Finance Committee on Nov. 21st, 2012

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

We'll find out in a minute, won't we?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

I have been asked to have a brief health break, so we are going to take a health break and come back in 10 minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

I call this meeting back to order.

I understand we are at Liberal amendment 165-132.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Chairman, I'm so sorry to have caused undue expectations. I think I'm going to have to revert to requesting a recorded vote on amendment 132 to clause 165 of Bill C-45.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You're dashing my hopes, but I'm still hopeful about our future ones.

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Please speak a bit louder.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Is there feedback?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

You just need to speak a bit louder, that's all.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

A point of order, Ms. Glover.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I'm looking for clarification on some of the rules, Mr. Chair.

It's getting late, and in the interests of your health, I'm just curious to know if you needed to leave the chair, sir, whether there are options available to the committee so that we could continue. Are we allowed to elect a temporary chair? I know Ms. Nash has been here the same amount of time. I'm just wondering about the options for that.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Yes, I appreciate that, and I appreciate the concern for my health as well.

The clerks have identified for me the section in O'Brien and Bosc that deals with that. Obviously, if I'm not here, then it goes to the first vice-chair, who has a choice of taking over the chair, and then the second vice-chair, if the second vice-chair were to be here.

If neither the first vice-chair nor the second vice-chair were to take the chair in my absence, “then an Acting Chair must be chosen to preside over a committee meeting”. It further reads:

With the committee's consent, the Chair of a standing or special committee may designate a member to act as Chair at a given meeting if it is known in advance that the Chair and the Vice-Chairs will not be attending. Where no Acting Chair has been designated, the committee clerk must preside over the election of an Acting Chair before the committee can begin its work.

My understanding, and the clerks may want to add to this, is that if I were to leave the chair and Ms. Nash or Mr. Brison were not here or did not want to take the chair, then the committee would have to elect a chair until I returned.

Maybe I'll ask the clerk to comment as well.

[Chad Mariage, Procedural Clerk]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, with the consent of the committee, the chair can designate somebody, or in the absence of consent, the clerk must then proceed to the election of an acting chair. So there are two ways you can go.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

So I would need unanimous consent to designate someone. If there's not unanimous consent, then we would have to proceed to an election.

Is that clear, Ms. Glover? Okay.

Mr. Bélanger.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

In the absence of unanimous consent, which is likely the case, you say the clerk's advice is that you'd have to proceed to the clerk chairing for someone to nominate, so a motion to nominate a replacement.

But that would be contrary to the motion that's been adopted by this committee in terms of proceeding forthwith, without any further amendments or motions, with disposing of every single section and the amendments. That would be contrary to what the committee has already decided.

Would the clerk comment on that, please?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay, and can you also just clarify what you just told me?

[Chad Mariage]

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair.

The book as it's written says “consent”; it doesn't say “unanimous consent” for the appointment. So with the consent of the committee, the chair can—

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Consent means unanimous consent, doesn't it?

[Chad Mariage]

No, it doesn't. Obviously, it's up to the chair to make that decision—

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

No, no, no—don't go there.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Well, Mr. Bélanger, we have clerks for a reason. They're to provide procedural advice.

The option is, obviously, that if Ms. Nash is here and wants to take the chair, she can, in my absence, or Mr. Brison would be the second choice.

I would certainly follow this procedure. I don't know if the clerk wants to comment on your question on how the election would occur.

[Chad Mariage]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It would proceed much in the same way that the elections for chairs occur at the beginning of a session: I would receive motions to the effect, for chair, and that's all I would be entitled to receive. I wouldn't be able to entertain points of order, that kind of thing, and it would proceed much in the same fashion as it would at the beginning of a session.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Mr. Bélanger, go ahead.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

That was not my question. My question was, how does that jibe with the motion the committee has approved—of how we're to proceed past 11:59 p.m. yesterday?