Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 31st, 2014

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

That's good, because I won't be here tomorrow.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

—including up to and ending with the chief electoral officer from Quebec.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I'm at Stornoway, so I'm away.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

All right, we'll now go to Mr. Christopherson's motion.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

My motion is as follows:That, pursuant to the motion adopted by the House of Commons on Thursday, March 27, 2014 relating to the parliamentary functions being performed in offices of the Official Opposition, the Committee invite the Honourable Leader of the Opposition; and also invite the Right Honourable Prime Minister to appear before the Committee to address the many partisan activities undertaken by his government, specifically by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and by the Conservative Research Group (CRG), and that furthermore, the current study on C-23 be extended by the same number of days as those scheduled for the study on the referred motion.

I intend to call it on Wednesday.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You don't want to talk about this tonight?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I don't need to talk about this tonight; I'm good for Wednesday.

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

If I may, I have a point of order on the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I'd entertain your point of order.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

But I'm not putting the motion forward.

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Okay. I didn't know if you had, or if....

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, I just took an opportunity to read it into the record. That's always a good thing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It's a notice of motion.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

It's a notice of motion. As I understand it, I have the right to call it when I choose—

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

No, no; I just didn't know, David, if you had or not.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

—and I choose not tonight.

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

That's fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

So we'll add some committee business on Wednesday, yes? Thank you.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, just so that I understand, does this mean that at any point in time...?

If I have a motion that I want to provide tonight, for example, I can table that document, and then, after that has been done, at any point in time, sometime in the future, all I have to do is just read it, even if we're in the midst of a discussion on a bill?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Let's suggest your chair would be kind of not happy if you did it that way. Perhaps you could talk to us ahead of time and suggest that we schedule some committee business for that night.

David already knows now that we're going to have some committee business Wednesday night, because I've promised him a schedule, so we'll do it during committee business. I really dislike interrupting our witnesses mid-sentence to talk about committee business. I don't think it's fair to them. It's very rude.

So I'd like it that way; I would suggest that would be a great way to work. Other than that, Mr. Lamoureux, you're right.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Okay. I just wanted to be clear on that point.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Is there anything else for the good of the committee tonight?

We're adjourned.