The committee met at 2:03 p.m.

[S. Bond in the chair.]

S. Bond (Chair): I’ll call this meeting of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts to order. I want to very much thank my colleagues for being available today.

We are going to honour our timeline. I know that everyone is probably very busy with all kinds of things. I know that the three o’clock hour will approach. Adrian and Dr. Henry have become must-watch TV, so we certainly don’t want to be missing that.

We have one item on our agenda today, unless others have any other items of business. Mitzi and Kate and I will continue to monitor what other items need to brought forward to the committee. Now that we know that we can do this electronically, we will certainly not hesitate to call another meeting, should one be required.

Canadian Council of Public Accounts
Committees Conference

S. Bond (Chair): The reason we’re meeting today is really to talk about….

Interjection.

[2:05 p.m.]

S. Bond (Chair): The reason we’re meeting today is…. As you can imagine, there are lots of discussions going on across the country, as we speak, about events that are going to happen at some point in the next few months. Mitzi and I felt that it would be really important for us to have this conversation before the planning gets too far down the path so that we can let other provinces and jurisdictions, territories, know what we are thinking about.

Today we wanted to have a general discussion about whether or not we should move to a virtual meeting in either August or September or whether we should wait longer before we make the decision to not go ahead with in-person meetings. We really wanted to get sort of a temperature check from all of you as to how you feel about this. Events are being cancelled as far away as July and August.

I think maybe the first thing we’ll canvass is just a sense of…. I would welcome hearing from you…. I just want a general sense of your reaction. What should we be doing? In light of the circumstances, no matter where we are with the pandemic, do we want to actually have a discussion about this?

We probably do need a motion to go in camera before we have that discussion. Would someone be willing to make that motion?

Would you be willing, Mitzi, to make that motion?

Mitzi will move that. Jane will second it.

Motion approved.

The committee continued in camera from 2:07 p.m. to 2:44 p.m.

[S. Bond in the chair.]

S. Bond (Chair): Thank you to the members of the Public Accounts Committee; obviously, also, to our Auditor General for his participation; and to the Clerk of Committees and the Hansard team. We appreciate the opportunity to meet together as the Public Accounts Committee.

Before I adjourn the meeting, are there any other items of business from members of the committee?

Seeing none, I would entertain a motion to adjourn.

Moved by John Yap and seconded by Rick Glumac.

I want to thank you all for your participation. I thank you for your flexibility in meeting this way. I appreciate the constructive dialogue.

Motion approved.

The committee adjourned at 2:45 p.m.