Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 4th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Make sure it is one.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

I always do my best at trying to make sure it is one, Mr. Chair.

When do you anticipate...are we going to be sitting through question period today? Can you give us some indication as to when it is that we would be adjourning, because I do have...with all seriousness, this is an important issue, there's no doubt about it, I'm prepared to talk at great length. I've been very...and you as the chair have been very patient listening to David, very patient. I have a lot of thoughts on the issue too, that I'd like to be able to share with committee members.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Thank you.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Are we going to continue this through question period?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Yes. It looks like we'll give you all the time that we can today.

Mr. Christopherson, of course, controls that destiny also. He's the one who has the floor. There are certainly speakers on my list, I think you're second down. When Mr. Christopherson is finished, after another speaker after him will be you.

I have a speakers list and you could come up and look if you wanted.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Not to frustrate you at all, Mr. Chair, because that's not my purpose.

After Mr. Christopherson is done speaking, then I think it's Mr. Lukiwski.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

That's a really good guess.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Then it would be me, so I should anticipate I should hang around until I have at least been afforded the opportunity to speak because then we're not going to adjourn.

The last thing I want to do is hang around for three hours, and then finally get my turn to speak, and then the gavel comes down, and we're adjourned. Do you know what I mean?

If I'm going to be speaking, I'm game. I'm happy to speak. It's a little out of the normal, but I'm more than happy to speak.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Your chair has no crystal ball on that. Mr. Christopherson is the one controlling the destiny on that right now. He has the floor. When he chooses to give the floor to others, then that would be fine.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Then, Mr. Chair, would it be appropriate if I were to ask leave of the committee to ask Mr. Christopherson a couple of questions?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You would have to ask Mr. Christopherson.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Would that be okay then?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Sure. As long as I still have the floor, Chair, I'll be glad to allow an intervention of a question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You're really beyond....

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

I have a point of order on Mr. Lamoureux's point of order.

Can Mr. Lamoureux or anyone else show me the procedural guidelines to permit that sort of thing? We're in the midst of a filibuster. We're asking for David to continue. We're not giving concurrence. We're not giving agreement to adjourn the meeting at one o'clock. That's been established. We've already cited the precedent for that.

I know no such precedent that allows interruption of a filibuster to entertain questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

In the goodwill of this committee, that would often happen during debate, and it would carry forward, but this committee seems to have lost a large element of its goodwill and is moving forward on a time-consuming discussion on a motion.

So we'll let Mr. Christopherson get back to that, and we'll again hope for a complete lack of repetition and some relevance in his discussion.

Mr. Christopherson, you're up.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Thanks, Chair.

The first thing I would like to do is take you up on your offer to see the speakers list.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Sure.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I still have the floor when I get out of my chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It's you, then Mr. Lukiwski, and then Mr. Lamoureux.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

There we go.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

... then Mr. Scott, and whoever else adds his name to it.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I didn't know why that was a national secret because you deliberately went out of your way to tell us who was the third, fourth, and fifth.

You didn't want to tell us that the government has the floor next because that's the game plan isn't it, Chair?

The game plan is to force me eventually to let go of the floor mostly through exhaustion or other pressures, and then they get the floor next. Then they are going to move a motion that effectively shuts everything down. That's the game plan isn't it, Chair?

Are you going to tell me you don't know that's the game plan, Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Are you questioning?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I'm asking, Chair. Do you know the government's game plan?