Parliament of Canada

The meeting focused on the election of the joint chairs and vice-chairs, routine motions regarding analyst services, time allocation for witnesses, and the establishment of a subcommittee. Discussions included the powers and makeup of the subcommittee, access to in camera meetings, document distribution, and working meals. Amendments were proposed and debated, covering topics such as the inclusion of child care expenses for witnesses and the presence of staff members at in camera meetings.

The committee discussed the election of the joint chair, the establishment of a steering committee, and a motion regarding the Library of Parliament scanning sessional papers. Members debated the authority and composition of the subcommittee, and the motion to make scanned sessional papers publicly available.

The meeting included the election of the Senate joint chair, with Senator Jim Munson nominated and elected as co-chair. Discussions touched on the Library of Parliament's potential role in 2017 and ideas for highlighting its contributions to both parliamentarians and Canadians. A motion regarding the dissemination of information to the public about the Library of Parliament was raised, but further discussion was not allowed due to lack of unanimous consent, leading to a motion to adjourn the meeting.

The committee discussed the digitization of parliamentary documents, focusing on a motion to provide public access to scanned sessional papers. The Library of Parliament already scans sessional papers and intends to provide public online access to its catalogue, which includes these digitized documents, within the fiscal year. The committee also discussed the technical requirements, costs, and scope of making these documents available online, including considerations for Senate documents and the digitization of historical debates.