Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Sept. 28th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Okay. I guess what's being asked is if there are any objections to any of the routine motions.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I have a few questions, Madam Chair. However we move through it, I'm fine to do that. I just have a couple of logistical questions and one proposition, which members already know about, but I thought we could have a discussion about it. I will leave it in your hands as to what to do next. I did raise my hand, so I'm not sure what the process is.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Please go ahead, Ms. Blaney.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Hopefully, I'm doing this right. I will unraise my hand as soon as I am done.

First of all, I just wanted to put forward a discussion about the second and subsequent rounds. Right now, we have the Conservative Party for five minutes, the Liberal Party for five minutes, the Conservative Party a second time for five minutes, the Liberal Party for a second five minutes, and then the Bloc and the NDP for 2.5 minutes.

I wanted to recommend that the NDP and the Bloc be moved between the two rounds for the Conservatives and the Liberals, so it would be Conservative Party for five minutes, Liberal Party for five minutes, Bloc two and a half, NDP two and a half, and then it would return to the Conservatives and the Liberals for five minutes each. That is one proposition that I would like to propose. I feel that often we don't get any chances to have that second round, and I think that's a bit of unfairness that I would like to address.

The other questions I have are just simple ones. Right underneath the second round, we talk about the clerk being authorized to distribute documents to the members only when documents are in both official languages, and of course I think that is absolutely correct. I am just wondering how that will be done in the hybrid model and just what the methods are for doing that.

The last question I have is around the clerk's responsibility to make sure there are necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and subcommittees. I'm just wondering, if it's the hybrid model, how soon the committee members are required to let the clerk know so that the clerk can do that. I want to make sure that we're very respectful of their time if we're there in person. Of course there would be a meal provided, and I don't expect that to happen if I am participating virtually, but I want to make sure that we respect the clerk's time in these unprecedented circumstances.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

I think we have a couple of other issues.

We'll hear from Mr. Doherty and then Monsieur Therrien.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Chair and colleagues, in other committees we've been on, it has been the chair's prerogative in terms of questioning of witnesses and the length of time they have been given for statements. If we feel that six minutes or eight minutes is enough, rather than 10 minutes, are we still going with the same assumption that it will be the prerogative of the chair and the committee, as per the study we're doing, that the length of time allotted to witnesses can be adjusted as we see fit? That then will give additional time for speaking and questions from members.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Chair, may I make a point of order? I'm sorry to interrupt.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Yes, Mr. Gerretsen.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Just in terms of making sure that we're running through this properly, maybe you would want to consult with the clerk. Mr. Turnbull moved a motion, and I think we're still back on that analyst services motion he moved. I thought we were just discussing how to go through this at first, but now it seems we're starting to home in on some of the issues. Should we deal with the analyst services motion that's on the floor before we continue debating other items?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

I'm not sure if Mr. Therrien has debate on the issue or just a suggestion as to which part. So far, everyone seems to be in favour of all of the routine motions, other than the questioning section, on which there's some debate or maybe motions to be put forward. On the working meals, I think there was just some clarification. Other than that, nothing has been raised so far.

I want to see if Monsieur Therrien has any other issues with any of the sections. Otherwise, perhaps we could pass all non-contentious sections together and then come back to those two.

Go ahead, Monsieur Therrien.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

I'm not sure whether now is the right time to do this or whether we'll be discussing it more formally later, but I wanted to piggyback on what Ms. Blaney was saying about the second round.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Perfect. We are going to come back to that. That seems to be a section we won't pass until there's been some discussion or some motions on it. We'll come back to that one.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Great. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

On working meals, it states that the clerk be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals. Did you just want a time frame to be put in place, Ms. Blaney?

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I just wanted clarity. I know that we are to let the clerk know if we'll be participating in person. I'm just wondering if there's a clear timeline around that, just to be respectful.

[The Clerk]

Madam Chair and Ms. Blaney, for the working meals, generally for the hybrid meetings I would be proceeding the way I would when the entire committee is meeting in person in the committee room. I would be ordering meals for the members of the committee. It might take a little while to figure out how many are actually participating in person versus virtually. Any heads-up that I get that one of you will be participating in person obviously would be of benefit. However, I will be ordering a certain amount of food to permit everybody who is here in person to have a meal.

I must say—and I'll take the opportunity while I have the floor—that obviously because of the special COVID arrangements, the nature of the catered meals we usually get will be different. No longer will there be shared platters of food that people can pick from to assemble a plate. There will be enough individualized plates for any of the members who do show up in person.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Go ahead, Ms. Blaney.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

My thoughts on this are that the amazing clerks and all the analysts and staff who do so well by us every day are going to always respond to us accordingly, and I respect that. I'm just wondering if it's something we should discuss and if it actually should be in the routine motions that you have to tell the clerk, because it is also a bit of a waste of money if we have the clerk getting food for everybody and three people show up.

I'm wondering if, as the mother committee, we should seriously consider this new format and give direction so that there's less of a lack of clarity for the amazing people who work for the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Okay.

Ms. Vecchio, do you have something on a different section, or is it debate on a particular section?

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

It will be after routine proceedings. It's all okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Okay.

Mr. Clerk, are we able to pass or move all motions with the exception of the questioning motion and the meals, and then discuss those other motions afterwards?

[The Clerk]

Yes, Madam Chair, you can proceed that way if you want. You can group them all together into one block, except for the two that the committee would like to discuss further.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Is it okay with the committee if we proceed that way? That way we've dealt with the majority of issues.

I see that it's okay.

Mr. Clerk, would you mind calling the question?

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Turnbull might want to amend his motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Yes, that is correct.