Foreign Affairs Committee on May 16th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

We'll leave the final word to the one who brought forward the motion, Mr. Patry.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

I just want to say that we're discussing regret and apologies--those are the two words. For me it's already there. If the minister had apologized at the beginning it would be over. Right now it just keeps going. I didn't say it was racial, it was talk about racial...this talking in Europe.

I just want to read something to you. It's four lines from today's The Ottawa Sun:

Apology For Seal Hunt Crack The Minister of Fisheries, Minister Loyola Hearn, has apologized to the Humane Society of the United States for suggesting that several members of the animal rights group have been charged with interfering with the seal hunt. While it's true some members were arrested, Hearn issued a brief statement yesterday saying he has since learned no one was actually charged. “I apologize for suggesting that charge has been laid”, Hearn said in a news release.

That's it. He said “I apologize”, and nobody asked questions about it. It's closed.

I want to close it. I'm the chair of all the francophone parliamentarians in the world, and I'm going to be asked questions about this on behalf of the government. That is why I think it's important for this committee to say, “Listen, we apologize, period.”

I'm ready for the question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

The question has been called. I'll read through this:

That the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development gives an official apology to His Excellency Mr. Abdou Diouf, about the disrespectful treatment which he received upon his arrival in Canada and recommends that the Canadian Government does the same.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

I would like to move that this will be reported in the House of Commons as a first report from this committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Are we all in favour of that motion to report it to the House?

(Motion agreed to)

Mr. Van Loan.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

This did bring to mind one issue. I was under the impression that we had 24 hours' notice on motions. This one came in after the close of business hours yesterday, which left very little time to deal with it and respond to it.

I understand from inquiries made with the clerk today that what constituted far less than 24 hours' notice constitutes 24 hours' notice. So I am wondering if we could perhaps amend our orders and procedures so that we require, say, noon the day before a meeting or literally 24 hours before the meeting commences--one of those two alternatives--as a notice period for motions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

You've heard Mr. Van Loan's concerns.

I have heard this kind of concern about the 24-hour notice at every committee I've been on. Does it mean an actual 24 hours? The answer to that is no, it does not mean a literal 24 hours. Generally, it is interpreted as meaning the day before. However, I think it becomes contingent on each member at least to extend courtesy to the other members—what comes around goes around, as they say—because other motions were in earlier. We had them; that was appreciated. This motion came to our office after our staff was gone.

[An hon. member]

It was disrespectful. I apologize.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Mr. Obhrai.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

It's quite interesting to know that this committee has changed the definition of 24 hours; 24 hours means 24 hours. It doesn't mean you give midnight and expect it at 8 the next day. That's not 24 hours. So why is it that you, Chairman, have decided that 24 hours is not 24 hours?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

We stand to the same rules and procedures as the House of Commons, and 24 hours in the House of Commons is not 24 hours; it is the 24-hour period beforehand, Mr. Obhrai. We will stand to the same rules.

However, what we're saying is—we've completed this one—this may be something that we want to amend for future motions. Because some members get it after their staff have gone, they don't get it until 8 or 9 the next morning. If you have a morning meeting—it doesn't necessarily apply with a regularly slotted time—you're given two hours' notice in real time.

It's a courtesy we're asking for. The chair may deal with this at a later time, if motions habitually come in at 8 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. and there's a meeting the next day.

We've always worked with a consensus. I don't think it was intentional; sometimes it takes time to translate and have things happen.

Mr. Patry.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Van Loan, I think you've got a point. There's no doubt about it. When we're sitting in the afternoon—like right now—there's no problem. In the fall, we'll be sitting on Tuesday and Thursday mornings; that'll be our next slot. If we're coming back from the hotel or from any travel and we arrive here at 8:30 or 8:45 a.m., we don't have the time to look at it deeply.

I think you could look it at in the future, and we'll be ready to look at it to get a full 24 hours. There's no problem with this.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

If you really feel there's a problem with any of these motions, you could have on the government side.... We'll be ready to look at it very carefully, and going with yourself....

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

It's for this reason that other committees are at 48 hours, and initially the recommendation for our committee was 48 hours. We moved it to 24 hours in good faith that we'd get time to see motions.

We work well together and we're going to keep working well together. If this happens again, I'll deal with it and we'll deal with it.

Mr. Van Loan's was not necessarily a motion; it was a suggestion.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

I was seeking consensus and hoping we could bring forward an amendment, whether it be noon, or 24 hours, or something like that—a real 24 hours.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Let's work on getting those motions in.

Even Mr. Patry's motion—hey, you know what? Give us a little time to look at it. I don't think it was done with the wrong intentions. Give him the benefit of the doubt this time; give all of you the benefit of the doubt. But next time, we'll look at it a little closer.

This meeting is adjourned.