Evidence of meeting #23 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was siksay.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
No. The chair has ruled that you do need 48 hours, and that's according to your own routine motions.
Madame Thi Lac.
3:45 p.m.
Bloc
Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Murphy, earlier, you said that committee members' unanimous consent was needed. Now, you are saying that the motion will not be debated because you haven't received advance notice. However, you haven't asked whether there was unanimous consent. We did not vote. You didn't ask us if we agreed. You don't know who opposes it and who does not. You made the decision, even though, a little earlier, you said that you needed unanimous consent to wave the 48-hour notice.
Therefore, before you reject my colleague's request, I would like you to ask the committee members whether there is unanimous consent.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
No one has asked that I ask for unanimous consent. It would be unusual, but if you want me to ask the committee if Mr. Siksay has unanimous consent.... Mr. Siksay didn't ask, himself.
Anyway, I will ask if Ms. Freeman has the unanimous consent of the committee to deal with this motion right now.
I see that she does not, and the 48 hours' notice has started. Really, that's the end of the discussion, people.
I would ask that the members of the steering committee remain. We're going to have a meeting in camera, please.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
I have a question about the steering committee. Some committees have a representative of all parties, and the chair is more neutral in that case; some committees don't. What is the steering committee make-up at this time in this committee?
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Well, Mr. Easter, the steering committee is comprised of the members set out in routine motions. You are right that in some committees.... That's something we probably should bring up. It's not something we could do right now. It would require a change in the routine motions.
There are two ways of doing it, just for the benefit of members of the committee. I think your routine motions right now state that the steering committee shall be comprised of the chair, two vice-chairs, and a member of a party that is not represented, which in this case would be the Bloc Québécois. In the committee that I just came from, the public accounts committee, the steering committee consists of the chair and members from all four parties.
My own view, and I don't want to get into a discussion now, is that this requires a change in the routine motions. I don't think now is the time to do it, but you may want to think about it. I don't consider it my job to carry the brief for the Liberal Party at these meetings, so it probably would work better if there were a change in the routine motions such that the steering committee consisted of me as chair and a member of each political party represented in the House of Commons.
But again that's something we can deal with later on.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Yes.
Is there anything else?
Well, I'm looking forward to the year.
The meeting is adjourned.