Canadian Heritage Committee on March 21st, 2011

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

It's to manipulate it, isn't it? You can say it.

[Ian Morrison]

Your question—

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

You can say it. You're manipulating what I said, aren't you?

[Ian Morrison]

But you want me to tell the truth, don't you?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Yes, I do. Please.

[Ian Morrison]

Okay. Your question of Mr. Maavara consists of 300 words, okay? The speed—

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Why do you clip the first line? It's going to be hard to fundraise off it if you tell people what the first line is, isn't it?

[Ian Morrison]

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman”, it says.

In any case, we found the essence of it, and we sent the 50-word version of it out to people.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

This is interesting. Mr. Morrison, you'll find—

[Ian Morrison]

I'm entitled to—

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

No, because you won't answer the question, Mr. Morrison. Now if you would answer the question—

[Ian Morrison]

Well, if you would just let me—

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

No, it's my time. I'm sorry, it's my time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

One person at a time. One person at a time.

Mr. Del Mastro has the floor. Let him make his intervention, Mr. Morrison, and then I'll give the floor to you. Go ahead.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Morrison, I have a copy—

[A voice]

[Inaudible—Editor]...isn't giving time to give a response.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Let the chair clarify the rules. These are questions and comments on the part of members. So the witnesses may not be afforded time to respond to a member's intervention. The member of this committee is fully entitled, as a duly elected member of Parliament, to use his or her time in any way they wish. So if they wish to use the entire five minutes to make a statement, not affording you an opportunity to respond, that's their right as a member of this committee.

Mr. Rodriguez.

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

A point of information, because I'm quite surprised about what you're saying. You're saying that any member—and I'm not aiming at Mr. Del Mastro—could take the five minutes, ask questions, and not listen to the answers?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

That's right. It's an opportunity for members of this committee to provide questions or comments regarding the study.

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

Comments are fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

So if a member wishes to use their entire five minutes to make a long commentary about the subject matter at hand—

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

That's fine. You're not listening to my question, Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

—they are entitled to do that, even if they phrase it in the form of a question.

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

So why the heck do we ask them to stay here if we can just—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Well, because certain members—