Evidence of meeting #52 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was information.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:40 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
When I started I was not going that way, but the NDP want to join our colleagues in thanking you, Mr. Chair, our analysts, and our clerk for all the work that has been done. I think it's good for the democracy of our country.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
We have a few pieces of housekeeping on the dissenting report. Do we want to do the motions first?
Let's do this first.
Motion one is that the draft report, as amended, be adopted.
Moved by Monsieur Godin.
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Motion two is that the report be entitled “Question of Privilege Relating to the Failure of the Government to Provide the Documents as Ordered by the House”.
Moved by Monsieur Godin.
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Motion three is that the chair, clerk, and analysts be authorized to make such grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary without changing the substance of the report while we finish drafting it this afternoon.
Moved by Monsieur Proulx.
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Motion four is that the chair present the report to the House.
Moved by Monsieur Proulx.
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
11:40 a.m.
An hon. member
Opposed.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
On that? Sure we could.
A recorded vote on motion number four, moved by Monsieur Proulx, that the chair present the report to the House this afternoon, I guess is how it reads now.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 8; abstentions 3)
That carries.
Motion five is that the committee append to its report a supplementary or dissenting opinion from members of the Conservative Party, provided that it is no more than.... I need a number--the same number as this report?
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
So no more than two pages in length and submitted electronically to the clerk of the committee in both official languages no later than 1:30 p.m. today.
Who is moving that motion? Moved by Mr. Lukiwski.
11:45 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Any against?
Carried.
That completes the work today on that report.
There are some housekeeping motions.
There is lunch in the same room as we've been having it all week for those who need sustenance.
Tomorrow's meeting will be at 11 o'clock.
Mr. Lukiwski.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
I'm sorry to interrupt, Chair--and 11 o'clock, our regularly scheduled time, is fine. I have a suggestion for the committee. Chair, if everyone recalls, and I know they do, on the Minister Oda question of privilege, the Speaker said he wanted to refer it to this committee to try to clear up confusion, to clear the air. We have a deadline of Friday of this week.
I think it would be helpful if we could hear from the Speaker. The Speaker is back from his trip. He would have had a chance, or at least if we instruct him he will have a chance today, to examine all of the testimony of Ms. Oda and the transcripts of the entire committee. I would like to have the Speaker appear before the committee tomorrow so we could ask his opinion, since he was the one originally who decided this should be referred to try to clear up the confusion.
The opinion I would ask of him is whether he believes that confusion has been lifted, that the air has been cleared. Mr. Chair, if we did that tomorrow, and the Speaker came for an hour, it would allow the analysts, based on all of the testimony that we've already heard, plus the Speaker's testimony, a couple of days to draft a report and report it back to this committee. When we meet at our regularly scheduled time on Thursday, we could examine the report and hopefully get that dealt with on Thursday, and then it would be available for tabling in the House on Friday, which is the deadline.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Thank you.
I have Monsieur Godin first, and then Madame DeBellefeuille.
11:45 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I will try to be clear.
When the Speaker of the House of Commons asks the committee to study what was said or what has happened, is it normal to have him appear and to question him about his interpretation? It is up to us to interpret what we have heard. If the Speaker were to be summoned to appear in every committee to which he refers an issue, there would be no end in sight. I have been around for 14 years and I do not remember this ever happening. I would like it if you looked into this matter. The Speaker has never been summoned to appear before the committee. I don't think he should appear now.
