Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Feb. 13th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Around the clock, yes.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

So the 13 days is part of what's already set there, but that does not preclude us from meeting every day to meet a deadline, if we choose to, and work.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

The committee, of course, has...[Inaudible--Editor].

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I also want to pick up on the point that was made by my friend Mr. Lamoureux.

It seems to me that right now the committee is into a steering committee meeting. We're public. We're seized of a motion and a member has the floor. When we come back next, we will pick up where we left off. The same motion is still before us. The member who had the floor still has the floor.

Is that correct, Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

That's not my thinking on it, Mr. Christopherson, although if we came back as a steering committee, we would still have to deal with that too. We do have our regular committee meetings. It depends on which type of meeting we're coming back to.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

All right. Well, it's good that we're on this, then.

Would you agree that this motion has to be disposed of before you deal with any other motions in this regard?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I would think that would be appropriate.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Then by extension, that means this motion will still be before us at the next meeting, and if it is, I still have the floor.

Would that not be correct, Madam Clerk?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You could ask me. I'll get advice if I need it.

The true answer here, Mr. Christopherson, is the wish that we would move forward with actual testimony.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I agree, Chair. And you can see I'm trying—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

So let's not look for the bleak part, let's look for the good part...[Inaudible--Editor].

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Fair enough. And in the interim, there could be a change of heart, we could have a deal, and there's no problem, but in the extreme possibility that this may not happen, I just want to be assured that we're not going to get into another procedural fight here on how to proceed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

[Inaudible--Editor]...the procedures committee.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

The fact is we still have this motion in front of us, and I still have the floor.

I agree, Chair, and I will say again, we want a deal. I would love nothing more than to turn to you and say—which I'm not, right now—that I am done, but I am not, and I will not be until such time as we get an agreement. I need to know that we're not getting into another schmozzle heading into our next meeting.

Chair, this motion is duly before this committee right now. I have the floor. I do need the assurance from you, sir, that this is where we will be when we come back.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We cannot dispose of your motion until other people on the speaking list also get to speak to it, and of course we vote on it.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Christopherson, you would immediately be able to put your name on the list and be available, after others, if that's the case, too, so let's worry about the—

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, no, Chair, I have a bit of a problem. We have this motion in front of us now. The committee is seized of it. I have the floor. I am in order to have the floor.

If we're going to adjourn this meeting and continue, it seems to me we continue exactly where we are, given that you have said that we can't deal with any other motions until we have disposed of my motion.

Therefore, my motion will be the motion that's on the floor at the next meeting when we begin, and I will have the floor.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

With all due respect, Mr. Christopherson, I certainly hope we dispose of it at some point and move on to actual business of this committee, but we are finished for today—

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Chair—

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Chair, you've left it unclear again. That's not helpful.

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

I just want to say that procedurally I tend to agree with David. Certainly the position from here is that if David wants the floor to continue to speak to his motion at the start of the next meeting, we have no problem with it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It sounds like you have friends in the room.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

It's just the rules, Chair. It's just the rules.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Lamoureux, what are you going to say to this?