Information & Ethics Committee on June 16th, 2011

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

For the folks following this, it's the first one, number one, and then number two of the second one is what Charlie is proposing now.

Russ, go ahead.

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

I just did a quick calculation in terms of the time. The proposal Mr. Del Mastro put forward has 63 minutes in it. Conservatives get 54% of that time, the NDP gets 35%, and the Liberals get 11%. It just so happens that's exactly the percentage as represented in the House of Commons, if you look at the seats out of the 308. It's perfectly fair.

As a concession, I propose that we switch the first order from Conservative, New Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, and start with New Democrat, and then Conservative, Liberal, Conservative. You guys would get to go first on seven minutes.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

What about round two?

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

Round two would stay as it is.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I like round one.

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

Round two would alternate. It would go New Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, and then it would start with another opposition member, New Democrat, Conservative, New Democrat, Conservative, New Democrat, Conservative, New Democrat.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

Essentially flip it.

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

Flip it until everybody has had a chance to have one round.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

You may have thrown Dean off there.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

You've given more rounds to the NDP than you have given to the Conservatives.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Dean, this guy is smart. Keep going.

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

The only thing I want to rectify is that we don't have two Conservatives going in subsequent order. We could switch that.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

That's to maintain the balance and not throw another one to the New Democrats.

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

It's to give everyone a chance to speak.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

Does everyone understand that proposal?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

I would suggest in the second round, if we're going to change the order and it starts with a New Democrat, which I don't mind, it could go New Democrat, Conservative, New Democrat, Conservative, New Democrat, Conservative, Conservative.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

There will be a doubling at the very end of the questioning.

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

Beginning or end, it doesn't matter.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

There are some committees where you don't get all the way through.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

You're not getting through that.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

You're not likely getting through that, no.

So we'll get Chad to write this new configuration on the board.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Sorry, Chad.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

We're making him earn his money today, boy, I'll tell you.

Ms. Leslie.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

As folks are aware, I'm not a regular member of this committee, but I really do think, for fairness, there should be a second round by the Liberals in the five-minute round. There are, as Charlie pointed out, so many occasions where you need to do a follow-up question, and I think that's only fair.

[The Chair, NDP, Nathan Cullen]

Thank you for that.

Are there any other comments?

Charlie, and then we're going to get to a vote on this.