Information & Ethics Committee on Nov. 15th, 2007

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

I could add it, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Please, Mr. Hiebert.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Sure. It's “and that reasonable child care expenses of witnesses shall be reimbursed”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Now, Mr. Clerk, is it—

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

I should say, “that, if requested, reasonable child care expenses of witnesses shall be reimbursed”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

And would it be just added to the end: “and that, if requested, reasonable child care expenses be reimbursed”?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Has everyone heard the amendment?

Mr. Wallace, please.

One day I'm going to ask Pat Martin to bring in a talking stick.

Anyway, we have an amendment that goes on the end adding what Mr. Hiebert said: “and that, if requested, reasonable child care expenses be reimbursed”.

If there's no further debate, I'll call the question now.

(Amendment agreed to)

(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Concerning staff at in camera meetings, may I have a mover, please?

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I'll move it and add an addition to it.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Okay, I'll move it and I'd like to speak to it, to make an amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Mr. Hiebert moves it.

On debate, it's Mr. Hiebert.

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I'd like to add a phrase at the end of that sentence that indicates, “In addition, each party shall be permitted to have one party staff member attend in camera meetings”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

i don't think we have to repeat the words “in camera meetings”, do we? We can we just leave that.

Is that okay?

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

The amendment is to put an additional sentence there that says, “In addition, each party shall be permitted to have one party staff member attend”.

Is there debate on the amendment?

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

I have just a question. I don't have any huge objection to your amendment, but if each member can bring a staff person in, doesn't that give latitude to have somebody from each party's staff represented—from the whip's office, or whatever—to come in with the member? I don't see the rationale for adding another four people to the room.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Let me respond, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Okay, we have a speaker. Mr. Del Mastro.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

There actually has been a ruling on in camera meetings where the staff member has been asked to leave because they are not the actual staff member of that given member of Parliament. This would be allowing party staff to attend the meeting—somebody from the whip's office or the House leader's office—because if they're not directly in your employment, some committees ruled that they couldn't be there, which we thought was unreasonable; that's all.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Mr. Scott, please.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

On that point, I know other committees have found otherwise.

Is there not a consistent response to the question, if I want the person who's here, whether from the whip's office or from my office? Is there no consistent interpretation of that?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Richard Rumas]

Mr. Chair, it's normally left up to the member in question to decide which staff member he brings, as long as he is a staff member--

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Of somebody.