Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Nov. 1st, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

We need a motion for the next motion.

Monsieur Godin, s'il vous plaît.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I move the following motion:

That, unless otherwise ordered, each Committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Madam Redman, please.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you.

I would ask that there be an addition: “including the whip's staff”. I know that we have all whips represented here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Does everyone understand the addition, as read?

Monsieur Godin, have you another comment?

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I have a question concerning Ms. Redman's motion. Does this mean that each committee member is accompanied by one staff person, and that the whip could be accompanied by two staff members?

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

That would be my interpretation.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Mr. Reid, have you further comment?

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

I am confused. Essentially the whip would be able to bring in two people if the whip was a member of the committee, or even if the whip were not present, we could still have one person from the whip's office? Essentially, it's one per member plus one per whip per caucus. Would that be what it means?

That sounds good to me.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Madam Redman.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I would just say, to clarify, Pierre may or may not have whip's staff. It may be somebody from Jay Hill's office. But every party's whip could be represented if they so chose.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Mr. Godin, have you any further comment?

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chairman, we won't always be meeting in this room. Room 112 is not that large. How many people can accompany us?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

If the chair could just make a comment, I think room 112 could accommodate that number of staff. We would get into a problem if there were more than that, but the minimum requirement here is one staff per member plus a staffer per party, per whip. I think that room could accommodate that number of people.

When we get into business like this, members have requested that we move to a larger room, and we've been able to accommodate that. If that's fair, Mr. Godin, I think we can accept this motion and deal with it on a meeting-by-meeting basis if we need a larger room.

Is that acceptable to members?

Mr. Epp.

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

I would like further clarification. It was mentioned that there could be two members per whip. That's what I heard. I hope I didn't misunderstand that, because I would think that each whip should only be able to bring one member.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Madam Redman, I'll allow you to explain, but what I'm sort of hearing is the opportunity.... For example, on the government side we do not have the whip here at this point. The whip is now not on the committee; therefore, the whip could send a staffer to the meeting. Whether Madam Redman or Monsieur Guimond or Mr. Godin would have two people here at the same meeting, I don't know.

Madam Redman.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

That was the intent, but to be quite candid, the only staff who accompanies me is my whip staff person, so for me it doesn't make a difference. My one staff person would be a person from the whip's office. If we want to clarify and say that if there's a whip staff person there it would have to be somebody's representative, as opposed to having individuals having two people, that's fine too. I guess it's just to clarify that if--

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

Let's leave it the way it was. The whip can have a staff member here.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I don't think it's complicated.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I want to offer all members the opportunity to debate this. I think we're getting a little bit complicated on a reasonably simple matter.

Is there further comment on it?

Monsieur Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

We are only talking about in camera meetings. Otherwise, we can bring along whomever we want to the meetings, since they are open to the public.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

That's true. It's just in camera meetings, confidential meetings.

Colleagues, I'll give you five seconds to think a little bit more and then I'll call the question.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I'm okay with it now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I'll call the question.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

I'll ask for a mover for the next routine motion, which is in camera meeting transcripts.

Monsieur Proulx.