Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 8th, 2007

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

I do not agree with this addition, for the simple reason that we can do anything with unanimous consent. We have even already unanimously voted to take a trip on the green bus to Sparks Street, as ridiculous as that sounds.

If committee chairs want to try this in a specific case, they ask for unanimous consent, and if everybody agrees, the committee adjourns. We cannot foresee everything that might happen.

[Audrey O'Brien]

I understand exactly what you're saying, Mr. Chairman. As a precaution, you have added unanimous consent to continue to sit. I was simply commenting that you may want to include the words "to adjourn". However, if that is not what the committee wants, it is not my place to tell it what to do.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

With regard to unanimous consent, the committee is master of its own proceedings. If there is a vote, and a political party is filibustering, we simply want to suspend the meeting and then come back after the vote. We don't want to mix the two. We are only suspending. Adjournment happens automatically. Meetings can be adjourned at any time, if everyone agrees. I've never seen a committee, with unanimous consent... Unless the government whip tells us to continue to sit. Otherwise I don't think it would happen. Right, Jay?

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

It's just a typo, unless I'm going cross-eyed in my old age. At the end, the part we added was, “unless there is unanimous consent of the members of”. I think it should read “of the committee to continue to sit”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

That's a good catch; I agree.

For us to table it, I am going to ask for the authority to make such grammatical changes without changing the context. I think we can cover that.

Is everybody, for the most part...?

I'm seeing nods around the table that this is now the acceptable wordsmithing of this motion. I will call the question.

Colleagues, is it agreed then that the motion...that the committee adopt the report?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Is it agreed that the chair, clerk, and researchers be authorized to make such grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary without changing the substance of the report?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Is it also agreed that the chair present the report to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Right now.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I'm going to say “agreed”, because we're on the record, but I want to know, do I now have the authority to suspend the meeting to go present this report right now—

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

—on the orders of Monsieur Guimond, who I respect deeply, and whose recommendation I would absolutely want to follow?

Thank you, colleagues. That takes care of the first item of business.

The second item of business, regarding in camera proceedings, we are going to defer to another meeting, with the chair's encouragement to all members to spend some time reading those documents and giving it some deep thought.

Now, before we go in camera, I will thank the witnesses for being here.

We appreciate your work very much. I'm sure we'll be inviting you back. We certainly thank you for being here today. You're now dismissed.

Before going in camera, I believe we can deal with the second item of business, which is the tabling of the report on private members' business. We don't need to be in camera for that.

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

All right.

I'm going to give the floor to Mr. Preston to table those reports....

Mr. Szabo, your hand is up. You have something to add?

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Chairman, there is the possibility that in the discussion of the private members' subcommittee report, matters related to the Standing Orders will arise. I'm wondering if our witnesses might be helpful there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I am seeing some nods, certainly from those folks who have read the report.

Are witnesses available to stay for a few minutes?

Okay. We certainly appreciate that. Thank you very much for that unscheduled request.

Thank you, Mr. Szabo; that's a good suggestion.

We are ready now, Mr. Preston, if you would like to table the reports.

By the way, colleagues, I'm not sure we need to deal with these reports. It's simply the tabling of the reports.

But let's see how this goes, Mr. Preston.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

With your permission, Mr. Chair, I will table the second and third reports of the Subcommittee on Private Members’ Business on non-votability of those items.

I also have a return to this committee of the report from the subcommittee on the criteria for non-votability and the substitution of bills when that arises.

So for your perusal, I table all of those.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you very much.

Any comments?

At this point, Mr. Preston, we have two reports in front of us. There are actually three—

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Yes, three reports.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

—but with your permission, I'd like to deal with the first two, which deal with private members' business being deemed non-votable.

Colleagues, I'm going to accept as tabled the second report and the third report of the subcommittee. I'm going to accept these reports and suggest to members that we simply put these aside until such time as we hear that either of these members wish to appeal this to our committee.

That makes sense to me. There's not much point in dealing with this unless these members feel the need that we should.

Seeing no objection to that, these reports are accepted. We'll put them on the agenda if and when we hear from the members involved.

Any comments?

Madam Redman, please.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you.

So we're dealing with.... Maybe I'm looking at the wrong two reports, having just received these, but the one that was on top, that deals with the criteria for non-votable--

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

We're going to that one right now.