Information & Ethics Committee on Oct. 8th, 2020

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

That is a new one to me, but I have no problem if the committee would like one of the committee members to read out the motions. I am entirely fine with that.

Let me just go to the others who have put up their hands. Let me deal with those and then we'll go back to the committee's wishes with regard to Mr. Fergus and the motions.

Next is Mr. Fergus.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Chair, I want to begin by congratulating you on your appointment. I'm pleased to see you chair this committee.

I just wanted to address the issue raised by Ms. Shanahan.

You can also do so, but I'm more than willing to move the routine motions that establish the rules of the game.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Full disclosure for the committee: Mr. Fergus and I took one of the most majestic jogs ever in the history of individuals along the Thames in London, so I am obviously favourably disposed to his reading the routine motions.

Mr. Barrett.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

That's a tough act to follow, Mr. Chair.

My hand was raised for the same reason as Ms. Gaudreau's, that following the routine motions, I would like to move a motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay. Well, I see this is going to be a very efficient committee.

Mr. Dong.

[Han Dong, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Congratulations, Chair, and congratulations to the two vice-chairs as well.

I raised my hand to ask a question. I also have a motion that I would like to move after the discussion on the routine motions, but I thought the rule was, as you indicated, that we would have to raise our hands to do so.

I wonder if that is still the case. When we are raising hands to move a motion, when would be the starting point for that, or can we just hop in any time to raise our hand to move a motion?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Right now Ms. Gaudreau as well as Mr. Barrett and, of course, you have indicated that you want to raise motions. That is the order in which I have them here, based on when hands were raised, which the clerk has indicated to me. I am certainly fine to go ahead with that order after we have completed the routine motions.

We'll go back to Ms. Shanahan now.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Thank you, Chair.

I would like to add my name to the list to raise a motion after the routine motions.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay, thank you.

I'm going to rely on the clerk for that because now we are getting quite backed up on that. Now there are four who have indicated that they want to raise a motion.

We go now to Ms. Lattanzio.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Congratulation to you, as well as to the two ladies on being nominated as vice-chairs this morning.

I want to signal my intent to also present a motion this morning.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay, that's five motions we have that will be asked for.

Mr. Angus.

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

I put my hand up because I thought we would deal with motions after routine motions, but I want to be on the list for motions.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

That's agreed, Mr. Angus. You'll be on that list as well, then.

If it pleases the committee, I think it would be excellent to have Mr. Fergus read out each routine motion. Then I will go to you, the members of the committee, in order to see if it's acceptable or needs to be amended.

Mr. Dong, I see that you have your hand up. Go ahead.

[Han Dong, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Yes. I want to provide a suggestion to the committee.

I can see that quite a few of my colleagues want to move a motion right after the routine motions. Would it be possible, just out of fairness, to maybe have Madame Gaudreau, who raised her hand first, and then maybe have a member from another party do a second one and then go back to the order? That way, we don't have two members from the same party moving the motion right after that.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Again, Mr. Dong, I'm a servant of the committee and I will always be that.

That said, I normally recognize individuals in the committee, not parties. That goes back to my logic at the beginning that this is the one time you have as an independent member of Parliament to assert your position. I think there will be people who have motions that will be of their own interest and some that will be of their party's interests.

I'm certainly at the disposal of the committee. If you'd prefer that I move from one party to the other throughout the motions, I'm certain that the clerk and I can manage that between us. Again, I want to respect all of you as individuals.

If there's no objection to proceeding as people mentioned their motions, then I will go to Mr. Fergus, and we can begin the routine motions.

Mr. Fergus.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Once again, congratulations.

I want to tell all my colleagues, especially my male colleagues, that Mr. Sweet wears a bow tie every Friday. I wear one on Thursdays. I encourage you all to start a new tradition by wearing a bow tie in the House of Commons at least once a week.

I'll now move the motions. The first motion concerns the analyst services. The motion reads as follows:

That the committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

All agreed?

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

Yes.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Madam Clerk, should I continue or are you appointing the analysts immediately? What's the tradition?

[The Clerk]

If there's no objection, then we can go on consensus if the committee wishes.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Okay.

The second motion concerns the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure:

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five members, the chair, one member from each party; and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

I'll speak up on this one, colleagues. It's been my experience that oftentimes we have a subcommittee, and because we work independently—again, to go back to the first principle I mentioned—the subcommittee meets and we have to go through a whole business meeting anyway.

Again, I am at your disposal, but it's been my experience in committees that if we do a collective business meeting, then everybody has their voice at that time, we don't have to rewrite anything that the subcommittee has done and we can continue on with the business that's dealt with by the majority of the committee. Again, I'll leave that to your decision.

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

Mr. Chair, may I...?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Yes, Mr. Angus.

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

I've been on multiple committees. Sometimes it's more efficient to have full committee meetings for committee business, because we have to bring something back.

In terms of ethics, I'm fine if we do try a subcommittee to get something that comes forward, but either way, it has to come back to the full committee, so maybe we should just schedule committee business meetings.

I'm open to either way.