Evidence of meeting #1 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 40th Parliament, 3rd 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 Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard
Good afternoon, everyone.
Here we are, back again.
I see a quorum.
We can now proceed to the election of the chair.
I am now ready to receive motions to that effect. I will just let you know that, pursuant to the Standing Orders, the chair must belong to the official opposition party.
Mr. Warkentin.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
I'd like to nominate Yasmin Ratansi from the Liberal Party.
The Clerk
Mr. Warkentin nominates Ms. Ratansi as chair of the committee.
Are there any other nominations?
Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt this motion?
(Motion agreed to)
The motion is carried and I declare Madam Ratansi duly elected chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
The Clerk
With the committee's consent, I will now move to the election of the first vice-chair.
The candidate shall be a member of the government party. I am ready to receive nominations.
Yes, Ms. Hall Findlay.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
I would like to nominate Mr. Chris Warkentin as vice-chair.
The Clerk
Moved by Ms. Hall Findlay that Mr. Warkentin be elected first vice-chair of the committee. Are there any other nominations? Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt this motion?
(Motion agreed to)
The Clerk
Now, for the position of second vice-chair, the candidate must belong to a party from the opposition other than the official opposition.
Madam Bourgeois.
The Clerk
It has been moved by Ms. Bourgeois that Mr. Martin be elected second vice-chair of the committee.
Are there any other nominations?
Is it the pleasure of this committee to adopt this motion?
(Motion agreed to)
The motion is carried. Mr. Martin is second vice-chair of the committee.
The Clerk
Congratulations.
I will now invite the elected chair, Ms. Ratansi, to take her seat.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you very much.
I have to read out a routine motion. On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the House adopted the following order:
That, for all standing committees, routine motions in effect at the time of the prorogation of the previous session be deemed to have been adopted in the current session, provided that committees be empowered to alter or rescind such motions as they deem appropriate.
I understand that you had a change on the quorum.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
Yes, if I may, Madam Chair. I know that in other times in this committee, but not most recently—I don't think we caught it in the last go-round—there has been a change to the quorum.
It says here that the chair would “be authorized to hold meetings and receive evidence”, and it goes on to the end, where it says “including one member of the opposition”. I believe this is a standing order that is most often kept in cases where the chair is a government member, so we may want to put in “a member of the opposition and a member of the government”, or we may want to change some wording.
I think Madam Hall Findlay had a suggestion related to that, but we could make a revision there so that it wouldn't just be of parties that are represented by the chair.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
I would just like to check something, Madam Chair. We had the election of the chair on the agenda and I was not sure if routine motions were part of the election of the chair.
Then, as to Mr. Warkentin's explanation, I must confess that I would have liked to hear about it in advance so that I could study the consequences of this change.
So I would greatly appreciate it if we could stick to the agenda, which is the election of the chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Madam Bourgeois, this is the routine motion that we have to adopt.
You were given the briefing book. If you go to the briefing binder and look at “Meeting Without a Quorum”, and if you appreciate what I've read, which is “be empowered to alter or rescind such motions”, there is just a little adjustment that needs to be done where it says “including one member of the opposition”. Because I am an opposition chair, it could be a member of the governing party. That's the only thing we need to change on this binder. That's all. We're not doing anything....
Before a committee can function, we need to do the Standing Orders or the routine procedures, and the routine motions have to stay in effect. It's just a procedural thing that I have to adjust because there are only four opposition chairs.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
I trust you, Madam Chair, but I just want us to stick to that today. That is all.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We understand that this should have in fact been written that way in the first place, in agreement with the proposed change. I just want it recognized that in the event a vice-chair is sitting in your place should you be away for any reason, that it be understood, then, that it would not be a quorum that requires another member of the government. I'm fine with the language as proposed as long as that's understood.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
That's agreeable, because the change only affects committees that have four opposition chairs.
Now, I know it was the election of the chair only, and we have been away for two months. We didn't start on Monday and we need to decide what we want to do on Wednesday, so I am....
Yes, Madam Bourgeois, let me finish.
I'm just trying to figure out if we can take a look at one of the motions that deals with the stimulus package. We finished the study. We have a report that's already written. It's a five-page report and the analyst has told me that the report is ready. All it needs is an updated list of moneys that have gone out from the government. It will be added as an appendix so that it gives a proper picture of the moneys that have gone out.
If we could just pass that motion so that we can see the report next week, review it, and approve it, we would at least have something to cover us over, and then we can discuss what others can be done.
We'll hear from Madam Bourgeois, and then Mr. Brown.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
First of all, Madam Chair, I do not want to be a troublemaker. But personally, I would have liked to look at the implications of what Mr. Warkentin is suggesting. It is not that I do not trust the people here; it is just that... Even the people here with me seem to have a hard time understanding it. I have a hard time understanding this document.
Next, it is nice to adopt all sorts of things, but we were locked out for a month and a half. Can we not wait another weekend? It is not our problem that the House was closed by this government; we were ready to sit. Can we not wait another weekend without getting annoyed with each other? It was not urgent on December 29, and it is still not urgent. That would allow us to adjust, to gather our thoughts, our documents and to come back and bring them before you. I simply want us to limit ourselves to what is on the agenda, specifically the election of the chair.
As to the other document you are talking about, I was not aware of it unfortunately, and I would like to be able to look at it because I find it hard to understand the impact of the Standing Order that Mr. Warkentin wants to amend. There you go.
I might be making enemies today, but that is okay. I am telling you that I am not very clear on what you are trying to get at.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
No, you're not making enemies. I'm just seeking unanimous consent. I'm a little confused, because we're talking about a motion to bring the stimulus package back, and you're talking about this procedural change that Mr. Warkentin has.
I'll take Mr. Brown, Madam Hall Findlay, and then Mr. Martin.