Afghanistan Committee on March 11th, 2009

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Chair, let me say, based on that argument and based on the excellent argument made by Mr. MacKenzie, which says that the Bloc will get two questions and the NDP will get two questions, it does not reflect the thing. I think the last NDP on the second round should be a Conservative, not a NDP. Then it fits very perfectly.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

I'll be reasonable here. Put a Conservative and an NDP. Is that okay?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Yes.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Done. Is that okay?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Five Conservatives and one NDP.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

We'll never get to it, by the way.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I love what we argue about here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

We have to focus here. One at a time, please.

Mr. Wilfert.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

At the defence committee, the first round is exactly as it said here. As Mr. Hawn knows and certainly you do, Mr. Chairman, at the end we have Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, Conservative. There's an extra Conservative. The NDP don't get an extra....

The fact is that at the defence committee we have gone Liberal, Conservative—add the extra Conservative at the end.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

It's a different makeup.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

That's what we do at the defence committee. Then in the third round, if there's a third round, it's Liberal, Bloc, NDP, Conservative.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

What you're suggesting, Mr. Dewar, still only has four. Somebody is still going to miss the boat here.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

We should add a Conservative. Have an NDP, then a Conservative.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Do cleanup.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

You put that in there, then you count the number of Conservatives who speak. Go ahead, do that. There are only four.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

One, two, three...there are still four. That's the way it goes, timing.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

It's not the defence committee.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

It doesn't matter. It's one per.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

I know, but you guys are saying this is like the defence committee. It's not the defence committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

We just want to make it fair for everybody. We're kind of stuck here. We have to make a suggestion. I think the only way to make it work is that we start the second round with a Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, NDP. There's only one NDP member at the table.

Go ahead, Mr. Hawn.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

As we have done previously, we've given the NDP an extra slot if there's extra time. I would suggest we would still do that, even though officially the NDP is only entitled to one slot because of the makeup of the table.

[An hon. member]

[Inaudible--Editor]...this motion.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I understand that. This motion is not written correctly.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Says you.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

According to the procedures established by the House of Commons, this is not written correctly.