Bill C-32 (40th Parliament, 3rd Session) Committee on Nov. 23rd, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay. The floor is open.

Go ahead, Mr. Lake.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

I just want to be clear. You are proposing that we work four hours a week on this.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I said to take our block of time at this point. I'm suggesting two sessions. Monday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon seem to be open, except for Madam Block.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

I'm just curious about how many months you want to study this for. I just want to get clarification on that.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I want to study this until it's done right. I think that is fairly obvious.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

We agree with that.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

So we will study it and get it done right.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay. In front of you, you have a sheet, a members' committee schedule. Just to open up the periods that are possible right now, there is Monday afternoon, 3:30 to 5:30, and Tuesday morning, starting at 9, as we did today. Industry meets from 11 to 1; there is potential for some change there. There's Wednesday afternoon and there is Thursday morning as well. Those are the proposed blocks that are most likely to be available. There is also the potential, if we wish, to do evening meetings.

We heard from Mr. Angus that he's interested in Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Mr. Lake had the floor, and then I think Mr. Del Mastro.

Okay, Mr. Del Mastro.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I'm wholeheartedly supportive of Monday and Wednesday afternoons. It looks like we could probably get 3:30 to 6:30. I'm also wholeheartedly supportive of Tuesday and Thursday mornings, between 8 and 11. We could get at least two hours in there--maybe three.

I'm open to any other time people might put forward, but I think we could get in three hours on Monday, three hours on Tuesday, three hours on Wednesday, and three hours on Thursday. I think that's easily achievable. We can get in the people who want to come forward and speak to this bill and we can get our work done. That's what Canadians expect.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay.

We'll have Madame Lavallée.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

If I understood correctly, there is a motion on the table for Mondays and Wednesdays. Is that correct?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Well, Mr. Angus suggested that those would be a starting point.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Can I move a motion?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

You may. We don't have a motion on the floor right now.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Can I move a motion? Yes. I will therefore make Mr. Angus's recommendation into a motion in order to formally propose that our meetings be held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., for a duration of two hours each.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay. Is there discussion on that motion?

Go ahead, Mr. Lake.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Can you just read that motion again quickly for me?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

The motion is to have 3:30 to 5:30, Mondays and Wednesdays, for two hours each time.

Mr. Lake.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

I'd like to amend that motion.

I would like to strike 5:30 and change that to 6:30, if I could.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Mr. Lake, I might.... Well, on Monday it's unlikely that there would be votes, but definitely on the Wednesday at 5:30 we would expect to have bells for six o'clock votes.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

That's fair enough. We can amend our schedule, as need be, if we have votes. If you're concerned about votes, that's fair enough. Maybe we can just then add at the end of it, “with a one-hour break and then continue to meet from 6:30 to 10:30 on Monday and Wednesday”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

I'd like to add Tuesday and Thursday to that as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

The amendment is that the meetings continue on Monday, in addition to 3:30 to 5:30, with a one-hour break, and then commencing again at 6:30 until 10:30 on both Monday and Wednesday, and in addition to that, Tuesday....

Mr. Lake, help me here.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Tuesday and Thursday, the same schedule, so that would give us--