Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 21st, 2016

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

No, sorry. Someone just told me that Prince passed away, so I got distracted by that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

We're just looking to see if there happens to be a day that committee members are available to talk to the Australian legislators somewhere around five, six, seven o'clock during the week back. They're available, but they're 15 hours ahead of us.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Is the idea to have them come to the committee or to meet with them informally?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

No, they'd be on the phone. It would be a video conference, because they're 15 hours ahead.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

I used to live there and I remember that intimately, believe me. I did some conference calls while I was there, and they involved getting up at two in the morning.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

This is a good time in the morning for them.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

What time are you suggesting?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Six o'clock at night, or before or after that, which is 9 a.m for them the following day.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

That's six p.m. for us, and which day would it be?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Well, that's what we're trying to find out. If there happens to be a day....

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Wednesday the 4th would be good for me. It's up to you guys.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Wednesday the 4th?

We don't know if he's available, but we'll....

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Wednesdays are generally better for me than Mondays.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

We need at least three of us. We don't need to have the whole committee.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Could I suggest Tuesday? We had plans for all of us to have dinner that evening at 7 o'clock, so we've already cleared our agendas for that. Why not have our meeting before then as an actual meeting and then have an informal meeting where we all retire upstairs to the restaurant?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

What does that sound like to people? Tuesday the 3rd?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I can do that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Tuesday the 3rd.

[Arnold Chan, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I was simply going to say that for me, because of my chemotherapy, Mondays are the only day that is kind of difficult, because I'm in Toronto getting infused.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Yes, I would imagine that every day would be difficult.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I won't be able to be there. I'll actually be a little late for the dinner.

[An hon. member]

You're at committee, right?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes, I'm chairing an internal committee.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Since Mr. Christopherson has a problem not with the day but with the time, the staff here are capable of doing it later. We could have the dinner first and maybe bump it a little earlier, and then have the actual formal meeting afterwards.

That way, David, we could accommodate your schedule.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Either way, I'd be quite comfortable if I wasn't one of the ones who took that.... I can follow up on the committee Hansard.