Electoral Reform Committee on Oct. 20th, 2016

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We are beginning our 43rd meeting in the context of this study on electoral reform.

We have with us today, from Forum Research, Mr. Lorne Bozinoff, president and CEO, and Mr. William Schatten, research director. Appearing as an individual is Prof. William Cross, professor, from Carleton University. From the Canadian Federation of University Women, we have Sheila Lacroix and Madeleine Webb.

We also have with us in the audience the political science class of Professor Paul Thomas from Carleton.

Welcome. I hope that you'll find our discussion interesting and that you'll do all your term papers on electoral reform.

[Dara Lithwick, Committee Researcher]

They've already written them.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

They've already written them?

She went to Carleton, so she has the inside scoop.

Mr. Cullen.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you. I'm not interested in taking too much time from our excellent panel this morning. I gave notice to the committee last night of a small motion.

Also, welcome to our friends from Carleton. Best behaviour, by the way, everybody. I guess that's what you were trying to say, Chair? Okay. Got it.

The motion is that the committee invite the Minister of Democratic Institutions to table a summary of her public consultations with the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You're asking for consent, or for unanimous consent? We'll start there.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, we could start with consent, if that feels good. We can go down from that if it doesn't work.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We have Mr. Reid, and then somebody on this side.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

I just wanted to ask Mr. Cullen.... I'm not suggesting any changes to the motion; I just want to confirm. When he says “to table” it, does he mean to table it in person and actually come before us as a witness, or simply to provide a written summary?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I suppose I was leaving that to her choice. We have a few meetings left, so if she wanted to present, I would certainly welcome—

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, there is a minimum 48 hours to have notice. We do not have that 48 hours of notice. Therefore, I ask that this be respected.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

One moment, please.

I'm told that in this committee there isn't a minimum time limit.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Chair, we passed that motion at the first meeting, when we said that any substantive motions must be given 48 hours’ notice. We have not had that and therefore I respectfully ask that it be maintained.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I will double-check the motion with the clerk.

I'll read out the motion we adopted:

That 48 hours' notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration....

It seems clear to me that it relates to what we're doing.

Mr. Cullen.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, there was no intent to.... We talked about it last night. This is simply what I assumed to be an oversight from the minister's office.

The minister is both the Minister of Democratic Institutions and a member of Parliament. We've just noticed—and we could be wrong—that she may have submitted her results from the town hall already, but if not, then if the oversight was made, we would certainly invite her to tell us what she learned in her constituency of Peterborough. It's what every other MP has done and what the committee has been receiving.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Are you saying, Mr. Cullen, that you would like to know if the minister submitted a reported from her town hall held in Peterborough?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, at the very minimum. I would imagine that since she has also been touring the country, as we know, Mr. Chair, she might also want to give us a summary of what she learned from those meetings. I don't know why she wouldn't. This is all funnelling into the democratic reform committee. We will then make an informed decision and recommend something to the government.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We'll check if she submitted a report as the MP for Peterborough. We'll check that. If not, I'm just thinking now, there was a deadline of the 14th.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, I know.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Would we be in a position to take a brief from the minister at this date?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Whatever format it would come in, there's no ill will in the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

No, I understand.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

It's as simple as it is, and it is in conjunction with the work that we are doing. We're just simply asking—

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You're asking for a brief, basically.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Sure...what it says, a summary of her public consultations with the committee.