Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Feb. 26th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I apologize, because I headed down the same way I said I wouldn't. Let's not find all the different things that we could do wrong with this. Let's just say that it's good that we're being transparent and looking for a way to make this happen, and we'll deal with the negative pieces rather than try to find every negative piece we can about it and make some sort of solution to it.

If there are no other questions from the committee, I thank you for coming today, and I guess we'll leave it to the committee now to discuss which way we're headed with this and how we'll wrangle this one to the ground and come up with something that works for us.

Thank you very much.

We'll suspend for a moment or two while the witnesses leave, and then we'll come back and discuss what has been asked of us here today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We will come back into session.

I'm looking for brief but very detailed discussion on next steps. Thank you all for joining in.

Mr. Albrecht.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Just to start the discussion, I certainly don't consider this to be definitive, but as a result of our conversation, in the second paragraph, in the italicized portion, I would suggest that we leave in “This permission does not extend to reproduction, distribution or use for”, and then jump down to “advertising, marketing or commercial gain”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Are you reading from the document “Proposed Generic Notice”? Is that the one you're reading from?

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's correct.

In other words, it gets rid of the terms “electoral”, “partisan political purposes”, “satire”, “ridicule”, but it leaves in “advertising, marketing or commercial gain”.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

What about “disparages the institution”?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I guess I'll just take speakers and we can answer what Mr. Albrecht has suggested.

I have Ms. Jennings first, and then--

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Do the interpreters have the text? Great, thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Madam Jennings.

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

While I am pretty much like-minded with Mr. Albrecht, before we actually finalize I would like to know whether there have been any court challenges to British Columbia's or Nova Scotia's legislation rules, proceedings, on the issue of webcasting--that part, not just political...but the satire, etc. I'd like to know whether there have been any court challenges on that. That's just the lawyer in me wanting to know before I say let's go with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

And if there has, what the results were so that we could decide--

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

Exactly.

I'm very tempted to delete the section in the generic notice--the second paragraph that Mr. Albrecht has suggested be deleted--but I would like to know beforehand.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I will show my rookieness as a chair again. Are we discussing a draft report here? Is that what we're discussing?

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

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Then we likely should go in camera if that's the case. How quickly I recognize my own mistake here.

I leave it to the will of the....

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Chair, Mr. Reid was speaking but his mike was not on, so I did not get the translation. I understand that I am the only unilingual francophone here, but I would like my rights respected. It annoys me to be always making the same complaint.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I do apologize, Madame DeBellefeuille. Mr. Reid's comment was really only to me in jest as to what a rookie I was. So I do apologize, and we will try to watch that the microphones come on when someone is speaking.

Are we agreed to go in camera?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Let's suspend for a moment. We'll go in camera.

[Proceedings continue in camera]