Information & Ethics Committee on March 6th, 2012

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Okay.

That the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics call Mr. Adam Carroll, former Liberal Research Bureau employee, for one meeting to examine his use of House of Commons resources in order to conceal his anonymous public attack on a member of Parliament, and that the committee examine all government resources used on Twitter accounts, and that this meeting take place....

And this is where there's been some debate, because I think I said March 8 and then I said Tuesday, March 16, and I don't even think March 16 is a Tuesday; it's actually the 14th. So we'll go along with whatever the date was that Mrs. Davidson proposed for now.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Okay, Mr. Andrews.

Mrs. Davidson, you raised a point of order about whether Mr. Andrews was actually debating his amendment.

Mr. Andrews, if you're going to make that link around all government resources in your current line of debate, that would be helpful.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Pardon me, Madam Chair?

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Make the link in your current line of reasoning to your amended motion.

Mrs. Davidson, was that a point of order?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I just have a clarification on that amendment, if I might.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Go ahead.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I believe when Mr. Andrews read it out, he said, “for one meeting to examine the use of House of Commons resources”, and our motion reads “his” use.

Is that word changed as well?

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Mr. Andrews, were you changing “his” to “the?”

[An hon. member]

Is that a friendly amendment?

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

There's no such thing as a friendly amendment, Mr. Calkins.

I have a speaker who is clarifying with Mr. Andrews on the motion.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

It says “for the meeting to examine his use”.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

So you were not changing “his” to “the.”

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

I was just reading it out.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Okay. So it is “his” use.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Then if the motion in fact refers to “his” use of House of Commons resources, I would suggest that we need to continue to make sure we're staying on track with the amendment.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

My understanding is that it's adding a completely different element to the motion.

Mr. Andrews, could you just read out your amendment—not the whole thing, just your amendment?

[The Clerk]

I can reread it.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Okay.

I'll get the clerk to reread it.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Great. Thank you.

[The Clerk]

The amendment, as it would appear in the minutes, would read as follows: That the motion be amended by adding, after “member of Parliament”, the following: “the committee examine all government resources used on Twitter accounts”.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Based on that amendment, Mrs. Davidson, I'm going to allow the member to continue, because I believe he was making a link with some named staffer for one of the ministers.

Mr. Andrews, continue.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I was making a reference to how government resources are being used on Twitter. The staffer I named works for the minister responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador.

My tweet that day happened on February 9—to the question from one of my colleagues here—at 3:09 p.m. I tweeted in the House, after one of the last questions in question period:

Wow! Min Peter Penashue pats Min Ashfield on the back after a Question on the Death of a boy from his Riding and the lack of SAR in NL....

“SAR” stands for search and rescue.

[The Chair, NDP, Jean Crowder]

Mr. Andrews, I'm going to interrupt at this point. We have run out of time.

We will maintain the speakers list as we have it before us. On Thursday we will continue with the amendment on the floor by Mr. Andrews. We also have another notice of motion.

The meeting is adjourned.