Evidence of meeting #19 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 recording is available from Parliament.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
I call us all back to order. It was a nice break.
Mr. Christopherson, you still have the floor on your motion.
Go ahead on a point or order, Mr. Martin, if it's brief and if it is a point of order.
4:30 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
It is, and I think it's a point of order in its most elementary form.
I'd like to know specifically under what authority you have called us to order and where in the Standing Orders you can convene a meeting with only five minutes' notice. If you could quote me chapter and verse as to where in the Standing Orders or the jurisprudence of this place you can convene a meeting that way, I'd like you to let me know, as a professional courtesy to another chair. It may happen to me.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Sure. It was something I had discussed earlier with my clerk, so under good guidance, I knew I could do it. She will look that passage up for you and share it with you.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Would it be okay if I turn to Mr. Christopherson while you're doing that, or would you like to wait?
4:30 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
No, I think I would like to wait, because I'm tempted to challenge the Chair if I'm not satisfied with your clerk's explanation of the authority.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Were we actually adjourned or was it just suspended for the five minutes?
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
I left the chair and went to take care of some health issues, so I can't tell you exactly what occurred.
If, indeed, we adjourned, which I think we did—
4:30 p.m.
NDP
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
It was one of those information things.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
There was a motion earlier today that we wouldn't concur in an adjournment motion, so how we got there, we're not certain. We'll just wait.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Now I think I understand. You didn't adjourn; the occupant of the chair, the vice-chair adjourned. I'm sorry, I thought you had suspended while you were going out to deal with health issues. We were all trying to dance around that—skate, yes—but now we've fallen through the hole in the middle of the ice.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Under “Role of Chairs”, there is a list of administrative responsibilities, and one of them is to call committee meetings, which I just did. That's on page 1031 of O'Brien and Bosc.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Elsewhere in the same chapter, do we see the notice required for meetings?
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
The clerk reminds me that the only time there's a time limit to the notice of motion is under Standing Orders 106(1) or 106(4), which, I'm sure, have to do with exactly that.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Mr. Chair, may I also join the point of order?
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Even though we all know what's going on here, and I appreciate the opposition's position on this and I think they appreciate ours, I find it disappointing, to say the very least, Mr. Chair, that when you took a brief respite for health issues and the opposition and everyone around this table knew that we had not given agreement to adjourn the meeting at its regularly scheduled time, at one o'clock, the opposition, who filled in for less than five minutes, tried to adjourn the meeting. Procedurally, they can certainly do that. I find it disappointing they would attempt to do that.
If we want to deal with how this meeting will end on a strictly procedural matter, that's fine with us. We'll see when we get there.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
This is not really a point of order, so I'd like to kind of get beyond this and move on.
Madame Latendresse.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
I just want it to be on the record that I meant to suspend the meeting. We all understand what's happening here, and I thought I could do that at that point.
In any case, everyone here is using whatever means available and precedents to silence the opposition, to ensure that our motion is not heard or debated. I just want to remedy that and give my colleague an opportunity to continue later on and for an even longer time.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Are we okay? Do you have all the answers you need on this point of order, Mr. Martin? I think we've shared with you.
The chair has the right to call the meeting.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I'm not clear on the notice required. I don't see where it talks about how much notice is required for a meeting, but perhaps you could get that information to me some other time.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Sure, so you know, as this might happen in your own committee.
Mr. Christopherson, it has been maybe 10 or 15 minutes since I've heard your voice.