Environment Committee on April 1st, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

As long as you refer to this motion.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

As I understand, Mr. Chair, that's also in order, which is important. It concerns what preceded this motion and why the opposition feels the need to bring it forward.

First, here are a couple of points I want to lay down before talking about the substance of the motion itself.

I think what happened with Mr. Warawa's intervention, Mr. Chair, only serves to prove the point that we were trying to make. You had in fact ruled it was out of order to move a motion during a point of order. That in fact is the....

Mr. Chair, could we have a little bit of order in the committee itself?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Mr. Watson, just to clarify, the motion is in order now because I was overruled. The motion is in order, so we should discuss the motion.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Chair, you sat there and you said that we can discuss the ruling as part of our debate.

[Chair]

Refer to the motion.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Chair, we raised a point of order on this, and you said that could wait until the discussion regarding the motion that Mr. Cullen is bringing forward.

Mr. Chair, I'm simply responding to what you said is in order for the particular motion. Which ruling is it going to be?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

I could write the speech.

Talk about the motion not being a good motion, talk about the method of the motion not being a good motion, why it is not a good motion. You know, Jean Valjean would not have...whatever. But keep it on the motion.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Fair enough, Mr. Chair. That's a change from what you said earlier. I hope that's understood here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Thank God for the bells. We'll be back--

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

And I'll have the floor.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

We're suspending, right? We're not adjourning.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We're adjourning, unless I have a motion to....

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Can I move the motion to suspend?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have the floor.

Mr. Chair, I believe I have the floor.

[An hon. member]

Not with the bells.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have the floor, unless you're adjourning the meeting.

This is not a point of order. I have the floor for discussion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

I need unanimous consent to stay during the bells. The bells have started. I need unanimous consent to stay here, to stay and not go and vote.

[An hon. member]

Does he have the floor afterwards?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

He has the floor next, yes.

So I don't have unanimous consent, so we're suspended until we come back from the vote.

Do people want to suspend until tomorrow, or do you want to adjourn?

I have a motion from Mr. Warawa to adjourn this meeting, and of course we do have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Adjournment and suspension. Suspension means we go and vote and then we come back, unless we find another time. Adjournment means we adjourn and we come back here at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Chair, what happens to the speakers list?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We start clean if we adjourn.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

And if we suspend until 3:30 tomorrow?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Then we continue with the list as I have it here.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

That's helpful to know.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We have a motion to adjourn. We will vote on that motion. It means we're back here at 3:30, starting over on this motion. At 3:30 we start with a clean slate, no speakers list, on this motion.

Mr. Cullen, you'll need to give us this motion again tomorrow to begin debate.