Procedure and House Affairs Committee on June 17th, 2014

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

There you go: shut her down.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I agree with what's been said, that we certainly still have some items on our agenda.

I will take a bit of offence at Mr. Julian's statement about this committee being far behind. We accomplished two or three very big things during this session of Parliament. I thank all those who are regular members of the committee for their hard work; perhaps Mr. Julian should look in more often. I feel very comfortable about what we've been able to accomplish.

Let's move forward on the reason we're here today, which is Standing Order 106(4).

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'm sorry, I'm going to challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

On what—that we're having a meeting at our regular time?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, on your ruling that this is a special meeting. How can a special meeting be at the same time as a regular meeting?

[An hon. member]

[Inaudible--Editor]

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Well, I know the government; you have your political agenda, and—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Not across the table, please; through me. If you want to challenge me, I'm perfectly fine with that.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes. I would like to challenge—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Pardon, Mr. Reid?

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

[Inaudible--Editor]...actually say what the challenge is? I have no idea what the challenge is other than to—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I guess it's whether we're special or not.

Look, I'm suggesting that we're having a meeting due to receipt of a Standing Order 106(4) letter from enough members of the committee in order to have it. We're having it in our regularly scheduled time.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

And that's what I'm raising. It's strictly a procedural point of order. I don't believe you can declare a special meeting to automatically replace a regularly scheduled meeting just because three members sign a paper.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I read the passage from O'Brien and Bosc. I understand that you dislike it, Mr. Christopherson, but procedurally it's correct.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

But my point, Chair, is that what you're doing is changing the agenda.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I've made my ruling. Let's go.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

It's my understanding that a motion to challenge the chair cannot be debated, so why are we debating this?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It's because your chair was a bit mad at him.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

And it's all personal, isn't it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Let's have a vote on the challenge. All those in favour of sustaining the ruling of the chair?

[Ruling of the chair sustained]

We're going with what the chair said: it's special.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Does that mean that the items on the regularly scheduled meeting are moot, don't exist, appear miraculously at some point? What happens with that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We'll certainly deal with this first, Mr. Christopherson. We've suggested that this is our order of business, so we'll deal with this.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Right, and that's the real point—the idea to use these parliamentary moves to get this to be the number one item.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Are you still arguing the point, Mr. Christopherson?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, I'm observing. I wouldn't be arguing, Chair, because you ruled.