Transport Committee on May 4th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you, Mr. Volpe.

Just on Mr. Fast's subamendment, it can be in order if the committee agrees to set a time limit on itself. It's a debatable motion. Basically what Mr. Fast's subamendment is saying, on top of Mr. Jean's original motion that all three votes take place on or before 5:30, is that the committee shall not rise until all motions are disposed of at the end of business Wednesday. Now, that is open for debate.

Am I correct?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Not on Wednesday; I never referred to Wednesday.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Okay, I'm sorry.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

The committee shall not rise until the issue is disposed of.

And when we're talking about the issue, we're talking about—

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

All of the motions, yes. So that would include Mr. Bélanger's motion, the amendment, and your motion.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

And include any further motions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Or any motion with unanimous consent—or just with consent? I'm just wanting the committee to be very clear on what we're debating here.

Is that understandable then? Does everyone understand what the subamendment is saying, that basically all motions and amendments on the floor today will be dealt with at the end of the Wednesday meeting, whatever time that happens to be? Or if there's an agreement on a separate motion by all members, it would supersede the motions and amendments we have before us.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

To be clear, it would be the motions that would be brought forward dealing with remailers. Those would not be unanimous motions, as I don't think we're going to find unanimity anywhere in this. But the issue of remailing will be dealt with: we can only be pro or con on that, because those are the only two issues here.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

It cannot be superseded by any other motion to adjourn or to suspend.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Then we'd be frustrating this. We're going to deal with it on Wednesday one way or another.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

It would be inadmissible to say that in a motion; we cannot put those kinds of limitations on that.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

We haven't even seen the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

That motion, as understandable as it is, is open for debate.

Do you want me to continue with the conversation while we're drafting this?

I'd better check with Mr. Fast. Can we continue with debate, or would you want to wait until the subamendment is done?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

I'd like to wait until the subamendment is done.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Then I'll read it into the record. Fair ball, because that will be what we're debating.

The original motion was that the committee suspend debate until Wednesday, and it was amended by Mr. Jean basically to the effect that all motions would be voted on by 5:30. That has been subamended by Mr. Fast, so that we replace Mr. Jean's amendment with, “and that the committee not rise until all existing motions and any new motions dealing with remailers are disposed of”.

Does everyone understand that?

So we are now debating the subamendment.

Mr. Bagnell.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

I move that we adjourn the meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

This is a non-debatable motion, which basically moves everything that has been moved or amended or subamended this afternoon off the table.

(Motion agreed to)

The meeting is adjourned until Monday at 3:30.