Evidence of meeting #144 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 signatures.
A recording is available from Parliament.
February 28th, 2019 / 12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Just as a point of clarification, are we trying to bring parity between digital and paper petitions, or we are saying the digital petition is going to stay as is regardless?
12:35 p.m.
Deputy Clerk, Procedure
This has been a concern of the committee from the beginning. In the last Parliament, this issue was there. With the changes that were brought forward in the 75th report, for instance, saying that the text of both paper and electronic petitions should be on the website, it has always been quite a concern of this committee to make sure that the practices regarding those different types of petitions are as similar as possible. Going ahead with a change to permit those e-petitions that have gathered 500 signatures to be presented in the next Parliament would go exactly in that same vein.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Just so people understand the mechanics, if Parliament rises on June 21, petitions can still be presented on petition Wednesday, right?
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
I thought petitions didn't have to be presented in the House. I thought there was an avenue for that.
12:35 p.m.
Deputy Clerk, Procedure
The third Wednesday of each month when the House is not sitting—I think that's the third Wednesday—
12:35 p.m.
Principal Clerk, Chamber Business and Parliamentary Publications
That would be the Wednesday after the 15th—
12:35 p.m.
Deputy Clerk, Procedure
Yes.
On that day, the government can table a response and it can table documents with the Journals Branch that are needed pursuant to either the Standing Orders or different acts.
The government cannot table documents that they wish to just share if these documents are not requested or based on acts. Similarly, paper petitions cannot be tabled with the Journals Branch on that third Wednesday of each month.
12:35 p.m.
Deputy Clerk, Procedure
You can table petitions in the House with the Clerk. You can come to the table and give us petitions. Those petitions that are tabled with the Clerk are deemed to have been tabled in the House, but that's only when the House is sitting.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
You're saying you can't mail it to the Clerk when the House isn't sitting.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
If we rise on June 21 and don't come back, and then the writ drops in September before we come back, the paper petitions can be recertified in the next Parliament, but the electronic petitions can't.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Okay.
I would like to get the committee's opinion and a decision or a recommendation to the House.
Go ahead, Mr. Graham.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
My recommendation on the signatures carrying over is status quo. I don't see the reason to change it.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Signatures on a paper petition are undated. It's a simple form. If you have the form, you can resubmit it. Because we have the prescriptive timelines for the electronic petitions, the 120 days will for sure expire between parliamentary sessions. I don't see why we would bring it back and say, “This one is special because of the timing it had.” You can resubmit the same text and ask for the same signatures again. I don't see the problem with that.
Unless someone else has a different opinion, I'm all ears, but that's my position.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Are you saying that if the paper petition doesn't go through, it's sent back to the person and they can just bring it back to the next Parliament?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
They can bring it back once the new Parliament is in place. After dissolution, the new government is not in place the next day. There's a fairly significant period of time. There's no way a petition can generally span that time anyway. There are a small number of exceptions. I don't see why it would survive.
Go ahead.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
If I understand correctly, what you're saying is that a petition that as been started and has collected signatures but has been sent here for certification ought at that point to be sent back if the House has risen for whatever reason, as long as it has gone through all of those stages. That's the only condition under which it would get sent back. Is that correct?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
If the House is dissolved, it would be sent back, and if the person wanted to resubmit it following the election, they would be welcome to do so.
At the beginning I had the opposite perspective, but André made the point about the government changing, for example, and the issues no longer being pertinent. You don't want those things to automatically go through. There needs to be a way of saying—
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
I agree. If the issue is something like, let's say, climate change, and there is change in government, a general petition that climate change be made an issue of priority might not be effective.
Who would it be sent back to?