Government Operations Committee on Oct. 29th, 2013

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

We proceed to number 10, which deals with transcripts of in camera meetings:That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the Committee Clerk's office for consultation by members of the Committee or by one of their staff members.

It has been moved by Ms. Day that motion no. 10 be adopted.

(Motion no. 10 agreed to)

The last motion—motion no. 11—pertains to notice of motion. It reads as follows:

That a notice of 48 hours, interpreted as two nights, be required before a member may move a substantive motion, unless it deals directly with the matter before the Committee at this time, provided that (a) this notice be emailed to the Committee Clerk no later than 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; that (b) the notice be distributed by e-mail to members in both official languages by the Clerk on the same day the said notice was transmitted if it was received no later than the deadline hour; that (c) notices received after the deadline hour be deemed to have been received during the next business day; and that (d) this rule does not prevent a member to give notice of a motion orally during a meeting of the Committee, in which case notice shall be deemed to have been given before the deadline that day.

It has been moved by Mr. Van Kesteren that motion no. 11 be adopted.

(Motion no. 11 agreed to)

That's all for routine motions, unless other members would like to add something.

Mr. Trottier, go ahead.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

In light of our adoption of the routine motion for a planning subcommittee, I propose that the planning subcommittee meet at the next available OGGO meeting, on November 5. We will not be having a meeting on October 31. If the planning committee could meet on November 5, then we could lay out a calendar for the months of November and December.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

It has been proposed that the subcommittee meet on November 5. That is not a problem. I should point out that Thursday, October 31, is considered a Friday. Normally, the committee does not meet on days treated as Friday, unless committee members agree to it.

Mr. Martin, the floor is yours.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Trottier, is it your idea to use the 3:30 to 5:30 time slot on Tuesday for this planning meeting or did you want to sneak in a planning meeting ahead of time and then have the results from that meeting dealt with at our regularly scheduled full meeting of the committee?

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I think it would depend on how efficiently we could do the planning committee work. If the subcommittee can get things done in, say, an hour, then we could, but it might be difficult to predict at this time.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Regarding the subcommittee's meeting, it is more a matter of figuring out whether we would take the main committee's time slot, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on November 5. We wouldn't have to use the whole two-hour period.

Do you want us to schedule the meeting at a different time—perhaps in the morning before the committee's meeting?

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Chair, if the subcommittee is able to lay out a calendar on November 5, then in a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting on November 7, we could just say, “Here's what the subcommittee decided on” and we can vote as a committee to approve that calendar. I think that might be more efficient. If it takes more time for the subcommittee to do its work on November 5, then we won't have to keep other people waiting for that meeting to end.

So maybe we could just add “approval of the committee agenda” to the agenda of November 7. Presumably we'll have some other business on November 7 that we could fit in there.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Okay. The subcommittee will meet on November 5.

and then report to the committee on November 7.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I think that would be appropriate.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Excellent. Consequently, the main committee will not have to consider the second item on the agenda—the planning of future business—since that will be discussed by the subcommittee.

With that resolved, we have nothing left on the agenda. Does anyone have anything to add?

Mr. Martin, go ahead.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I must have nodded off for a minute when we were approving the structure of the planning committee meeting. I've just voted in favour of leaving me off the committee.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

That's why I was looking at you.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I know. Okay, I'm a little stunned today. I didn't get the signal there.

The way we dealt with this in the past was that in order for the chair and the two vice-chairs as well as the lead critic for the NDP to be on the committee, we expanded the planning committee to include one more Conservative and one more New Democrat so you would still have the requisite ratio that you're seeking, and I would be a part of the planning committee.

Is that agreeable as an amendment to the orders?

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

We would need the committee's unanimous consent to amend the motion that was adopted earlier today.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I would ask for unanimous consent, then, to expand the planning committee in our routine motions to include one extra member from the Conservatives and one extra from the NDP.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Do we have unanimous consent?

Mr. Trottier, go ahead.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I think we could agree to that. Also, we could use Mr. Martin's experience and wisdom on this committee and I think it would be useful to give us some insight into the planning of the calendar.

Maybe the one condition would be that it would be a six-member committee so I think it needs to be understood that the chair would not be a voting member of that subcommittee.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Would anyone else like to participate in the debate? It appears that no one would.

In that case, do we have unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Chair, NDP, Pierre-Luc Dusseault]

Unfortunately, we don't have consent.

That concludes today's meeting. I have nothing left on the agenda.

The meeting is adjourned.