Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2009

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Yes.

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

To ask them questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

That gives everyone at least two rounds.

Mr. Patry.

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

I'm not going to argue on this, but I must say that changes when you're questioning the minister. Believe me, you could have one question for the minister, and the minister could answer for five or six minutes, and that's it, it's over. That's why in the opposition sometimes we split. If we have ten minutes, we'll get two questioners right away in the beginning, and the minister answers. That's for the minister.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Again, Mr. Patry is right.

In the meetings when there is a non-minister present, the first round is five minutes each, and then the second round is five minutes as well. But when the minister is here, it goes to ten minutes each round.

Mr. Obhrai, on a point of clarification.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

In motion number 3, where we are saying ten minutes, you just said that when there is no minister here the round is five minutes, and when the minister is here the round is ten minutes. Am I understanding it right? This motion here is only for the minister. Is that what it is?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

That's right, for the first part of the motion.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

What do you mean? Let's clarify this point here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I can tell you, just from practice, that it seems to me—for those who have been on this committee before—that there has been, as you know, a fair bit of leniency here to give everyone opportunities to finish. There is no time clock here that shuts you down after seven minutes. Many times we've had splits, and a two-and-a-half-minute split, when you had four, made it much less. It seems to me we were going for seven, weren't we?

[The Clerk]

We weren't following this routine motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

We weren't following by the letter of the law. We were trying to accommodate. I think we were moving to seven minutes.

If you want me to go back to the five and just do it like this, we could, but we've tried to give and take on this one.

Mr. Crête.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I would like to get one thing clear. Is there a mover for the original text?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Yes. Who was it?

[The Clerk]

Mr. Dewar put his hand up.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Mr. Dewar did.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

OK. Can someone tell us exactly what the present motion is? I understood that we were giving witnesses seven minutes rather than ten. Is that what we are saying, or is it something else?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I don't know if you still want to move that, do you?

[An hon. member]

Do you mean for the first round?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

It's for when there's a minister.

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Minister or no minister, why don't we just leave it as seven minutes for the first round? Then hopefully we'll get more rounds for everybody participating. That's the intention of the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right.

Mr. Crête.

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I feel that, when the minister appears, we have to allow ten minutes. We absolutely need that. But when it is not the minister, I think that we could perhaps go to seven minutes for the first round and five minutes for the second. That is my proposal. With ministers, we have to take the necessary time. If it is not the minister, we give ourselves a little more time first and then we have a second round of five minutes. I am interested in an amendment that says we allow seven minutes for the first round, unless we are dealing with the minister.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

We'll keep it going in the order here.

Mr. Goldring.

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

I want to emphasize that by going to the seven minutes--and we all know that in some meetings we run out of time at the end and we can't make it to the additional rounds--it does give the extra period of questioning time at the end of the meeting for more questions from the opposition too. It gives more time, more rounds.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

My experience is that when a minister comes it's usually for one hour; it's not for two hours so we can go forever. I noticed in the past the NDP very often got one round. I think the intention was that everyone at least gets two rounds here. With ten minutes, you could split five each, and the government could do the same, the minister could go a little longer, and I guarantee you there will be some party that will never get a second round.

Your amendment is even with ministers...? Do I understand that you're saying regardless of whether there's a minister, or just the everyday meeting without a minister, that the first round be seven minutes and five thereafter, or are you trying...? Mr. Crête, on the other hand, says the first round should be ten.