Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Sept. 8th, 2013

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mrs. Marie-France Renaud]

Once the House has prorogued, PROC still has members, but we don't have a chair; we don't have any studies; we don't have anything, so we cannot meet. Even if we send out a notice of meeting, if there's a prorogation before Friday, it doesn't happen. So it's up to you, until we come back and elect a new chair—or the same chair.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Scott, I think I saw your hand.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Just so everybody knows, that will mean that with prorogation, this is the one committee that continues a certain ghostly existence. We'll have members, but no body, if that's correct. So we can't actually meet if there's prorogation, and that would include the subcommittee. I understand that.

I guess I would suggest then, depending on whether or not we want to, in some kind of a provisional way, talk about the subcommittee meeting on Friday, that it could still stay open. I'll leave that discussion to go on. I just assume this would happen, but maybe we could make sure it would happen. Prorogation sort of gets rid of us, but it doesn't get rid of the staff, so as long as it's very clear that the staff can continue to do all the work they would normally do, then at least we know that time when we're not in Parliament is not being wasted. As long as that can be clear, I think that's a minimum.

The second point, while I have the floor, is just to make one comment on the agenda list. Point number (g)(iii) says, “study the practices of provincial and territorial legislatures, as well as other jurisdictions and Westminster-style Parliaments in order to compare and contrast their administrative oversight”. Personally I see that as almost the most important piece in all of this.

Having said that, I just want to go to a really minor logistical point, which is that we don't always do the best job in Parliament in general and maybe in this committee because of the room we're traditionally in. If we're going to have witnesses with that kind of expertise, some of them are going to be beamed in. Can we just make sure that we have absolutely the best technological set-up for that? Because we've struggled in the past.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We'll see if we can get it. Some of these people will not come in person, as we've learned in the past, but—you're right—in our effort to do the best with—

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

It's the room with the replicator.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

It's just a way of saying that there are better rooms than ours.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You don't like our cozy little rooms.

The answer is yes, we can move forward. The other answer is that we exist only in kind of a name situation, but some of this work is already out there being done so that we can be as prepared as possible for the earliest possible date to start this study.

Mr. Cullen, on a very small point.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I would just express from the official opposition side, as New Democrats, that the urgency of this is very high for us. We'll be endeavouring to act under deadlines for ourselves in terms of witness list submission. I say this through you to the staff.

It is a real downside of prorogation...and I know there are many reasons that go into it, but one of the bad aspects is that work as important as this is, by my understanding of all the technical aspects, is delayed. If the Prime Minister prorogues this week, as Mr. Lukiwski and others have suggested is necessary, and if he wants not to convene and not to start work next week, then other than doing some of this advance legwork, it is delayed.

We are going to endeavour to meet that deadline. I would encourage my colleagues to also have that type of urgency, as well as in the submission of those themes. As Mr. Scott pointed out, and I think Mr. Reid across the way agreed, there will be some that have greater importance, or have greater impact on our work, than others. It would be good if committee members put their minds to that, to say that this aspect or that aspect has greater importance, to give guidance on where we put the preponderance of our weight and our work, and to reach out to those groups and individuals right now. Just because the Prime Minister shuts down Parliament doesn't mean we stop working; hence, this meeting today and the work that we want to get started on as soon as possible.

It is unfortunate that the committee exists only in a ghostly form for the next little while, because it would be great to start this work. We're very keen to do it.

That's it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Great.

I have no one else on my speakers list. We've accomplished what we needed to do to prepare ourselves for the fall and a new motion setting forward.... That's exactly what we'll do.

Is there anything else for the good of this committee today?

It's great to see you all on a Sunday afternoon.

We are adjourned.