Bill C-583: An Act to amend the Statistics Act (Chief Statistician)

C-583 Third Session, Fortieth Parliament, 59 Elizabeth II, 2010 HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA BILL C-583 An Act to amend the Statistics Act (Chief Statistician) first reading, October 21, 2010 Mr. Masse 403225 SUMMARY This enactment amends the Statistics Act to require the Governor in Council to consult with the leader of every recognized party in the House of Commons before appointing the Chief Statistician of Canada and to make that appointment from a list of candidates submitted by a search committee appointed by the Minister designated by the Governor in Council for the purposes of that Act. It also requires the Chief Statistician of Canada to establish and publish guidelines respecting sources of statistical information and its collection, analysis, processing, storage and publication. Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address:http://www.parl.gc.ca .vis1 {position: absolute;display:block;} .vis2 {position: static;} 3rd Session, 40th Parliament, 59 Elizabeth II, 2010 house of commons of canada BILL C-583 An Act to amend the Statistics Act (Chief Statistician) R.S., c. S-19 Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: 1. (1) Subsection 4(1) of the Statistics Act is replaced by the following: Chief Statistician 4. (1) Subject to subsection (1.1), the Governor in Council may appoint an officer called the Chief Statistician of Canada to be the deputy of the Minister for the purposes of this Act and to hold office during pleasure. Consultation (1.1) The Governor in Council shall, after consulting with the leader of every recognized party in the House of Commons, appoint the Chief Statistician from a list of candidates submitted by the search committee referred to in section 4.1. (2) Section 4 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2): Guidelines (2.1) The Chief Statistician shall (a) in accordance with internationally recognized best practices, including applicable ethical standards, establish guidelines respecting sources of statistical information and its collection, analysis, processing, stor- age and publication; and (b) post on the Statistics Canada website (i) the guidelines referred to in paragraph (a), and (ii) any material that he or she considers necessary to facilitate the interpretation of any statistical information that has been published by his or her office. Annual update (2.2) The Chief Statistician shall update the guidelines referred to in paragraph (2.1)(a) on an annual basis. 2. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 4: Appointment of search committee 4.1 (1) The Minister shall appoint a search committee to prepare a list of candidates for consideration by the Governor in Council when making an appointment under subsection 4(1.1). Composition of search committee (2) The search committee shall be composed of three persons each of whom is (a) a former Clerk of the Privy Council; (b) a former Chief Statistician of Canada; (c) a former Governor of the Bank of Canada; (d) the Chairman of the National Statistics Council; or (e) the President of the Statistical Society of Canada. No reimbursement or remuneration (3) No member of the search committee shall be reimbursed for any expenses or paid any remuneration in respect of their duties as a member of the committee. Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of CommonsAvailable from:Publishing and Depository ServicesPublic Works and Government Services Canada