Official Languages Committee on Nov. 4th, 2013

[An hon. member]

Yes, it's—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Let me just provide some clarification of the motion.

We can request that the meeting be televised. It doesn't necessarily mean that the media will pick it up. What it means is that the meeting will be recorded and will be available to the media if they so choose to pick up the feed. It depends on whether or not the rooms are available as well. Not all rooms have television capability, and it's first-come, first-served for the committees that wish to access them.

Mr. Williamson.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Again, I'll ask some basic questions.

What's the practice now?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

The practice now is that if a member asks for a meeting to be televised, the chair seeks to book that room. That's the current practice.

[An hon. member]

I just want to....

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Williamson has the floor.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I don't want to start something.

That's the convention already; this motion is just the convention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

That's right.

Current practice, even though the routine motions are silent about it, is that when a member asks for a meeting to be televised, the chair makes his or her best effort to book a room where that can be done, and it's on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mr. Gourde, you have the floor.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I would like to move an amendment to include the Commissioner of Official Languages. The motion would be the following:

That the meetings with the Commissioner of Official Languages and any Minister be televised if possible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We have an amendment in front of us that adds “the official languages commissioner and all the ministers, if possible”.

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

No, it's that if a minister or the Commissioner of Official Languages is going to appear before committee, they try to televise it, if possible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay, we're on the amendment. Is there any debate on the amendment?

Monsieur Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I would like to clarify what Mr. Gourde said. He used the words “if possible”. I would say that, when a minister appears before the committee, every effort should be made for the meeting to be televised. So every effort will be made to try to find an available room. The idea is the same; the effort will be made.

We would just have to replace the beginning with the words “that whenever a minister or the Commissioner of Official Languages appears before the committee”. That way, we would not need to ask for that every time; it would already be done. We currently have to ask for that. If we do not ask for it, we realize it in the middle of the week, after receiving the notice, and then we have to ask for it.

Mr. Chair, you have always made the necessary efforts, so there's no issue there. We cannot say that you have not made the efforts for those meetings to be televised.

The only difference this motion would make is that efforts would be made automatically to televise the meetings with any ministers or the Commissioner of Official Languages. That's all.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Gourde, could you repeat your amendment?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I would replace the motion with the following:

That the meetings with the Commissioner of Official Languages and any Minister be televised if possible.

This is just a motion that replaces the other one.

Here's what we could do. We will vote on Mr. Godin's proposal, but we will reject it. Then, we will be able to put mine to the vote. That way, we would no longer be talking about an amendment, but rather another motion. So things will be clearer for you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay, I'm going to consider the amendment that Monsieur Gourde has presented defeated, because it's clear that he is going to defeat the amendment he's proposed. We're now back to the main motion as proposed by Monsieur Godin.

Is there any debate on the main motion, which says:

That whenever a minister is appearing before the Committee, every effort should be made in order for this meeting to be televised.

That's the main motion as proposed by Mr. Godin. Is there any debate on the main motion?

Mr. Williamson.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I'm going to suggest defeating this and reverting to the routine motions from the last session, simply because of the language that says we use all possible measures. I don't know what that means. Does that mean changing dates?

To me it's important to have these individuals come and speak to this committee. I don't want to get into a debate beforehand about what level we are.... Don't get me wrong; I believe it's important to have this televised, but I believe what we have done in the past has worked sufficiently. I don't want to be debating timing and rescheduling meetings just to ensure that the practice we've been using, which has been successful, will now suddenly turn into a debate every time we're having one of these individuals come to see us.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

If there's no further debate on the motion as presented by Mr. Godin, I'm going to call the question.

I'll pass the floor to the clerk. This is a vote on the motion as presented by Mr. Godin.

(Motion negatived: nays 7; yeas 4)

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Gourde, did you want to move another motion?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Yes. I have another motion that is very similar to this one and will probably appeal to everyone. It reads as follows:

That the meetings with the Commissioner of Official Languages and any Minister be televised if possible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We have a new motion in front of us to the effect that meetings with the Commissioner of Official Languages or with any minister be televised, if possible.

Is there any debate on this motion?

Mr. Nicholls.

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

May I clarify?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Yes.

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

No, that's fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Is there any further debate?

(Motion agreed to)