Minutes of the Board of Director’s special meeting - January 8, 2021
Attendees
Members of the Board of Directors (the Board)
- Me Paul-Claude Bérubé, Chairperson
- Mary Reid, Vice-Chairperson
- William Adair, Director
- Kory Earle, Director
- Maureen Haan, Director
- Penny Hartin, Director
- Rabia Khedr, Director
- Brad McCannell, Director
- Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Director
- Laurie Ringaert, Director
Accessibility Standards Canada public officers
- Philip Rizcallah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Philipe Sarrazin, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Director
- Maggie Saunders, Manager, Governance and Reporting
- Micah Walter, A/Senior Policy Analyst, Governance and Reporting
- Heather Scott, Policy Officer, Governance and Reporting
- Lorraine (Jasmine) Trudel, Coordinator, Governance and Reporting
- Gavin Scharfe, Analyst, IM-IT, Administration
Minutes
Friday, January 8, 2021
1. Welcoming remarks and roll call
The meeting opened with a roll call and words of welcome from the Chairperson.
18-1 Motion presented and seconded to open the meeting at 2:00 p.m.
Carried by all.
2. Board meeting agenda
The Chairperson presented the agenda to all Board members.
18-2 Motion presented and seconded to approve the agenda of the Special Board of Directors’ meeting held on January 8, 2021.
Carried by all.
3. Departmental Plan 2021-2022
Document 3A: Briefing note—Departmental Plan 2021-2022
Document 3B: Department Plan 2021-2022
A copy of the Departmental Plan (DP) was shared with all Board members prior to the meeting for their review. Philipe Sarrazin, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), informed the Board that the DP for 2021-2022 is the organization’s second DP. The DP and the Department Results Report provide key components of government departmental reporting to Canadians and Parliamentarians. Messages from the Minister, Chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are included in the DP, and the CEO has approved the draft that was shared. In December 2020, the Treasury Board Secretariat approved the plain language used in the Departmental Results Framework and the DP used this plain language version in this year’s plan. The last DP was tabled in March 2020.
Heather Scott, Policy Officer at Accessibility Standards Canada, presented a summary of the DP to all Board members. The DP presents the fiscal plans, activities and expected results for the year planning from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The document was prepared by staff with input from the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson on the messages from the Minister and the Chairperson. A French version of the DP is being finalized.
Ms. Scott explained that some sections in this DP are similar to the Departmental Results Report. The more operational aspects of the DP are the sections on Planned Spending and Planned Human Resources. Public officers answered questions and provided clarification on how input was presented in the tables on internal services. The Vice-Chairperson provided an overview of a number of changes she had recommended during a conversation with the CEO. The Board was in support of public officers making those changes following Board approval of the DP, provided they were in line with TBS guidelines.
Upon Board approval, public officers will make final revisions to the DP and it will be sent to the Board members prior to be sent to the Minister for approval and signature. The DP will then be submitted to TBS for the Treasury Board President to table in Parliament at a date to be determined. Once tabled, the DP will be posted on the organization’s website.
18-3 Motion presented and seconded to approve Accessibility Standards Canada’s 2021-2022 Departmental Plan, as presented and with understanding that public officers will make changes recommended by the Board with some other editorial changes.
Carried by all.
Note: The CEO proceeded to inform Board members that there would be some editorial changes in the Departmental Plan but the essence, principles, and numbers presented are the same. Board members agreed to the editorial changes.
4. Concluding remarks
The Chairperson informed Board members that he, the Vice-Chairperson and the CEO will be meeting shortly to discuss the next Board meeting agenda.
18-4 Motion presented and seconded to have the next Board meeting during the last week of February or the first week of March 2021, over the course of three days, for a maximum of four hours per day. A staff member will survey Board members and determine the best dates subject to the availability of Board members.
Carried by all.
18-5 Motion presented to adjourn the meeting at 2:45 p.m.
Carried by all.