Declaration of Emergency Committee on Oct. 20th, 2022

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Are there any other people on the speakers list?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

We could also take a little break and just hash it out. Do you want to do that? We could do that.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Okay.

Let's do a five-minute recess so we can hash it out.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

I call the meeting back to order.

Mr. Naqvi, the floor is yours, sir.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I will withdraw my amendment saying “within 30 days”. I think you will find unanimous consent to the following wording in its entirety. The second paragraph would read:

It is agreed that each department, person and/or agency that produced documents with redacted portions be required to provide the committee with an explanation of the grounds for each redaction in writing within 15 days.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Just looking around the table, I will take that. We have unanimous consent on that amendment to the motion.

(Amendment agreed to)

We are now back to the main body of the agenda, which is committee business. It is appropriate for you to move a motion at this time, if you see fit, sir.

The floor is yours.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Mr. Chair, am I to consider that the motion has been adopted?

We haven't voted yet on the motion as amended by Mr. Naqvi.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

That was unanimous consent.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

There was unanimous consent.

You're right. I apologize.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

He read the whole paragraph. Is that correct or not?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Yes. I read the amended version [Inaudible—Editor]

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I certainly don't mean to make your life difficult, and if you recognize Mr. Fortin first, that is fine, but if we are moving back to the general list, Mr. Fortin indicated he still had the floor to move another motion after a vote.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Mr. Fortin had an intervention. He caught my attention. We exchanged words; therefore, he had the floor.

After I'm in a conversation with somebody who has the floor, I take a scan around the room to see whose hands are up. I did recognize your hand being up after I was already engaged with Mr. Fortin. I was explaining to him that we were in the main part of the committee business. Understanding, quite rightly, that the amendment had been withdrawn and redrafted through unanimous consent, we are now on the body of the main motion.

Is that correct?

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Am I to understand that the motion has been unanimously adopted, or do we call a vote?

I have another motion to propose, Mr. Chair.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

I want to make this very clear. When things get complicated like this, it's my role as the chair to ensure that there is procedural fairness. Given that there has been unreadiness around the nature of the unanimous consent on the amendment, we do have procedurally to go back to the main motion as amended for consideration, debate or vote.

At this time, I will test the room to see if we have unanimous consent to the main motion as amended.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Now I have a second motion to propose.

May I move it, Mr. Chair?

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

That one was kind of a draw. I'm not going to lie. You both put your hands up at the same time.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Mr. Chair, I had the floor to move my two motions. When I requested it earlier, it was to move my two motions. I did so for the first, but I still have the second one to move.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Mr. Fortin, procedurally, you had the floor in the moment prior to our acknowledging the body of the main motion. That's what happened.

Once the main motion has passed, we don't keep a speakers list from previous agenda items. The floor is then open for consideration of committee.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

I understand, Mr. Chair, but as I was saying, it's when I asked to have the floor, you will no doubt recall that Senator Harder announced that it would be useful to continue the meeting in camera to discuss the work plan, and then we agreed that before discussing this matter in camera, I had two motions to propose.

Moreover, I began by saying that I was going to start by moving the first. With respect, the logical thing to do would be for me to move the second one now.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Just so that we're clear, there was not a concession that your motions would be dealt with consecutively. There is a time in an agenda for motions. All members have an equal right to present motions. That is part of a business meeting.

I'm left with a bit of a situation recognizing and making sure that members of this committee are duly recognized.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

It's your decision, Mr. Chair.

I'll abide by your decision, but without wishing to repeat myself unnecessarily, I had two motions to propose before we were to go in camera.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

I recognize that, but it doesn't mean you reserve the right to move them in a consecutive way. Given the nature and tone of this meeting, I think, procedurally, it would be fair if I turned to Ms. Bendayan to see what she has for this committee's business.