Evidence of meeting #23 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.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
I have read clause 10 now twice, just in case I missed anything, and in clause 10 you can see what's covered there. There's a huge range—
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
That's not my point of order, with all due respect, Mr. Chair.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
My point of order is that he's reading the same documents he read in the last meeting.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Actually, today, Mr. McGuinty, I believe Mr. Warawa has brought up items about garbage gasification, a number of items that I know are not in those documents.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
He's reading precisely the same documents. I just walked over and looked at them, Mr. Chair.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Yes, Mr. Chair, I believe that where previously Mr. Warawa was speaking to an amendment, we are now speaking to an amended clause, so I think he's entirely in order to make his argument. Let him speak.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Thank you.
Mr. Warawa, could you continue. We probably don't have more than another minute or so.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Chair, on the point of order I raised with you, could you please give me a ruling or understanding here? Are members allowed to read from documents that they've already read from earlier?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
I know the suggestion in the House is that people give a speech and that they not read. However, having been in that House for some time, I know that the Speaker of the House does not enforce very rigidly that speaking as opposed to reading. When I frequently spoke in the House, I always tried to, because I just wasn't very good at reading a speech, so obviously, I encourage every member in committee as well as in the House to give a speech from the heart as opposed to giving a speech from a book.
But again, it's a fairly difficult line there.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Chair, I'm not asking you to distinguish between speaking extemporaneously and speaking by reading from a text. I'm asking you to advise the committee whether or not it is permissible for the parliamentary secretary to come now to three or four meetings and read precisely the same documents.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
I really believe that today Mr. Warawa has in fact been talking about a number of issues that I haven't heard before. I particularly twigged to a couple that he knows are my favourite issues, and I know they're not in that document.
Mr. Warawa, did you have final remarks? The bells are ringing, as you know. It's a 15-minute bell, and we do have votes.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
That's not debatable. We have a motion to adjourn and, of course, return at our scheduled time on Monday.
(Motion agreed to)
The meeting is adjourned.
