Government Operations Committee on June 2nd, 2010

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Minister, could you just calm down? I will tell you exactly what the clerk told me.

Could the media please leave?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

The media have left.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Mr. Baird—

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

—you have to decide whether you have come as a witness or not. Are you a witness or not?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Committee members....

Okay, Mr. Baird, you may give your point of order.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. As--

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

J'invoque le Règlement.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

No, no--

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have the House of Commons—

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Wait.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

On a point of order, Madam Chair.

I want to know if the Conservative Party presented a list of substitute witnesses to the committee clerk so that members—

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a copy of the Standing Orders with me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Wait, Mr. Guimond, you can't have a point of order on the point of order.

Mr. Baird, the floor is yours.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, I would refer you to....

I'm a former government House leader. I'm a former opposition House leader. I'm a former parliamentary secretary to the government House leader. I'm a former chief government whip. I've actually read the rules, so I understand them.

Under the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, second edition, 2009, on page 1018, “Status of Members, Associate Members and Non-members”, it clearly states that any member of Parliament, any one of the 308 members of Parliament, is entitled to come to committee. They're entitled to be heard.

Madam Chair, while I cannot vote, I am an elected member of Parliament, and I am here to be heard. And I appreciate that it only took me, you know, 50 times to be able to ask to be heard, because you don't know the rules, and it is an absolute disgrace.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I am here as a member of Parliament, and I have every right to be heard.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Mr. Baird, you are sitting as a witness, so decide what you want. You can't have it both ways. You can't eat your cake. Either you're a witness or you sit here.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I never said I was a witness.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Good. Bye.

Okay, Madam Coady--

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

What about my point of order? I haven't finished my point of order.