Evidence of meeting #1 for Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
6:15 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I don't want to make a big thing about this, but I have a question to the clerk about what happened last time. What was the composition? How many people were on it? What was the configuration?
6:20 p.m.
The Co-Clerk Ms. Angela Crandall
Mr. Hawn was a member of the committee. It was the chair and the three vice-chairs, and I recall that Mr. Hawn was a member of the subcommittee as well. It was five in total.
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Chair, this is the composition of the steering committee of the foreign affairs committee, of which you are a member, and it works very well, as you know, despite the fact...because we are all congenial. I do not see why, on the one hand, when we are in the foreign affairs committee we are working within that steering committee structure, which is the chair and a member from each party.... I think it would be more appropriate to leave it like that. You know from your experience working on that steering committee that it works very well.
6:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
This is a special committee, not a regular committee. If we follow your logic, there would be two parliamentary secretaries. I think the original setup. . .
We are not on the same page, Ms. Crandall. In the past, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure was composed of the committee chair and three vice-chairs, for a total of four persons, not five.
6:20 p.m.
The Co-Clerk Ms. Angela Crandall
I distinctly remember that Mr. Hawn was a member of the subcommittee.
6:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Wasn't he mentioned in the routine motions that we adopted?
6:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
According to the motion on the table, the subcommittee shall be composed of the Chair and the three Vice-Chairs. That's the customary makeup.
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
We are dealing with the new motion and the amendment. As I understand what the amendment is, there would still be three opposition members and two government members, one of whom would be the chair.
Is that what you're proposing?
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
And the reason I'm proposing an amendment is to make it the same as it was last time, which was the chair, who is obviously Conservative, and in effect one member from each party—the way it was last time.
6:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
I'm simply trying to wrap my head around this. This was not the motion adopted by the committee. So then, this is the customary way of doing things?
6:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
If we look at the routine motions adopted by the committee last time around, we note the following:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the Chair and three Vice-Chairs of the Committee.
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
We're just asking the clerk to.... This might be the wrong wording, if indeed the motion was amended subsequently. We're going to check to make sure that's not the case.
However, was it an official motion, or were you just appointed? How did it happen?
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
I can't recall specifically, Mr. Chair, but whether it was amended or whether it was subsequently moved to change it, the fact is that it was changed, and there were five members of the subcommittee: the chair and one member from each party. That's why I'm moving that this new motion reflect the same practice we've had since this committee started and as is followed in other committees.
6:20 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
If we're going to take that route—and I don't want to make a big thing about this—there would also be three vice-chairs. So if you're going to model or mirror what you had last time, you would have a different configuration in terms of vice-chairs.
I actually don't know: what was the rationale for having one vice-chair and one chair? Last time there were three vice-chairs. I ask without prejudice; I don't know.
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
Can the clerk tell us? Was it a motion in the House or...?
This is from the House, from Tuesday, February 10: “that in addition to the chair, there shall be one vice-chair”—and that's it. So this was just trying to follow the motion that was in the House.
I guess last time it was wrong. This time, we're trying to make it right, to follow the motion.
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Is there an error in this motion? Is that what you're saying?
6:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rick Casson
Yes. The motion that was handed out shouldn't have been handed out; that's what it looks like to me.
Go ahead.