Evidence of meeting #106 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was elections.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Andre Barnes  Committee Researcher
Allen Sutherland  Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Manon Paquet  Senior Policy Advisor, Privy Council Office
Jean-François Morin  Senior Policy Advisor, Privy Council Office
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Andrew Lauzon
Stéphane Perrault  Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada
Anne Lawson  General Counsel and Senior Director, Legal Services, Elections Canada

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

My assumption was just one.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

That will be easy enough.

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

This is all so clipped.

You have to say let's identify a typical rural scenario that's convenient to the airport, and something we can make happen.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

One rural one I think is easily doable.

6:45 p.m.

An hon. member

Portage isn't that rural.

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Come on, it's 10,000 people.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Rather than starting to get into saying it has to be Portage...because now we're getting back into where we're making it logistically more difficult.

We authorize the clerk to say he's going to find what flight schedules work the best. Once you've picked which one of the cities you're going to fly into, I'm sure people can help, if need be. As I mentioned, I can certainly help with Alberta, and to some degree with Saskatchewan. I have someone on staff who is originally from Manitoba, and they can help pick a community there. I'm sure others can do the same. Let them choose a city to fly into first, and then we can figure that out.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Okay, so we have five cities, and one rural community. We'll start first thing Monday morning. We'll get—

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

Andy Fillmore Liberal Halifax, NS

We have five days to work with, so it has to be four and one, I believe, four cities and one rural.

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Halifax, Montreal, Toronto....

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

The clerk thinks that of those five prairie cities that would be the rural one, and we wouldn't be meeting in the city.

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

That's the suggestion right now.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver, plus a rural community in the Prairies that the chair can find that would work logistically.

Is that good for what you need for your budget?

6:45 p.m.

The Clerk

One more thing, it might be helpful if the chair had some discretion, if between now and tomorrow we see that Halifax has an issue getting in, or getting hotel rooms, the chair could deviate from this plan and perhaps go to Moncton or Saint John.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

The other option you have, just because of flight logistics, is that you could additionally do a rural community in Nova Scotia. You would end up getting two rural communities, if that becomes a problem.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

Another possibility that might make more sense is to go to a rural community near Ottawa. It doesn't have to be tied into our flights, and there are a number of really lovely rural communities nearby, one of which I live in.

I say that not just to promote my riding but to make the point that it might resolve the logistical issue.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Or David Graham's riding....

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

Yes, it's not that close, but you're right. It's definitely rural.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Nathan, what's that first nation that's just down the bay, on the way to Whistler from Vancouver?

May 28th, 2018 / 6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

It's Squamish.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Would that be a good one to invite to come to the Vancouver meeting?

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Yes, the Squamish come down all the time. You have some very strong first nations, Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, on the north shore within a cab ride of Vancouver.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Do you want to give a list to the clerk?

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Yes, I'll relay it to the clerk; whatever you like.

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

We'll include the first nation in the Vancouver meeting.