the senate appointments process so far, including the expenses incurred since its creation in January. Without so much as uttering a single word for or against the motion, the Liberal majority summarily defeated it.

“Canadians were told by this Liberal government that their senate appointments process would be transparent, but that has not been the case. All of the most important details are kept secret, by order of the board’s Terms of Reference which were created by this Liberal government. We now see a pattern of Liberal members on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs refusing to allow questions to be asked or witnesses to be called.”

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For further information contact:

Dennis Laurie

Office of Scott Reid, M.P.

613-947-2277

BACKGROUND

On April 14, 2016, Mr. Reid moved:

“That the federal members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments be invited to appear before the Committee before the end of May 2016, to answer all questions relating to:

• their mandate and responsibilities,

• the Report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments Transitional Process (January – March 2016) that was submitted to the Prime Minister on March 31, 2016,

• expenses incurred during the period of the report; and

• anticipated future expenses.”

Liberal members on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs defeated this motion on April 14, 2016, the same day it was introduced.

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On April 5, 2016, the first report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments on the transitional phase of the new Senate appointments process was released publicly.

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On March 31, 2016, the first report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments on the transitional phase of the new Senate appointments process was provided to the Prime Minister.

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On March 22, 2016, Liberal members on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs defeated the following motion, moved by Mr. Reid on February 25, 2016:

“That the federal members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments be invited to appear before the Committee before the end of March or April 2016, to answer all questions relating to their mandate and responsibilities.”

Note: The underlined section was added to the text of the motion by Mr. Reid on March 22, 2016.

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On March 10, 2016, the Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions, appeared at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and stated the following:

“The advisory board is an independent, arm’s-length body. As such, I am not in a position to speak on their behalf.”

And “…I want to make it very clear that the independent, arm’s-length nature of the advisory board, as you can all appreciate, makes it so that I have not been involved in the consultations they’ve had. I have not seen any of the lists they’ve received, or the lists that are being recommended, or where the lists are at, for that matter.”

And “I don’t have any more details about numbers or where their process and outreach is at.”

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On February 25, 2016, Mr. Arnold Chan, Liberal M.P. for Scarborough–Agincourt, stated at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, in response to Mr. Reid’s motion to invite members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments to committee, that:

“…the government is more than transparent in granting you the opportunity to have the minister and [her] officials appear before this committee on March 10…” and “You can ask the minister and her officials any questions you wish with respect to your concerns about the process…”

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On February 25, 2016, Mr. Reid moved:

“That the federal members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments be invited to appear before the Committee before the end of March or April 2016, to answer all questions relating to their mandate and responsibilities.”

Note: The underlined section was added to the text of the motion by Mr. Reid on March 22, 2016.

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On January 19, 2016, the Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions, released the Terms of Reference for the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, along with the board’s members. They included the following confidentiality provisions:

Confidentiality

11 (1) All personal information provided to, and deliberations of, the Advisory Board are confidential and must be treated in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act.

(2) Any records created or received by the Advisory Board members that are under the control or will be under the control of the Privy Council Office are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

(3) The members of the Advisory Board must maintain as confidential any information brought before them in the conduct of their work.

(4) Members of the Advisory Board must sign a confidentiality agreement as a precondition of their appointment.

12 No candidate is to be named publicly without their prior written consent.

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On December 3, 2016, the Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions, announced the establishment of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments.

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