Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Feb. 14th, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Colleagues, let's bring the meeting to order. For today's meeting, we just have committee business on the agenda, but let's see where we go with this.

I have Mr. Lemieux, Madame Redmond, Mr. Preston, Mr. Lemieux, and then Mr. Reid.

Mr. Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I'd like to put forward a motion that the committee move immediately to the study of Bill C-6.

I have it here in French and English.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Can you bring it forward, please?

I'm sorry we're taking some time here. The clerk and I are debating the definition of superseding motions.

Did you have a question? I don't want to get into a debate, because if this is superseding, it's not debatable.

The clerk is informing me that this motion is a superseding motion. It's not debatable. We'll just go straight to the vote.

It's not amendable. According to the clerk, it's not amendable, and it's not debatable.

We have some points of order.

Monsieur Guimond.

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

Mr. Chairman, could you ask the clerk—or do it yourself—to cite the Standing Order that stipulates that this motion is beyond...

Pardon me for asking you a question. I hope you won't adjourn the proceedings as a result of that question. I've gotten to the point where I'm afraid to ask a question. At the last two meetings, I just asked when we were going to resume following the votes, and you adjourned the meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

We'll find the reference, Monsieur Guimond. It's on page 451.

On the same point, Madame Jennings.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

It's simply that we're discussing a motion that I did not hear.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Oh, I'm sorry.

The motion is that the committee move immediately to the study of Bill C-6.

Colleagues, I can answer Monsieur Guimond's point. Marleau and Montpetit states clearly that motions decided without debate or amendment generally include—third bullet point down, on page 450—“motions that the House proceeds to another order of business”.

The meeting today is just committee business, and whether or not this is actually a move from anything is the reason the clerk and I were discussing the superseding motion issue.

Standing Order 116 suggests that the rules of the House apply generally in committee.

Does that answer your question, Mr. Guimond?

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

Yes, but the answer is entirely unsatisfactory.

I remember very clearly that, when you announced the adjournment when I wanted us to go back to Ms. Redman's motion and after discussing Mr. Lukiwski's motion, you said that it was contrary to the Standing Orders.

I simply want to understand, Mr. Chairman. You're making a decision, but I would like you to explain to me how this situation is different from the one that arose the other day, when I wanted to move the debate back to Ms. Redman's motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

What was the date you were talking about, Mr. Guimond?

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

I can't... In any case, we've... Ask the clerk. We have a clerk; we have a researcher. I can't answer you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Okay, thank you.

I have some other points of order called. Is it on this point of order, please?

I saw Madam Redman. Did you want to speak to this?

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

My understanding is that I'm the next speaker, so if this is not debatable--

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Yes, that's correct. I understand. Sorry.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

--then I would just reserve my right to be the next speaker after this vote is taken.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

Mr. Preston has a point of order, and then Monsieur Proulx.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

It may be a point of clarification, the point being that certainly legislation before this committee would be committee business. And that's what the agenda today says, so I don't understand how this becomes a superseding motion. It is a motion about the business of this committee.

You can read your bullet points, but the point is that committee business is what the orders of the day say, and we've brought forward a motion about a piece of legislation that is before this committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Order, please.

Thank you, Mr. Preston.

We'll go to Monsieur Lemieux on the same point, please.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, it's on the same point of order, Mr. Chair.

The order of the day is committee business. The last meeting was adjourned. There is a lot of business and outstanding matters in front of the committee. For example, there is a motion to add a member to the steering committee. There is the first report of the steering committee. There is a whole list of work that is open in front of the committee, and here we are discussing committee business.

The last meeting was adjourned. It was convened for a very specific reason, and the meeting was adjourned--it's over. So the way I see it is that we're back to committee business. And what business does the committee want to discuss?

I'm putting forward a motion to say that we should be reviewing Bill C-6, and I believe this is in accordance with the earlier priorities set by the committee, which were to discuss legislative matters as a priority because that's in the best service of Canadians.

We're not superseding anything here, because we're at the beginning of a meeting. The last meeting was convened for a very specific reason, and then it was adjourned. This is not superseding anything. This is a motion that has been tabled at the beginning of a meeting, under committee business, and in fact, it concerns committee business. So I'd like to see that the motion is actually debated.

[An hon. member]

Are you challenging the chair?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

No, I'm not challenging the chair. I'm explaining, on the point of order, where I'm coming from.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Merci.

Monsieur Proulx, you have the same point, of course.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It is the same point of order, Mr. Chair.

Would you be kind enough to ask the clerk to tell us what the French translation for “superseding” is? I presume that superseding is included in the special orders. I'd just like to know the exact French word.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. James M. Latimer]

A privileged motion, sir.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Are there any other opinions I can gather on this point, please?

Go ahead, Monsieur Guimond.