Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #13 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #13 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
I've got a question. Is this in camera or is this a...?
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
It is public, okay.
This is the bill and these are the amendments. Is that right? A bush league question, I know, but—
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
One is the bill, with the staples, and these are the amendments.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Amendment 2 is actually reintroducing something that was used back in the fifties, when the time came to reconsider redistribution. It's a rule that was used back then that says that any time you do make the change, you don't make a change that would exceed 15%, of what it was before.
We think this is a reasonable way of addressing the fact that population changes can sometimes be rather swift in a 10-year period. This was in fact on the books back in the fifties.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Is there any further discussion on LIB-2?
Seeing none, I'll call the question.
(Amendment negatived)
On LIB-3.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
LIB-3 makes a change that recognizes the fact that what we should be doing is talking about the total number of members assigned, not only to the provinces but to the territories. So instead of being based on 305, it should be based on 308, and it should be based on the population of Canada, meaning provinces and territories.
That's the small wrinkle in rule number 3.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Further discussion on LIB-3?
Seeing none, I'll call the question.
(Amendment negatived)
That brings us to NDP-2.
You get to move it first, David.
11:10 a.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Yes, Chair, I would move that Bill C-20, in clause 2, be amended by adding after line 31, on page 3, the following:
3.1. The proportion of members from the Province of Quebec in the House of Commons must remain unchanged from the representation that it had on November 27, 2006, when the motion was adopted in the House of Commons recognizing that the Québecois form a nation within a united Canada.
If I may speak to it...?
November 29th, 2011 / 11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
No.
Bill C-20 amends the Constitution Act of 1967, modifying the rules for calculating the province's representation in the House. The amendment attempts to exempt the Province of Quebec from the proposed rules.
The House of Commons Procedure and Practice, second edition, states, on page 766:
An amendment to a bill that was referred to a committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.
In the opinion of the chair, the introduction of this exemption for the rules for Quebec is a new concept that's beyond the scope of this bill.
11:15 a.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Okay. I wasn't quite prepared for that. Could you please read that again, Chair?
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Certainly.
It says:
An amendment to a bill that was referred to a committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope....
By exempting Quebec from this ruling, you're beyond the scope of this bill. You're exempting Quebec from this legislation.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
11:15 a.m.
NDP
11:15 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
11:15 a.m.
An hon. member
Go ahead and do it anyway.
11:15 a.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Yes, I guess I should anyway, just for the formality of it.
I'm sorry, and with the greatest of respect, Chair, and please do not take it personally, you understand...?