Environment Committee on Nov. 15th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

That has been moved and defeated. I guess if everybody agreed, we could re-vote....

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We don't have agreement.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Then I would move that there be a representative of the government on the subcommittee, and that the person be Mr. Jeff Watson.

That is an acceptable motion?

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

That's a new motion. You specified a person, that person being Mr. Watson. Then that amendment to what we have here, of course, would be the way it is—

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

What's the salary that would go with that?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

But we would add Mr. Watson's name to this motion.

Those in favour?

[Some hon. members]

[Inaudible--Editor]

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Can I call the question so we're very clear on this? Who is in favour of having Mr. Watson added to the list as the member on the subcommittee, along with the chair, the vice-chair, and Mr. Cullen...well, a member of the party?

(Amendment negatived)

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Now we go back to the main motion.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Chair, again, the goal is to come up with a fair structure.

Mr. Chair, I really hope I'm wrong, but I read in the newspaper that there was a tactical strategy of some opposition members to try to make this not work. It appears it's going down that road. I'm still hoping for the better, Chair, and I'm going to try to come up with a motion that is going to create fairness and not dominance.

Chair, my concerns were what I saw previously. Bill C-377 is going to be coming up, a very important private member's bill that we will deal with. We need to come up with a witness list, as was mentioned. So, again, we need to have a member on that.

I think Mr. Luc Harvey would provide a balance, a francophone perspective.

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

That is out of order.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

So I would then nominate Mr. Harvey to be on that.

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

He is going to go through each one of them in turn.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Again, it's an acceptable amendment.

(Amendment negatived)

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Chair, we'll keep on trying to create a structure here.

Again, I would ask my colleagues across to be patient. We're trying to come up with a structure that is fair.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

I don't find it particularly funny. I'm hoping for better from my colleagues across the way.

Chair, the concern about the structure that's being proposed is that you will create a structure where the Government of Canada has zero voice. It would have zero voice on the witness lists, because you, as the chair, have to remain neutral. That is the structure being proposed.

So if they want to have a meeting under the title of subcommittee with no representation from the government, they should not be able to move any motions. That, again, is in the purview of this committee. If they want to create a structure called a subcommittee, I think that committee should not be able to move a motion.

Now, is that in order?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Well, my understanding of the subcommittee is that they can't pass a motion any way, because everything has to come back to the main committee and would be voted on. That's my understanding of how subcommittees have always worked.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

In the last subcommittee report, Chair, we did have a motion that came from the subcommittee. I think it was a motion.

Were the subcommittee meetings in camera? Can I give a name?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We're in public.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

We're in a public meeting, but are the minutes of the subcommittee in camera?

[A voice]

They're in camera.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Okay. So it was a Liberal member who made a motion in the last subcommittee meetings we had, and that motion came forward. Now, when I asked the clerk about 15 to 20 minutes ago whether a subcommittee could make a motion, he said they could.

That's my concern, that you would have a committee with the authority to make a motion, bringing it back here, with zero representation from the government. The chair doesn't vote.