Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 21st, 2011

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I thought you were coming in with wisdom. I know you usually do, so I was hopeful that you had something better to go in there besides the word “some”.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

This is for those whose mother tongue is English. In French, the word “des” does not mean “quelques”. In French, the word “des” refers to more people than the word “quelques”. That's a significant nuance in French. It's a shame English does not have that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Yes.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I'm sure we do, but we're just not there today.

Monsieur Reid.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Well, although there's no way of going back and asking people in the past for what they thought, because we haven't yet invented time machines, it's a reasonable guess that it was a majority of the members. I'd even be prepared to accept that. After all, most of those people are here today and could confirm that they feel now the same way they felt then. But it is a distinction: “members” is just an ambiguous term.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

The analysts are suggesting that we might use the word “several”. If “some” doesn't pass, does “several”?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Leave it as it is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Okay. So we have “leave it as it is” and we have Mr. Reid's amendment of “some”.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Let's deal with the amendment. We'll deal with “some”. If someone wants to suggest “a majority” or whatever.... I think that in all fairness the point has now been made—we are live, after all, and people are hearing it—that we disagree with anything that implies the committee as a whole felt this way. That's the real point of the exercise.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

All those in favour of Mr. Reid's amendment to add the word “some” in each case where the members are mentioned?

We've come to the conclusion that we will be okay to use “des” in the French version. In the English version, Monsieur Reid has asked for the word “some” to be added in each place where the word “members” appears. There's one place where it already is there.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Where would that be, sir?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

At the bottom of page 8, third line, where it says “including that members”, the word “some” would be included after the word “that”.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

So it would be “Including that some members found it difficult”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Right. Then in the fifth line, the sentence starting with the word “Members” would start with “Some members also”, and it would go on.

On page 9 in the English version, on the fourth line, it would read “Further, some members”.

Are these three changes what you're suggesting, Mr. Reid?

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

That is correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We'll have a recorded vote on these changes.

(Amendment negatived: nays 6; yeas 5)

That is defeated, so we're back to paragraph 28 as written.

Is there further comment on paragraph 28?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Yes, I would like to make a comment. Some committee members mentioned the word “several” might work in English. I would like to propose this amendment. I suggest that we use the words “several members”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Is that acceptable? All in favour of using the word “several”? I see nods.

(Amendment agreed to)

Paragraph 28 is amended by using the word “several” in the three spots I mentioned.

Thank you.

I would like to suspend for five minutes, if I could. We've been going for two hours. We have lots of work to do, so let's keep it tight. We'll come back in five minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

If I can have members return to their seats, we have some more work to do today. I will remind the group how limited our time is to finish this, so let's get going.

We've finished number 28, with changes. We're on to paragraph 29.

Mr. Brison on 29.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Chair, I move to replace “Other” with “A minority of”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Brison is suggesting a change to 29. Conversation on that?

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

I think “Some” would be better, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Would you like to be recognized, Mr. Albrecht?

Mr. Albrecht, on that point.