Evidence of meeting #1 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
—more than just you. You're not good enough, apparently, for this operation?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Well, I don't know. It seems to me that you'd be looking after the interests of your party. I'm having a problem with this scenario.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Can we entertain that amendment and ask you to vote on that so we can move on?
Mr. Warawa.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Chair, as I'm thinking this through, I'd also like one additional change to that, to say “also representing at least two political parties”. That way, you would not have just one group creating a quorum and not anybody else.
It's very unlikely to happen, but very clearly, a quorum has to be participation by members representing at least two parties and members from the opposition and from the government. So there should be at least two political parties represented in a quorum, in the definition of quorum.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
This is a reduced quorum. This is when we're travelling and there's a reduced number of members. This is when we have witnesses here and there's something happening on the Hill, and the witnesses are here but members are not. This allows us to proceed.
Should it happen? Never. Will it happen? I don't think so. But by making that amendment, I think you cover what's not going to happen.
Are there any other comments?
Do you wish to place that amendment, Mr. Warawa?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
So we're adding “including one (1) member of the opposition and one (1) member of the government”. That's what's being proposed that we're going to vote on?
Yes, Mr. Regan.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Can I just ask, to be clear, what motions have been proposed? I'm not clear on what motions have actually been moved. I'm not sure the main motion has been moved as such, but I just want to be clear on what's been moved at this point.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
No, we have not moved the main motion on a reduced quorum. What we are now talking about is adding an amendment to the reduced quorum--not to the quorum; quorum is seven.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
I understand, but I guess what I'm saying is, it's not in order to consider amendments until you've actually got the main motion moved. I was trying to clarify whether in fact it was moved or not, and it ought to be moved to start with.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
If we want to get somewhere. I'm sorry, but I'm trying to help.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Yes. I moved on to each item, and we voted on each item without a formal motion. I'm sure we can formally move “Reduced Quorum”, and then we can accept the amendment and vote on that and then vote on the main motion. That would be my intention.
Mr. Warawa, I think everybody knows what the amendment is, to add one member of the government to that list.
Those in favour?
(Motion negatived)
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Okay. Now to the main motion, which is:
That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present
—that's the seven—
provided that at least three (3) members are present, including one member of the opposition.
Mr. Warawa.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm just looking at the third bullet. It sounded as if you were talking about quorum and not reduced quorum, so just a clarification.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three (3) members are present, including one member of the opposition.
That's the motion on the floor?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
That's the motion on the floor for reduced quorum--not for quorum, reduced quorum.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Chair, as I said previously, we have a committee structure, a steering committee, that omits the government. We do not have a member who is not neutral who can bring the government's perspective to the committee. That has been excluded and is undemocratic.
We are now being proposed that you could have a quorum of seven people, excluding all members of the government, with no participation of the government, and that committee could go ahead.
