We will rotate.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Liberal
Raymond Bonin Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
Madam Chair, do we all agree that the seven or eight minutes include questions and answers?
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.
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?
Liberal
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
What do you mean by “at the discretion of the chair”?
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?
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.
Liberal
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.
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.
