Evidence of meeting #29 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was front.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
May 8th, 2008 / 5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Chair, I had a motion in here, with due respect to the 48 hours' notice, to call the Minister of Foreign Affairs in front of the committee. Originally the motion was for him to come forward on the main estimates, but now, since it's been decided that the main estimates will be in the House for four hours, this motion by itself is not valid. There's no point in his coming.
However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is very much keen on coming to talk about general policy and any other questions that any of the opposition members have. If there's interest at all, he's willing to come in front of us.
So I have drafted a motion--which, if the clerk is right, meets the 48 hours' notice--that basically calls on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to come in front of the committee to talk.
That motion, in line with Mr. Dewar's motion, which we were discussing.... The problem with Dewar's motion is that it is very narrow. It talks about only Afghanistan and confidence. Here what you have is a larger motion that allows you to talk about anything you want, which I think is the will of the committee. We have all these other parties.
In terms of your questions you've put forward here, you can still ask the same questions within your eight-minute opportunity, but the Liberals can also ask whatever they want to ask as well--
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Mr. Obhrai, I understand the rationale here. What you're going to need to do, though, is make a motion to move this to the front of the pack.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
I'm now asking you.
Is that all right with you, Mr. Dewar?
5:20 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I think what we're debating right now is whether or not we can bring my motion forward. That's all we are debating at this point. I'd like to get that done first, and then we can discuss at that point amendments to be made so that we can meet halfway on this--so no.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Mr. Obhrai, are you making a motion to advance your motion in front of everyone else's?
5:20 p.m.
An hon. member
But he can't.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We'll go to the clerk on that. The motion has been within the 48 hours thing.
5:20 p.m.
The Clerk
I'd rather you say it, but....
5:20 p.m.
The Clerk
The motion that Mr. Dewar is moving and that Mr. Obhrai wants to move are superseding motions. They don't survive from one meeting to the next. They have to be re-moved at the next meeting.
So the motion on the floor at the moment is Mr. Obhrai's motion to move his motion to the top of the list.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
You'd have to bring forward a motion in order to do that, Mr. Obhrai.
5:20 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
When we came back, I had my hand up. I thought we were continuing on from where we were at the last meeting, and my motion was on the floor. I had my hand up thinking we were going to continue on from that point. I didn't see anyone else's hand up.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I don't want to take too much time on this, but to my understanding--I guess this is to the clerk, through you, Chair--we had been discussing my motion. I thought that's where we had left off. And as far as that was concerned, we were continuing on and discussing that and debating it. I had my hand up ready to continue the debate from where we had left off. Mr. Goldring had finished and we suspended at that point--
5:20 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Then it would be Mr. Goldring continuing his comments on the debate. It wasn't about his moving another motion.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
You've heard it from the clerk: the superseding motion is not debatable when we come back into committee.
If I missed your hand, I'm sorry. Mr. Obhrai had pointed to me or given me the nod that he wanted to speak. We had talked at the last meeting that his did not have the 48 hours and that he would wait until he had the 48 hours, so I looked to Mr. Obhrai.
That said, we can definitely come right back to your motion. Mr. Obhrai has asked, and made the motion, that we move his to the front. If that's defeated, then we will come to the next individual whose motion is up.
Are we in favour of Mr. Obhrai's motion?
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Yes, he has. He has moved that his motion go to the front of the pack; I think that was the wording.
Now, if you want to discuss this, you can discuss the fact that he's asked, or--
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I'm asking if there are questions on moving forward Mr. Obhrai's motion. Or are you ready for the question?
All in favour of moving Mr. Obhrai's motion, which is in order, to the front, and then to debate--
