Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was prorogation.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was prorogation.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:10 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Thank you.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Sproule, I hope you understand my intervention a few minutes ago. I just wanted to make sure that you were in the right committee.
12:10 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
That's fine.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
The study on prorogation means that rather than looking in the rear-view mirror, we're looking through the windshield.
I'm sure you've listened to some of our committee meetings. You've probably read some of the briefs that have been tabled by some of the previous witnesses.
Do you have any suggestions, or do you have any ideas, of how this can be changed or how this can be improved? Do you have any suggestions for us in terms of the idea of prorogation?
I appreciate that you hurt, and that you hurt more because of the prorogation, but looking forward, do you have any ideas or any suggestions for us?
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
In our case, I think the one recommendation is the period in which the House is prorogued. I do believe, if I am correct, in the Ontario legislature they prorogued and then a couple of days later continued on. So it's a question of the business of Parliament coming to a halt during prorogation and for how long.
That's the main issue, and that would be my recommendation, to shorten the timeframe.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Sproule, for being here.
I want to say at the outset that I sympathize with all Nortel employees. My daughter-in-law used to work for Nortel until she was downsized a few years ago. She wasn't there long term, however, so she certainly didn't have the challenges that you and your colleagues are facing. I do very much sympathize with you, and I hope there can be some resolve sometime down the line.
I do want to go back to one thing you mentioned in your opening remarks. You said you had been working with the NDP and the Liberals on some of their bills. I assume you mean private members’ bills that they were bringing forward?
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Correct.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
I also assume that you understand that prorogation does not affect private members’ bills.
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
I do.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
They do not drop from the order paper; only government legislation does. So I'm looking for a further explanation of how prorogation could have adversely affected you in the sense that the bills that the NDP and the Liberals are putting forward are still there, and they still can move forward at the same pace that they were previously.
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Correct. But I do believe that we were hoping to get some of this to committees as well, and the committees did cease, is that not correct, during prorogation?
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Right. And that was one of our objectives, to make sure that the debate had the visibility in terms of the broader population and the MPs.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
More than the prorogation, then, it was the length of time.
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Correct.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
It was the fact that we missed 22 days of sitting time. We gained back 10, because we added two more weeks, so the government was actually down for 12 days.
But that is your concern, that even 12 days affects the ability for committees, perhaps, to get one of the private members' bills—
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Correct.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
—had it come to the point where it was actually past second reading and had gone to committee.
12:15 p.m.
National Chair, Nortel Retirees and former employees Protection Canada
Yes.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Okay.
Let me then ask about your views on....
Well, I shouldn't; that's more of a finance question than a prorogation question.
I thank you for your time.
