Evidence of meeting #1 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th 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.
10 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
I think serving notice to the clerk electronically by e-mail should be clocked by time of receipt of the e-mail in the inbox of the clerk. If the clerk is not well one day or is delayed or has a staff colleague who doesn't get it, it puts the clerk in a difficult situation. The clerk has an objective metric, which is called the clock and the time of receipt of e-mail with notice of motion in his inbox. I think that constitutes the beginning of the ticking of 24 hours of time. It's very clean. There are no challenges on that front. We all have proof of sending time, but more importantly, the clerk has proof of receipt time. Getting the clerk into a situation of having to say, “Well, I got to work at nine o'clock but I didn't get around to sending acknowledgement out until 10:30, because I was called to an urgent meeting”.... It puts the clerk in a tough spot.
I think the time of receipt of the e-mail in the clerk's inbox ought to be the time at which the 24 hours start ticking.
10 a.m.
Conservative
10 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Chair, along the lines of the issue Mr. Bigras raised, I'm concerned that we're trying to reinvent the wheel.
The finance committee apparently have already approved all of their rules and they're on to the substance, which I would like us to move on to. They came up with a compromise of 36 hours, and they aren't getting into the detail of whether the clerk has the flu and blah, blah, blah. Their rule is that 36 hours' notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee unless the substantive motion relates directly to the business then under consideration, and that the notice of motion be filed with the clerk of the committee and distributed to members in both official languages.
I suggest we just keep it clean and simple and not get into all kinds of combinations and permutations.
10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
So you're moving an amendment to 36 hours? Or is it a friendly amendment?
10 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I guess it's a friendly amendment just to cut through all of this detail that seems unnecessary to me.
10 a.m.
Conservative
10 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Well, I think it provides for interesting discussion, but we need to have consensus around the table, and I don't think we have that.
10 a.m.
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
I thought we just had more or less a consensus on 24 hours. I appreciate, maybe, that adding the words ”electronically received” is appropriate for an environmental committee trying to stay away from paper, but more than that, I don't think we need to get into the details. I think the wording is....
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
10:05 a.m.
Bloc
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
My question is to Ms. Duncan and is about the 36 hours. The concern I have is that every member here have an opportunity to consider what is going to be discussed around this table. Every opinion is very important, as has been brought to our attention. So if the clerk receives a substantive motion and may have to translate it into both official languages and then have it disseminated to every member of this committee, when do we get it? When does the clock start? It gets very confusing. Your suggestion of 36 hours may avoid some of that confusion. I think it's an interesting compromise, and I would be willing to accept it.
10:05 a.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
In the past, did the 24-hour rule mean that motions did not get translated, Mr. Clerk? No? So it was possible to follow the rules nonetheless, and therefore Mr. Warawa's argument does not stand up.
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay, so the motion on the floor from Mr. Warawa is on the 48 hours. He's accepting a friendly amendment from Ms. Duncan to make it 36 hours.
Go ahead, Mr. Watson.
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Just to be sure, I thought it was 36 hours for substantive motions only. I want to be sure about what we're actually talking about, not that it's just--
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
--36 hours for everything. Or is it 36 hours for substantive motions only?
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay. Are there any further comments? Seeing none, I'm going to call the question, and I'll just read this one more time. Or do you want to read it, Mark?
10:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
I'll read it the way I interpreted it based on the discussion we had, because I want to actually incorporate what Mr. Trudeau said about electronic, if that's okay with the committee.