Industry Committee on April 7th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Yes, Mr. Lake.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Just, normally, the practice in this committee over many years is that we would conduct committee business in camera. We're certainly willing and looking forward to the discussion in terms of committee business, and that would be the normal process for this committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

You're correct, Mr. Lake, but I have an obligation as well in the sense of carrying on the meeting in an orderly fashion without jeopardizing the freedom of individual members of the committee. It's a fragile and sometimes precarious eggshell-walking process, but that's where we are at the moment.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Further to the point, then, I guess, in addition to that, we have witnesses before the committee who we were listening to. We're not done with hearing from the witnesses who we have before the committee. We have time scheduled, in just five short minutes, to discuss this. It seems like there might be a little bit of political gamesmanship going on right now.

May I recommend that we respect the time of the witnesses who are before us right now, finish hearing the testimony that we came here to hear, and then, as scheduled, continue with committee business?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Mr. Lake, I was watching the clock. Ms. Nash had 30 seconds left of her time, so even in a scheduled framed agenda like we had, she still had 30 seconds left.

Once those 30 seconds are exhausted, then we will need to make a decision as a committee. If Ms. Nash wants to exercise her right to continue talking, she can do that, but I will excuse the witnesses. If she's in agreement with you to go in camera, then we'll do that. Again, I will still excuse the witnesses.

In 30 seconds, I have a point at which I need to make a ruling.

Ms. Nash, if you want to continue, you have a time slot of 30 seconds more, and then we have to basically come to an agreement as far as the committee is concerned.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

But I take it that the point of order did not remove time from my time.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

No, you had 30 seconds left.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Could I just respond, too, to the point being made?

O'Brien and Bosc, at page 1,052, states, “A member of a committee may move a motion at any time during the normal course of a meeting”. There are certain conditions, which I believe I've met, and the motion, I believe, Mr. Chair, is in order.

But I am almost through, if I could just finish up.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Yes. That's why I said, Ms. Nash, that it's kind of a precarious situation a chairman finds himself in when we have a structured meeting and then we go to something like this.

Mr. Warawa, to the same point?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Yes, to the same point, Chair. Procedurally, once you've made your ruling, any additional input could be considered a challenge to the decision of the chair. You've made your ruling. I think you were going to allow Ms. Nash to go back to speak to her motion, not to get into a debate on whether or not your ruling is correct.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you, Mr. Warawa.

Ms. Nash.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As I was saying, there has been some retraction of media reports, but for greater clarity, I am proposing that we amend the motion to highlight the underlying cause of the high wireless prices.

My motion, as amended, would read, for greater clarity, “That the Standing Committee on Industry, science and technology undertake a study of the government's mismanagement of the wireless sector as evidenced by the recent wireless plan price increases by Canadian wireless carriers and their impact on the affordability of life for consumers and report its findings to the House by May 30, 2014.”

You'll notice, Mr. Chair, that I also amended the report date to allow the committee more time for examination of this issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you, Ms. Nash.

I gave you some flexibility here, so now I have a conundrum to deal with in how we proceed. I have still a member who has the right to also question the witnesses, so I need to ask that member if he still wants the five minutes with the witnesses.

[A voice]

[Inaudible—Editor]

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

He does, so right now what we'll do is allow Mr. Shory his five minutes with the witnesses who we have here, and then we'll go back to—

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Yes, Mr. Warawa.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Chair, procedurally, there is a motion on the floor that has to be dealt with before you can proceed. I'd rather deal with her motion. If we're going to need to have a motion to move in camera, I will make a motion that we move in camera.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

It's a dilatory motion. All in favour?

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Could I ask for a recorded vote, please?

[Joyce Bateman, Conservative, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Could you please speak to what we're voting on?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

It's a dilatory motion. There's no debate. The motion is to move in camera now.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)

We'll be moving in camera now.

On behalf of the committee, thanks very much to our witnesses.

We'll suspend for three minutes while we transition to in camera.

[Proceedings continue in camera]