Evidence of meeting #3 for Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was public.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Bloc
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Chair, if I understand correctly, paragraph four has been split into two. That way, each witness or group of witnesses has a total of 10 minutes. We will first put this to a vote and then we will vote separately on the limit on speaking times. Is that correct?
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Yes, I've agreed. It was in response to a question by Mr. Owen, I believe. There are two parts to paragraph 4, and I've agreed that we would vote on each part separately. They are different, in a way, so I've agreed to that.
11:55 a.m.
Bloc
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Chair, without divulging any state secrets, I can tell you that, yesterday, the subcommittee talked about giving each witness or group of witnesses a total of 10 minutes for an opening statement. If, for example, four University of British Columbia professors were to appear before the committee and they each had only two and a half minutes in which they or their representative could make their opening remarks, then Parliament would have totally changed how it does things. Witnesses would not be used to nor happy with such an approach.
Will the clerk be writing to witnesses to advise them that, oddly enough, they will have to work within the framework of a subcommittee and choose a spokesperson, or that they will have only two and a half minutes each in which to speak? In all likelihood, should this pass, groups of witnesses from British Columbia or Newfoundland, for example, will decide that the trip here is not worth it and that the legislative committee does not respect the traditional rules for hearing witnesses.
I do not know if the clerk can answer my question. Should this motion pass unamended, will witnesses be advised, prior to their appearance, that they will each have only two minutes, if there are five of them, or two and a half minutes, if there are four of them, in which to make a presentation or find a spokesperson?
Noon
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Yes. In the committees I've chaired, I've generally directed the clerk to go to the witnesses and suggest that if they have opening comments, they have up to 10 minutes. That's generally what I do. And I suppose if this motion were to carry, she would go on my direction--I don't think there's any rule that she has to go at all, at least that I know of--to suggest to the witnesses that the group would have up to 10 minutes, and one person could speak or you could conceivably have a group of 10 people. That's the way it would work.
That's my interpretation of the clerk's role.
Noon
Bloc
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
Thank you for that answer.
Since the document we were given at the beginning of the committee meeting states that Meeting No. 3 on Tuesday, March 9, 2006, would run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., do we need unanimous consent to continue until 12:01 p.m.?
Noon
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
You're absolutely right, sir.
I think we've run out of time, haven't we? The meeting will be adjourned until--
Noon
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
Just for the record, it seems the filibuster to run this time period out has succeeded.
Noon
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
You know what? You people can all take this out into the hall. We're going to adjourn this meeting until 3:30 p.m.
Thank you very much.