I so move.
(Motion agreed to)
Evidence of meeting #1 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was five.
Evidence of meeting #1 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was five.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
For witnesses' expenses, the motion is that if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation, and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding one representative per organization; and that in exceptional circumstances payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Regarding staff at in camera meetings, the motion is that unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting.
Mr. Roy.
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The French version of the motion has to be corrected because as it is currently worded, an MP can only be accompanied by a staff person from his office, and not a party staff member The translation is wrong. The English text is fine, but the French is not. The motion should not stipulate “a member from the MP's office”, but rather “a staff member from the party.”
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Has everyone heard Mr. Roy's argument?
The compromise here would be that unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person of the member or of the member's party. So there's no mix-up here now: there is still only one staff person in the room, but it can be a directly paid employee of that member or a member of the party.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Kamp Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC
Why don't you just stick with the French translation, to reflect the English?
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
9:20 a.m.
The Clerk
The motion reads as follows: “That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person, from either his office, or from his party, at an in-camera meeting.”
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
No. The French motion should not stipulate “un membre du personnel ou de son parti”, but rather “un membre du personnel de son parti”. There should not have to be any mention of whether or not the staff person is from the MP's office, because a person who works for an MP also works for the party as a whole.
The motion, drafted in French, should read as follows: “[...] each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by a staff member of his party at an in-camera meeting”.
For example, someone from the research bureau should be allowed to accompany me. That person is not necessarily someone who works directly for me in my office.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
John Cummins Conservative Delta—Richmond East, BC
The English says “one staff person”, so that's my staff person. That could be whom I designate as a staff person. I think Mr. Roy is saying that he wants the French to reflect that.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Or it could be “the staff person of another colleague”, instead of “a member of the party”.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
John Cummins Conservative Delta—Richmond East, BC
In other words, the member is the one who says “This is my staff person”.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
9:20 a.m.
A voice
“--named by the member”.
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
The English text refers to one staff person. That person can be a member of the research bureau, or somebody who works for another MP, and so on. Therefore, in the French text, “accompagné d'un membre de son personnel” should be replaced with “accompagné d'un membre du personnel.” The two phrases do not mean the same thing.
9:20 a.m.
The Clerk
Should we write “a staff member designated by the member”?
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
No, we should simply write “a staff member.”
9:20 a.m.
The Clerk
From staff?
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
My staff members refer to my assistants.
9:20 a.m.
The Clerk
Therefore, we should write “a person from the member's staff.”
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
No. We should write “a member from party staff”, because I could theoretically ask our research analyst, Mr. Côté, to come sit next to me.
9:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
No, we don't want to eliminate that--just the “staff person”.
We'll ask the clerk to read back the French version.