Senate Committee on National Finance (June 2, 2010)
Treasury Board officials discussed the supplementary estimates (A) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. Committee members heard from David Enns, associate assistant secretary, and Brian Pagan, executive director of the expenditure operations and estimates division.

Senate Committee on National Security and Defence (June 7, 2010)
Jawed Ludin, Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, discussed the role of Canadian forces currently in Afghanistan and after 2011.

Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (June 22, 2010)
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney appeared via videoconference from London, England, to discuss Bill C-11, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act. This legislation aims to improve Canada's asylum system by making quicker decisions on asylum claims and providing faster protection to refugees who are genuinely in need of it. It currently takes an average of 19 months for claims to be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The proposed bill aims to shorten this time to within 60 days for most claimants. It would also create a refugee appeal division. John Butt, manager of program development for Citizenship and Immigration, also provided information on the bill. After the minister's testimony, the committee heard from Simon Coakeley, executive director of the IRB; Sylvia Cox-Duquette, the IRB's senior general counsel; and from Hy Shelow and Michael Casasola of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Senate Committee on National Finance (July 8, 2010)
Senators finally proceeded to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-9, after holding 24 meetings and hearing from 122 witnesses on the omnibus budget bill. Liberal and independent senators voted against four clauses that they objected to or felt did not belong in a budget bill. These measures involved taxing financial services, ending Canada Post's exclusive privilege on international mail, restructuring Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., and changing the environmental assessment process.
The amendments had sparked the threat of a fall election if the clauses were not restored before the Senate's final vote on the bill on July 12. Senators voted 48 to 44 against the changes made by the opposition.

Senate Committee on National Finance (June 14, 2010)
Senators began their hearings on Bill C-9, the budget implementation act. The omnibus budget bill contains 24 parts, 2,208 clauses and is nearly 900 pages long. Conservative senators defeated a motion to have the bill split into five parts for study. Committee members first heard from departmental officials who explained the provisions of each part, before turning their attention to non-governmental witnesses on various aspects of the bill.
In this first meeting, officials from the Department of Finance gave an overview of parts 1 to 3. Tim Wach, who works in the department's tax policy branch, discussed part 1. These proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act include changes to the universal child care benefit and to the medical expense tax credit.
Carlos Achadinha and Pierre Mercille talked about part 2, which includes amendments to the Excise Tax Act and to the GST and the HST. Achadinha also provided an overview of part 3, which deals with the Air Travellers Security Charge Act.

Senate Committee on National Finance (July 7, 2010)
Senators continued their hearings on Bill C-9, the budget implementation act. Paul Acchione (Ontario Society of Professional Engineers) and John Cadham (Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University) discussed the proposals in the budget bill that are related to the restructuring of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Critics have attacked the government's decision to include this section in Bill C-9, as it would allow the government to sell AECL and its assets with minimal scrutiny or debate.
Claudia Morrow, vice-president of corporate affairs for the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, then discussed Part 16 of the bill, which amends the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act.

Special Senate Committee on Anti-terrorism (June 7, 2010)
Senators continued their study into the changing nature of the terrorist threat in Canada. The committee heard from John Thompson, president of the Mackenzie Institute, Wesley Wark from the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto (as an individual) and Jez Littlewood, director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies at Carleton University (also as an individual).

Senate Committee on Official Languages (June 14, 2010)
Researchers provided an overview of the some of the issues and challenges faced by English-speaking communities in Quebec. The following witnesses appeared via videoconference from Montreal: Sylvia Martin-Laforge, executive director of the Quebec Community Groups Network, Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, Noel Burke, chairperson of the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network, and Guy Rogers, executive director of the English Language Arts Network.

Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples (June 15, 2010)
The committee continued its examination of possible strategies for reforming primary and secondary education for First Nations children. Senators heard from Roberta Jamieson, president and CEO of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), Noella Steinhauer, director of education for the foundation, and David Newhouse, chair and associate professor of Indigenous Studies at Trent University. The foundation has provided $18.7-million in scholarships and bursaries over the last five years, more than any other non-governmental agency.

Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (June 9, 2010)
The committee continued its study on accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. Committee members heard from Louis Dumont, director of Project SEUR at the University of Montreal; Jean-Pierre Voyer, president and CEO of the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation; Norman Rowen, director of research and evaluation, Pathways to Education Canada; and Scott Haldane, president and CEO of YMCA Canada.

Senate Committee on National Finance (June 15, 2010)
Senators continued their hearings on Bill C-9, the budget implementation act. The omnibus budget bill contains 24 parts, 2,208 clauses and is nearly 900 pages long. Conservative senators defeated a motion to have the bill split into five parts for study. The first several meetings were spent with departmental officials, who explained the provisions of each part. Committee members then turned their attention to non-governmental witnesses on various aspects of the bill.
Privy Council representatives were at this meeting to discuss Parts 7 and 8. Parliamentary Affairs director Ron Wall started off with part 7, which deals with the freeze of parliamentary salaries. Claudette Levesque, who is the director of appointments and selection processes, and Karl Sago, another departmental director, outlined part 8, which amends a number of acts to reduce or eliminate Governor in Council appointments.
Part 10 of the bill involves the agreement on social security between Canada and Poland. This discussion was handled by Rakesh Patry, director of international policy and agreement at HRSDC.
Jennifer Purves, a senior economist at Finance Canada, finished with a discussion of part 11, which introduces amendments to the Export Development Act.

Senate committees are where members of the upper chamber perform research and analytical work into legislation and current issues.

• Senate committees hear from more than 1,300 witnesses each year. Technically, a person who refuses to appear before a committee can be held in contempt of Parliament.
• Ministers or their parliamentary secretaries usually appear before Senate committees at the beginning of an examination into a bill under their jurisdiction.
• Senators on a committee can propose amendments to a bill after hearing from witnesses.
• The first Senate committee appeared in 1867 – on the second day of Canada’s new Parliament, in fact. Ten standing committees were established in 1894. The size of most committees was reduced from 20 to 12 in 1983.
• Senators usually give their committee preferences to their party leadership. Most committees sit twice per week.
• Committees are also protected by parliamentary privilege during meetings.

The current Senate committees are:

• Aboriginal Peoples
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Banking, Trade and Commerce
• Conflict of Interest for Senators
• Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
• Fisheries and Oceans
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade
• Human Rights
• Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
• Legal and Constitutional Affairs
• National Finance
• National Security and Defence
• Official Languages
• Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament
• Social Affairs, Science and Technology
• Transport and Communications

SOURCE: Senate of Canada