Evidence of meeting #18 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Thank you, Chair.
I'm seeing one o'clock showing, so can you give me some guidance, Chair, as to how we're proceeding?
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Okay, but we all thought we were going from 11:00 to 1:00.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Right.
I had a recognition earlier that we would not adjourn today—
1 p.m.
Conservative
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
It's because one of the parties has asked for that.
As you often say, Mr. Christopherson, I can do the math, but if you'd like, we could....
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Well, here is my concern at this point, Chair. The meeting was scheduled from 11:00 to 1:00. Like you, I am a committee chair. If we want to stay past the allotted time, it takes unanimous consent. I haven't heard a request for unanimous consent. The government does not have the floor to place a motion that we go past one o'clock.
I would suggest to you Chair, that this meeting should be finished.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
I think I will go the opposite way, Mr. Christopherson, and suggest—I'm only guessing the thoughts of my colleagues, of course—that if the chair were to rule for adjournment, he'd be overruled.
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
How could you be overruled for calling a meeting over when it was scheduled to be over?
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
They can suggest what they want, Chair. I want to know the rules.
1 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
On a point of order, procedurally I'm quite correct, David. I think your procedural experts sitting behind you will confirm that. I had given notice that our side, the government, will not consent to adjournment at one o'clock, which is the normal adjournment time. It's quite common in filibusters, as you know, to go around the clock, and that's what we're going to do here.
1 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
This is interesting. We're going to apply this at my committee too.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Chair, did you say that if you had declared the meeting adjourned, they could then challenge it? It is of course adjourned at that point.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
When a chair adjourns, there is implied consent from the group to do so. But we've had stated earlier today a removal of that implied consent to adjourn, and so the chair did not call for adjournment, because the consent to adjourn has been removed.
1:05 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
No, we are not, not by a long shot.
The way we look at it at the public accounts committee is that people set their schedules from, let's say 11 o'clock to one o'clock. If we want to go past one o'clock—and sometimes we do because we want to finish up a quick piece of business—there has to be unanimous consent. There has to be unanimous consent either expressed or implied, and if there's one person who says no, then that meeting can't continue.
Now, the government can move a motion to adjourn, but they have to have the floor. They don't have the floor; I do. So I am not understanding at all how the government unilaterally can decide to extend a meeting that was scheduled to begin at 11 o'clock and end at one o'clock. We have tools for doing that, Chair.
There are two ways we make decisions in a parliamentary democracy: by unanimous consent or by a motion passed by a clear majority. Neither one of those things has happened, and it's five after one. This meeting should be over, Chair.
1:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Well, the meeting should have been to plan for the study of our piece of legislation—
1:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
—so what should have been has gone south, and the answer here is that the appropriate ruling has been made—
1:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
—and so we will carry on with the meeting.
Mr. Christopherson, would you like to speak to your motion?