Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 29th, 2018

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

I went everywhere.

[The Clerk]

Maybe, Mr. Cullen, you could include the first nations that are in Vancouver on your witness list. That would be helpful.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, that's no problem. I'll do it right now.

[The Clerk]

Jill had one other comment that she wanted to make generally about logistics.

[Jill McKenny]

It's about the commercial flights. Keep in mind that the longer we wait to book those commercial flights, the fewer possibilities there are. There may be a possibility that we'd have to split the group from one city to another, but we'll do our best to keep everyone together.

If we can please receive the travelling members' names and their city of departure and return city as quickly as possible, it would help us with our planning.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

I think we have their names.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

You want witness lists and names today, at least by the end of the day. We'll try to do that for you.

[The Clerk]

There's another aspect. Given that we are going to be holding open-mike sessions, I was wondering whether the committee would be open to giving the chair the discretion to approve tweets that could go out to advertise or announce that the committee is going to be visiting specific cities across Canada.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Does that sound okay with the committee to advertise on Twitter that we're coming?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Is there any objection to it?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

We did it last time.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Yes, we went beyond that for that one.

Now that we have a lot of the travel component out of the way and the logistics, as I said earlier, all of this is contingent upon our getting through this piece of legislation. That's really important to me and the Liberals on this committee, so I'd like to move the motion that was put before the committee yesterday regarding the timing of getting through the legislation.

Would you like me to read the motion into the record?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

On a point of order, this is my own fault, but I missed a little chunk of what was happening here, and we seem to have leaped somewhere else. I want to catch up, to be frank.

On the travel stuff, where did we end up, just so that I'm clear on it? Then I can hear what has been said here.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

The liaison committee is going to be in here at 5:30. They're scheduled to meet. That's why we're trying to get this all done, so that we can move on all the plans for tomorrow.

We ended up with—

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

I can probably help there. With the motion you have, you're probably not going to be done at 5:30 anyway, so you might as well let me find out what's going on with travel.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

The end of the travel debate was that we are going to go the route you said. You have already heard what towns we're going to. Witness lists are to be submitted as soon as possible, preferably by the end of today, if not, by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

As well, we need the names by the end of the day of everyone in your party who is going to be on the trip. To the best of their ability, they're going to make sure we travel all together, but some of our flights may be split.

I think that's where we ended up.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

I'm not trying to stall here at all, because that's not an issue, if I wanted to do so.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

As you already know, I would not be able to do the whole trip, for example. I believe one of my colleagues is in that same boat as well. I don't know whether there are others.

What are the plans? If someone has to be there for part of the week and we substitute somebody else in, there is no issue with that, is there? With the travel, there are no issues in accommodating that?

[Jill McKenny]

It complicates things when we have substitution of members. It adds a layer to our logistical planning.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

We need to let you know that as soon as we can, then.

[Jill McKenny]

—along with which city you are leaving from and returning to.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Do you have a draft? I know it might not be finalized and that you wouldn't want us to live by it as gospel at this point, but do you have some kind of rough draft that you could forward? As soon as you can give us that.... I, for example, would have to make a decision on Wednesday, my last day, or part of Thursday.

If I could get that as soon as possible—

[Jill McKenny]

Do you mean a draft itinerary?

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

—it would allow me to tell you sooner when I would have to have the substitutes come in, for example.