Thank you, committee members.
Evidence of meeting #1 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pacetti.
Evidence of meeting #1 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pacetti.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Diane Ablonczy Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask unanimous consent for the motion that when we're questioning witnesses, the first round of questioning be seven minutes and the second round of questioning be five minutes. I think that is the usual practice.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
That has been the practice.
Is there any discussion on that motion?
Mr. Pacetti.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Speaking as a former committee chair, we had a schedule where the Liberal members.... Well, in the prior Parliament, the Conservatives went first, the Bloc went second, the Liberals went third, and then the NDP went fourth, if I'm not mistaken. Then we repeated the cycle, but the NDP was dropped.
So perhaps we can draw up a schedule at least. We did in fact use seven-minute rounds, but we want to make sure that all members are allowed to ask questions.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
I have a copy here of the order, as it was adjusted, of course, as a result of the government change. Would it be all right with committee members if I just read through this quickly and we'll see if we can get agreement on that? Okay.
Just to review, then, on questioning of witnesses--and this would follow the practice prior to the last election--the first round, again, was seven minutes, if I recall, and would proceed as follows: Liberal Party first, then Bloc, NDP, then Conservative. The second round would be five minutes, and that would go Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative. And then the third round, also five minutes, would be Liberal, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, and Bloc, NDP.
That was the process, as I understand it, that we used last time. Is there any discussion on that?
Do I have approval for the motion?
Mr. Pacetti.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Mr. Chair, that may have been the procedure in some of the other committees, but I think in fact we had Conservative, Bloc, and then NDP or Liberal. We switched them. But you've got to keep in mind there are four Conservatives, not five, because you're the chair--
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
There are going to be four Liberal members, so we want to make sure they're all going to be--
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I would say the first round is fine--Liberal, Bloc, NDP, Conservative--but on the second round you've got to go Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, and then you start again, Liberal, Conservative, and then you go back to Liberal, Conservative, and NDP.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
One more time, please, Mr. Pacetti. On the second round you're suggesting...?
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
The second round would be Liberal, Conservative, Bloc; the third round would be Liberal, Conservative; and the fourth round would be Liberal, Conservative, NDP.
The Block Québécois would get two turns. The Liberals and Conservatives must intervene four times.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
Okay. Do committee members wish Mr. Pacetti to repeat that? Are you satisfied--
3:50 p.m.
Bloc
Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Chairman, could you repeat the formula proposed by my colleague?
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I suggest that the interventions follow the following order: for the first round, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois, the New Democratic Party and the Conservative Party; for the second round, the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and the Bloc Quebecois; for the third round, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party; for the fourth round, the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and, if there is any time left, the New Democratic Party.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Well, obviously, it's the worst possible scenario from my vantage point. Do you have any other examples of committees that provide a slightly different rotation to ensure perhaps another NDP interjection, as opposed to trying to cover off every single member, which I don't think is the intention of the committee rotation?
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
As I understand it, this would actually give precedence to a second NDP question ahead of the formula we used before, so actually--
3:50 p.m.
Bloc
Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Chairman, it is very rare that we make it to a third or fourth round of questions. Normally by the third round — and Massimo can confirm this — we are responding to requests. Certain members wish to speak again and if there is any time left they ask the chair whether they can do so. We don't want our routine to become too rigid.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative