Evidence of meeting #52 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
We might as well use the time we have today, it seems to me.
NDP
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
The compromise might be....
And you're right. In fact, I'm not here on Thursday. I'll have to be careful now that I know you can read my mind, Mike.
There's no reason why Denis couldn't sit in for me, but if we adjourn soon, maybe the steering committee could meet for the next half-hour. We may not be ready to proceed on Thursday, but at least we'll have some agreement. We can at least come back to the committee and talk about what we're recommending.
There's one thing I would add. I concur with the suggestion: I'd want to see more about what we're discussing in the P3s. I think that's an awful lot for the fall, if we do the energy efficiency and the P3s. For the other suggestion, before the summer John tabled a motion to do with one aspect of the PBO. I've discussed it with Mike and a few others. I haven't had a chance to talk with John yet. In view of the fact that our committee has actually recommended that there be a review of the PBO, it seems logical to me that this is the committee that should do that review. It also seems logical that the review proceed before the reappointment or appointment of a new PBO in the spring.
If possible, I would like all of those motions to be in the discussion of the steering committee, and we can figure out the timing and so forth. I'm certainly available. We should all be available. Why can't the steering committee meet right away?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I'll amend my motion, if that's okay, to say that the steering committee meet immediately following this meeting, and we will report back on Thursday.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
All right, because it does seem that in the committee as a whole we're jumping into the subject matter of what might be discussed at a steering committee anyway.
I'm not being argumentative here, but I don't understand, really, the advantage to a steering committee meeting. You have to bring everything to the whole committee to be ratified anyway. Just while we're on the subject, why do you think the steering committee process works better than when the whole committee meets to discuss future business?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
My experience, Mr. Chair, has been—not just here but elsewhere—that the more politicians you have around the table discussing it, the longer it takes to make a decision. It's as simple as that.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I was on a council of 17 that went to 7. It was much more efficient. I'm finding that when we have agenda debates with everybody on the committee, it just takes too long, and we end up with the same solution. I have members on this committee who aren't part of the steering committee. I'd rather have them doing more high-value work than sitting around here.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
I understand your point. Then do we want to revisit our process where what is decided at the steering committee...? If it still has to come back to the full committee for debate and ratification, you can run into the exact same problems you're trying to avoid.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I would agree with you if we were doing things one-off, but I'm hoping—and it may not work—that we can have a sense of what we're going to do for the whole fall. Then it's done and we don't have to worry about it again. Well, there might be some minor mixes here and there with moving a meeting and that kind of thing, but at least in general.... I don't expect a steering committee on agenda every week or anything—just one to kind of set the tone or set the view.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Can we speak, then, about the makeup of the steering committee before we go any further? As the chair, I'm not comfortable, obviously, representing the views of the NDP.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
As you'll recall, you were neutral, Chair, and then the NDP had two people. Isn't that right? The Liberals were represented. We had three. Isn't that right? No, we had four. Did we have four?
Conservative
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Which is getting darn close to the whole committee—that's what I'm getting at. We're only leaving out a couple of people. If you have two New Democrats, plus me, four of you, and John, it's....
Conservative
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Well, I think I was the one who complained. I don't want to be arguing on behalf of the NDP when I'm trying to be an independent chair.
Go ahead, Kelly.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
If you look at our routine motions, which are in the binder, they talk about the composition of the subcommittee and it being composed of the chair, the two vice-chairs, and one additional member, to be designated by the whip. I think we included the parliamentary secretary on that committee and then one additional member, to be designated by the whip from the Conservative Party. So that is five people.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I don't know if we've all seen all of the things that could be on the agenda.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Well, we should settle the composition of the steering committee before we agree on when that committee is going to meet, because it takes a committee as a whole to make any changes or amendments to the steering committee.
Linda.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I concur with what Mike is saying. There's the neutral chair, three Conservatives, two NDP, and one Liberal. Isn't that what you just said?