Evidence of meeting #1 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was going.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Bibiane Ouellette
Philippe Le Goff  Committee Researcher
Guy Beaumier  Committee Researcher
Eugene Morawski  Procedural Clerk

9:15 a.m.

Procedural Clerk

Eugene Morawski

We will rotate.

9:15 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Okay.

I like nine to eleven.

9:15 a.m.

Procedural Clerk

Eugene Morawski

That's why they rotate. Everybody likes nine to eleven.

9:15 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

The next motion is on time limits for witness statements and questioning.

Did you copy the motion we passed previously?

9:20 a.m.

The Clerk

I changed the party names. The rest has stayed the same.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

It's the same thing.

It reads:

That witnesses be given five (5) to ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated seven (7) to eight (8) minutes for the first questioner of each party as follows: Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, Conservative Party, New Democratic Party, Liberal Party and Conservative Party; and that thereafter, five (5) minutes be allocated to each party as follows: Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Conservative Party, Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Conservative Party.

Mr. Kramp.

May 4th, 2006 / 9:20 a.m.

Conservative

Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON

I have one question for the chair.

I'm assuming this is exactly the same as it was before, only with the Liberal Party and Conservative Party changes.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Yes.

9:20 a.m.

Conservative

Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON

Fine.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

Raymond Bonin Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Madam Chair, do we all agree that the seven or eight minutes include questions and answers?

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

That's right.

The seven or eight minutes are for the question and the answer. So if you want an answer, ask a short question, because I am going to be very strict.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

Raymond Bonin Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

Can you put it in the motion that it's seven to eight minutes for the first question and answer of each party as follows?

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Yes, why don't we? Why don't we amend that?

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

Raymond Bonin Liberal Nickel Belt, ON

It's because some of us tend to go on so long.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Yes.

Madame St-Hilaire.

9:20 a.m.

Bloc

Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC

What do you mean by “at the discretion of the chair”?

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Sometimes, with unanimous consent, it is possible to change the order of things. I think that's the reason why that is there. Based on my understanding, a party is given seven or eight minutes, then it's the next party's turn. However, if there are too many witnesses, we run out of time. It's mostly for that reason. It has nothing to do with the order in which parties speak or the speaking time.

I can assure you that we will hold ourselves to that. We will have a timer to help us out. Do you have one, Madam Clerk?

Does somebody move this?

You'll move it, Mr. Wallace?

9:20 a.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

Yes.

(Motion agreed to)

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Witnesses' expenses: that, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

I so move.

(Motion agreed to)

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Staff at in camera meetings: that, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON

I have a question--

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Yes, Madam.

9:20 a.m.

Bloc

Louise Thibault Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

I had the opportunity to speak about this issue to the clerk, whom I met this week. I would like to move an amendment to add a few words to the motion, namely “be accompanied by a member of the staff of the member's party”. It has to say clearly that it's not just a staff member from the member's office. Should my own assistant not be with me, I would want another staff member from the Bloc to be with me. It's no different for colleagues from the other parties. I therefore move that we add the words “of the member's party” following the word “staff” in the French version.

9:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau

Mr. Bonin.