Health Committee on May 4th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Since you're part of this steering committee, you could make sure of it. So I think it's pretty safe.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Chair, you've put forward some consensus building here. I suggest we call the question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay. We have a motion. I don't want to cut anyone off, but I think we've exhausted this.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

This takes us to number three, reduced quorum. This is standard in all committees. I'll open the floor to discussion. If not, I'll open the floor to a motion.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

It is so moved.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

The next is number four, distribution of documents. Again, we'll open the floor. Any discussion? If not, we'd entertain a motion.

We have a motion on the floor to accept this as a motion. Any discussion on the motion? I see none.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

The fifth is working meals. Oh, now we're getting to the important stuff. Did you have any comments on this? This is a standard one as well.

We have a motion by Mr. Dykstra. Any discussion on the motion? No.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Let's go on to number six, time limits for witnesses statements and questions.

We have before you a proposal that was exercised in the last committee—I think that's what the clerk just said—and we followed it this way. If we want to make any changes or we're comfortable with it, then we can speak now. We'll open the floor to discussion or a motion.

Discussion?

We'll go with Ms. Priddy.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It seems that particularly in the second part, where the amount of time allowed to question the minister is different for the official opposition and other parties, this is somewhat different from the regulations of other committees. If there's some reason for that, I'd like to know; if not, I would put forward a motion that the amount of time be equal.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

So you're talking about the first 15 minutes going to the official opposition, and you think it should be 10-10-10-10. Is that your motion?

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Yes, or 15-15, whatever amount is equal.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Well, 15-15 gets to be too much time. I just want to clarify what you want.

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Yes, that's correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, so you want to change the 15 to 10? That's fine.

[Bonnie Brown, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I think she wants to amend a motion, but you have to get this motion moved first before you can accept an amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

This isn't actually tabled. The clerk is saying it's not moved yet. So it could be part of the new moving, if anyone wants to move it.

So will we have discussion or a motion?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Discussion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, we'll have a quick discussion, and then we'll entertain a motion.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

I think that there is an error in the French version of the first paragraph, which reads as follows: “and that subsequent questions be alternately shared between government members and members of the opposition party, at the discretion of the chair.” It should read opposition parties, and not opposition party.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

The clerk agrees. She'll make the change.

Ms. Gagnon.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Normally, questions are not alternately shared, at the discretion of the chair, for the second round. Or, at least, that was not how it was done in the committees on which I have sat. The second round starts again with the official opposition, followed by the Bloc, then the government, then the NDP. I think that this is a fairer way of proceeding.

The order could be at the discretion of the chair for the third round. This would give you a certain latitude for determining who got the floor.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, I hear what you're saying.

There's more discussion on this. We'll go to Mr. Fletcher, and then--

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Actually, I'd like to let Mr. Batters go first.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Mr. Batters.

[Dave Batters, Conservative, Palliser, SK]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

In the 38th Parliament, this was actually a hot topic of discussion in the transport committee. What we ended up doing as a practice was to really make an effort to replicate in committee the proportional representation of the Parliament and of these committees. There's a reason there is x number of members in each committee, and that is to reflect the distribution of the Parliament.

If we were to do it the way Ms. Gagnon suggests, where the second round mirrors the first, what would happen is that you would have a member repeating--in this case, it would be Ms. Priddy of the New Democratic Party--getting a second question before other members get to ask their first question.

So my recommendation, and this is what we ended up doing at transport, is that every single member who wishes to speak should have the opportunity to be heard first before the chair begins to recognize at his discretion. In that Parliament, Ms. Desjarlais would get a second opportunity to speak before other members, which didn't respect the distribution of this place in the Parliament or in the committee.

I do have an alternate suggestion. I'd like to hear how best to put this forward. I'll just list this off and we'll see if the members of the committee are agreeable to this.

In terms of order of questions--and I'm receptive to whichever, it being seven minutes or ten minutes--the first round would go to the Liberals, then to the Bloc Québécois, then to the NDP, and then to the Conservative Party. The second round, then, at five minutes, would go to the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Bloc, and then back to the Conservative Party. That ensures that every member gets an opportunity to speak, but you may want to put that in writing, that every member who wishes to speak has that opportunity.

The third round, then, at five minutes, would go to the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal or Conservative chair, or the last member, and then to the Bloc or the NDP if time allows.

I do have this written out, Mr. Chair, if I could pass this on to the clerk.