Evidence of meeting #1 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was subcommittee.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
The Clerk
Our next meeting is on Monday, at 3:30, but we have nothing--
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
We're still on the same thing here, are we? We're talking about alternating between government and opposition parties.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I don't know how the other committees work, but in the last Parliament we were also a minority and the committee I was chairing did not alternate between government and parties all the time, because you have to take into consideration the fact that it's a minority government.
So we kept going around according to the percentage the parties got. That's how we did it at the official languages committee. That's how we did it at the heritage committee when I was there. I don't know how you guys did it in other committees.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Again, we did it as written here, and as I say, I can't recall once where we had a problem.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
The first party, the second party, the third party...
4:05 p.m.
The Clerk
[Inaudible]
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
That's the problem. The government side goes first, followed by the opposition; then it's back to the government, and then to the other opposition party; finally, it's back to the government, and then to the third opposition party. Yet, the Conservatives have a minority government, just like the Liberals had. You want to allocate half of the time available to them. That's not right, because they're in a minority position.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
That's not what's written here. It notes that for the second round, the government and the opposition parties continue to alternate. It goes back and forth. Therefore, government members are allocated half of the available time.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Given the proportion of Conservative members on the committee, why should they be allocated half of the available time?
4:05 p.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
The greatest amount of time is allocated during the first round.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I don't recall us actually bouncing at the last committee on the second round. I recall it went two across and then four this way. Did we bounce back to the government every time?
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
I think in many cases not every party wanted a turn. That happened many times with witnesses. Sometimes two opposition parties in a row would ask questions because no government members had questions. As I say, I can't recall that we had a single problem with any witness where someone didn't get their question asked. We just did not have that problem.
Mr. Warawa.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
If we have a procedure for alternating back and forth, as has been laid out before us, with the numbers there will be a total of two people left out. Before it comes back into the sequence, those two outstanding people would be given an opportunity to ask questions. In that way, before everybody gets a chance, as we alternate back and forth between government and opposition, the two people left out would be given an opportunity to ask questions before it goes back into the cycle again. That would be quite fair.
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
That's up to you to decide. Each party has a responsibility to manage the time allocated to it and to decide who gets to ask questions. For instance, during the first round of questions, two Liberal Party members could ask questions, and then two more could have their turn during the subsequent round.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
As Mr. Bigras said, sometimes one of our members was the only one asking all of the questions on behalf of our party. It was the same thing with the government. Sometimes it was be the parliamentary secretary, and sometimes it was Mr. Bigras. So I strongly suggest we proceed. If it doesn't work and we find we're running into problems, let's revisit it.
Mr. Watson.
May 3rd, 2006 / 4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Based on ten for the first round and five for subsequent rounds, if you did three rounds, the opposition would have fifty out of eighty minutes. The government would have thirty minutes out of eighty minutes. I think that's fair.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
As I said, that part of it was never a problem.
Are there any other comments?
Is the motion carried?
4:10 p.m.
Conservative