Health Committee on Feb. 5th, 2009

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

No, NDP, Liberal, Bloc, Conservative at a third round, if we get to the third round. But you're saying that rarely happens. The second round would be Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, Conservative. In other words, the Conservatives get the last two spots. Now if the committee in the past didn't get through the full round of questioning, we would have been the ones to lose. We would end up with just three out of nine, which is a third, which doesn't represent our seats in the House. We have more than a third in the House. So I actually think that proposal is good if you count through it. It also allows the Bloc to get their second question in before the NDP gets its question in.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Just to go over that so everyone is clear, and to make sure I'm clear, actually, the first round is Liberal, Bloc, NDP, Conservative. The second round is Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, Conservative. The third round would be NDP, Liberal, Bloc, Conservative. That's your proposal, right?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Ms. Wasylycia-Leis' proposal is the four Liberal, Bloc, NDP, Conservative consecutively.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

Let me say I just threw that out as the order in an ideal world. Obviously to expect that is unrealistic. I think Carolyn's suggestion makes some sense. I think the point of it is that it would be totally contrary to the traditions of this committee and any other committee to completely block out a party. You're talking about 63 minutes of questioning before I would get a chance. The committee is not going to be sitting at that point. We're not even going to get close to that. That is a deliberate attempt to block me out. I can't accept that, and I hope my colleagues won't accept that either.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

My apologies to you, Ms. Duncan, but I want to make sure I'm clear.

Dr. Bennett, you're saying the first round would be Liberal, Bloc, NDP, and Conservative; the second round would be Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, and NDP; and the third round would be Liberal, Bloc, Conservative, and NDP. Am I correct?

Good. Those are the three options.

Ms. Duncan.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I would very much like to support Carolyn's motion. I have real concerns with Mr. Carrie's motion. This is the health committee and it is of profound importance to Canadians. To remove the perspective of the NDP and Bloc when we bring such different perspectives, I don't think we can allow that to happen.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Mr. Carrie.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

In all fairness, Madam Bennett is proposing that at the end of the rounds there'll be three Liberal questions out nine, three Bloc, three NDP, and three Conservative. Is that what I'm to understand?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Dr. Bennett, that seems to be exactly right. That's my understanding.

Mr. Carrie.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

So you're looking at the Conservatives who are sitting here, the numbers are larger, but they will not realistically get questions during the committee meetings.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

You can split your time or whatever.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

The NDP would be getting exactly the same amount of time as the Bloc, the Liberals, and the Conservatives, but you have only one committee member.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Ms. Wasylycia-Leis.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

The third round, as our chair has already pointed out, very seldom happens. By putting the NDP at the very bottom of the list, it's very unlikely that I would get that chance, but it would allow for the kind of representation from each of the parties that makes some sense in terms of our proportionality.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Mr. Carrie.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Let's say it doesn't happen and we only get to two questions in the third round. In other words, the NDP would lose out and the Conservatives would lose out. So the Liberals would have more than the Conservatives and the Bloc would have more than the Conservatives.

Is that what you're suggesting is fair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Ms. McLeod.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Perhaps another option out of the original agreement would be that at the end of the second round, instead of Conservative and Conservative, we would go NDP and Conservative.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you.

Just to clarify, Ms. McLeod, you're saying it would be Liberal, Bloc, NDP, and Conservative for the first round; Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, Liberal, NDP, and Conservative for the second; and Liberal, Bloc, Conservative, and NDP for the third.

Is that correct?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

That's correct, if time permits for the rounds.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you.

Is there further discussion?

We have three possibilities.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

You can take mine off the table. I'll support Carolyn's.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you.

We have two possibilities. The one we're voting on is Mr. Carrie's suggestion. For the seven-minute first round it would be Liberal, Bloc, NDP, and CPC.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.