Canadian Heritage Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2009

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

I'd like to propose an amendment to this particular item. I will just read out the proposed motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Okay, it's moved my Mr. Angus. Now we can talk about a subamendment by Mr. Bruinooge.

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I believe the proposal of routine motions is before everyone. I'm going to read the second item here of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure:

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the parliamentary secretary, a member from the government, and a member from each of the opposition parties; that quorum on the subcommittee shall consist of at least three members, one of whom must be from the government, and one member of the opposition. Each member of the subcommittee shall be permitted to have one assistant attend at any of the meetings of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.

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

The interpreter does not have the text and therefore, cannot translate for us.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Order.

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Chair, the reason I'm putting forward this particular amendment is to in part allow the parliamentary secretary to be a specific member of the subcommittee, as well as to allow for a member from each party to be representative on the subcommittee as well. If you'd like, I could pass along this text to you, but essentially the main criterion I'm suggesting is to add the parliamentary secretary to this particular section in relation to the subcommittee.

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

Mr. Chair, I do not have the text. I did not receive the translation because the translator did not have the document.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

We would have to have the translation.

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

What Madam Lavallée is suggesting is that if we want to propose any amendments to these routine procedures, essentially we need to have them translated. In the event that that's the case, I think we'll need more time and we'll have to come back.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

We're getting off to a kind of rocky start here, for some reason, and we're not going to have that in this committee. Let's get this down here.

Our committee business is the subcommittee on agenda and procedure. At this particular committee we have not used subcommittees. Is that correct? We haven't used subcommittees. The thing that has happened with subcommittees is that so many times we've found that if there is a subcommittee, someone goes out and puts things together, and then we come back in and meet again and rehash the whole thing all over again. I think what we have here is that if we talk about this and we talk about the committee's business, the parliamentary secretary is involved because we're all involved. Am I wrong?

Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chairman, I agree with you. I think we should discuss it when we're all together in the room. Every time we had subcommittees, we would make decisions and come back and discuss the decisions again. To be more efficient, I would keep it as is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Mr. Angus.

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

Mr. Chair, having sat on a number of committees in the last Parliament, I would say the heritage committee was probably one of the few that were continually functional. So I would be certainly be suspicious of changing the standing rules of a functional committee.

I don't think we need to go to subcommittee, because one of the really interesting things we established on this one is that when there was a whole series of issues that had to be planned, we would instruct our clerk to go with you, as the chair, and look at the calendar and come back and bring a proposal. That actually spared a lot of time, and it spared a lot of potential partisan animosity.

So if we can get on with the voting, I'd just say to vote no. That's how I'm voting. I don't think I'd rather discuss it much longer, because we have six other issues plus all our other issues, and I don't know how many other surprise amendments are coming forward.

So I would like to get down to the voting.

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Chair, having been on other committees, I think the subcommittee functioned quite well. But I'll withdraw my amendment if it seems that's the will of the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Mr. Bruinooge has withdrawn his amendment.

Then we go back to Mr. Angus' motion on committee business, the subcommittee on agenda and procedure, that all matters related to the Committee's business agenda and procedure be taken up in the committee of the whole.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Number 3, reduced quorum, is that the chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive and publish evidence when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three members are present, including a member of the opposition.

Mr. Del Mastro.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair

On this particular point--

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

You move this motion.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Okay. I'd like to move it and then I'd like to speak to it, if I could.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Yes.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Thank you.

On this particular point, I'd just like to move that we increase the number to four members and request that one member from each recognized party be present.

So in other words, it's not just a single member of the opposition and not just three members. We feel it's only appropriate if all parties are represented at the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Ms. Lavallée.

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

Mr. Chair,we have already seen this happen in other committees and it would mean that Conservative Party members could automatically get up from the table, leave and paralyze our committee. For that reason, I agree with the wording of this motion and I will be supporting it. I wouldn't want to make it mandatory that we have a representative of the Conservative Party.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

I think it was a suggestion. I don't think I heard an amendment, necessarily.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

I would like to propose it as an amendment: that each party have at least one representative there for quorum.