Evidence of meeting #1 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Angela Crandall
Honourable members, I see a quorum.
I am Angela Crandall, the clerk assigned to this committee. I will have a new clerk, Jean-Marie David, assisting me for a couple of months.
I am now ready to receive motions of nomination for the position of chair.
Mr. Lunney.
Conservative
The Clerk
Are there any other motions for nomination?
The motion before the committee is that Kevin Sorenson be elected chair of the committee. Is it the will of the committee that Mr. Sorenson be elected chair?
Conservative
The Clerk
Are there nominations for second vice-chair of the opposition?
Madame Deschamps.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I move that Mr. Paul Crête be elected second vice-chair.
The Clerk
Is it the pleasure of the committee to accept the said motion?
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, colleagues, for the vote of confidence. It's always nice to have those kinds of elections in which there's unanimity.
I welcome each one of you back to the foreign affairs and international development committee in this new session of Parliament. I trust that as we proceed through this next number of months or years, or however long this Parliament will stand, we will be able to look back at our committee and say there has been success in our deliberations and studies and that we've accomplished some things.
This meeting was called to elect the chair and the vice-chairs. We are open to a motion of adjournment or, if you like, we can move into the routine motions.
Mr. Obhrai.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I will ask the clerk to circulate the routine motions from last year so you can see if there are amendments or changes you would like to see.
Before we begin, I would like to thank our clerk, Angela Crandall, for coming back as our clerk. We look forward to that. Angela has been serving the foreign affairs and international development committee since 2005. Speaking on behalf of our committee, I would like to say that we do appreciate the work that you do.
I would also like to thank Gerry Schmitz for the hard work that he has provided our committee over a number of years. I know he has a long corporate memory of what's gone on in this committee. He has been the author and researcher of many reports that we have filed in Parliament. He is no longer going to be our lead researcher here. I would like to welcome James Lee to that position. James is no stranger to this committee. He has worked alongside Gerry for many years. As long as I've been on this committee, I remember James being a part of it in one way or another.
On the one hand, we're going to miss the hard work and dedication of Gerry Schmitz, but James, it's also good to have you as our researcher. Again, we want to thank the Library of Parliament for the great work they do.
I think everyone has the routine motions now.
Mr. Dewar.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I was going to raise a question. Perhaps it's better if I wait until the second motion for the committee, about analysts, particularly about Gerry. So he is not with us?
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
When is it appropriate to raise the question about what services we have and who it is? I'm just curious about the process therein. In other words, how is that decision made?
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right. We'll move into the first motion as presented on the paper in front of you.
I also want to thank Mr. Patry. Mr. Patry is a former chair of this committee and we've worked closely with him. Certainly in the position of chair I have appreciated his counsel on different occasions.
Welcome back, Bernard.
The first motion is that the chair, the two vice-chairs, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a member of the New Democratic Party compose the subcommittee on agenda and procedure.
Mr. Dewar.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, I was wondering if we could entertain an amendment to this one. I have mentioned this before. I believe in the McGrath report's contention that there not be parliamentary secretaries on the committee. However, in the spirit of compromise and understanding, we do have parliamentary secretaries on committee, and some of my colleagues would want to see that remain.
However, as I look at the steering subcommittee, I think it's important, of course, that we have members of all parties. The fact is that you are the chair and we have two vice-chairs, but I think it's reasonable to ask that it not be a position for the parliamentary secretary. Committees are here to perform duties that are separate from the executive at best, but there it is, we have a parliamentary secretary on committee. But at the steering subcommittee, at least, we should have some independence from that. I always welcome Mr. Obhrai's interventions. They are wonderful and they're helpful, but I think it would be better if they were left to committee, not to subcommittee.
Essentially I want to move an amendment to the motion to have the chair, the two vice-chairs, a member from each party--who would already be included by the nature of having a vice-chair and a chair from the Liberal and Conservative parties--and members of the other parties make up the subcommittee, and drop the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from the subcommittee.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Chair, as much as I know that the NDP would like to take the parliamentary secretary off, it is part of this thing. I think it is contradictory for him to say that parliamentary secretaries shouldn't be there but a member from the government should. I am a member from the government whether I am parliamentary secretary or not, so I can be on that committee in whatever capacity.
I want to bring out a point here. There now has been a change in the composition in the House of Commons. The Conservative Party has more seats than it did in the last Parliament, the 39th. This motion is coming from the 39th Parliament. This motion is not coming from the 40th Parliament and is not reflective of the composition of the House of Commons now in that there are more seats for the Conservative Party.
Therefore, I suggest that the subcommittee on agenda and procedure have two members from the government side, and then have it as it is stated here to reflect the composition of the House of Commons. By the way, Mr. Chair, as is the practice and as the bylaws say, this should reflect the composition of the House of Commons. I would propose that we put one extra individual in there as a member from the government, so that there would be two members from the government and one from each party, and they would form it to reflect that.
As for the name “parliamentary secretary”, it is our prerogative as to who would be on that subcommittee, not yours. It could be me. It could be him. It could be anybody. It's our choice to say who is going to go there. If you don't like the words “parliamentary secretary”, we can remove “parliamentary secretary” and say “two government members”, but it will be our choice as to who they are.
