Evidence of meeting #34 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site.) The winning word was clause.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Marc Chénier  Senior Officer and Counsel, Privy Council Office
Natasha Kim  Director, Democratic Reform, Privy Council Office

11:30 a.m.

NDP

Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

That would be in order to have some further discussion. We're going to be here for three days, and this is the kind of thing we could talk about a bit more.

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Yes, but it moves it to the end, and we don't get to it until then.

11:30 a.m.

NDP

Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

That's fine.

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

You're remembering where the end is.

We would have to stand the whole clause.

11:30 a.m.

NDP

Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Let me put it this way, then. As for the government side, can you support it as written, even getting rid of the word “any”?

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

No, but in an attempt to be helpful, I think you both articulated fairly well the intent but some of the inherent perhaps unintended consequences. I think it might behoove all of us to give this some thought. If you wish to stand it, it may well end up that it comes at the end without further debate, but it at least allows us to have given some thought to it by the time it gets to there.

If that's your intent, we wouldn't have a problem with that, but that's up to you.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Okay.

Mr. Christopherson, let's see if we can get there.

11:35 a.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the tone on this and the attempt, but rather than leave it, I'm not thoroughly convinced at all that we're going to have the full discussion that we need to have on all the clauses in the time available. We've invested already some good all-party discussion on this and we're not dividing along partisan grounds, as we're likely to on a number of other issues. Could I suggest, Chair—

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Are you anticipating something? You can make all the suggestions you want.

11:35 a.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

I'm going to write that down.

What I was going to suggest is a little different, but by unanimous consent we can do pretty much anything. I suggest that we take the time to talk about that in the break between this meeting and when we reconvene this evening, and decide that we will deal with this right off the top when we come back at seven o'clock. That should give us time to find out whether we can quickly come to agreement. If not, Mr. Chair, and quickly, if we don't have agreement, because it's not a delaying tactic, then we simply agree very quickly to put it to the end and it will follow the natural course.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

If I have unanimous consent for that, we can do that.

11:35 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Great. Then that's what we'll do.

Everything to do with clause 2, which also then is LIB-1 that is exactly the same.

I'm being told we have to move to the next clause. We can come back and look at this whole clause collectively.

11:35 a.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

Bring the whole clause back at seven o'clock.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Yes.

11:35 a.m.

NDP

David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON

We can live with that.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Do I still have unanimous consent for that?

11:35 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

All right. Anything to do with clause 2, I'm working my way down on anything that says clause 2.

(Clause 2 stood)

(On clause 3)

This is the start of clause 3. We go to G-1.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Mr. Chair, I will move that.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

That's what we're looking for first.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Very simply, as I'm sure everyone has read already, this motion makes the Chief Electoral Officer's term non-renewable.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Mr. Scott.

11:35 a.m.

NDP

Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Tom, you did move this, right?

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Yes.