Evidence of meeting #147 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 debate.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
I think, again, the opportunity for you to be as inventive as you want is limited only by your imagination.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
Well, set goals that you think are structured in a way that your imagination and those goals harmonize. If you think, for example, that it might be useful to have some sort of association with the Senate, then that's an option.
Dealing with private member's business, let's say that as long as a bill reached a certain stage, either in the House or in the Senate, proving that it had at least a level of acceptability, then you can in those circumstances, rather than allow the bill to go to committee for a study, let it go to the parallel committee composed of members of both Houses, and that can be used as a way to advance the consideration of that bill in whatever second chamber is to be studying the bill after it passes the House.
That record of deliberation could be, in some fashion or another, taken into account when it goes to the second House for deliberation. There's a possibility.
Noon
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
I was just going to make one comment.
Maybe that's one of the things we could do. For example, there's the case that you can refer a bill to committee before second reading. That way you could just open up the bill to many more amendments. What you could do is send it to the parallel chamber, if that be the case.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
It's something you'd have to study to make sure you have all of the mechanics properly spelled out and understood, so that option becomes.... But, as Ms. Duncan points out, the witnesses would be your lay members.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
The lay members would not necessarily be permanent.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Thank you for the fascinating discussion.
We already do have two committees where the Senate's involved. It's not impossible.
Noon
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
It's not necessarily the best model for what I want to do.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
I have one last question, which I assume I know the answer to, but because you said anything's open to our Parliament to decide, as far as you know, anything that's presently done in the U.K. or Australia, in our imagining of another body, we could do legally if we made the appropriate changes to the Standing Orders. Is that right?
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
I think there are political considerations that come into any review of what is possible, and that's what you have to decide, but I believe Mr. Reid mentioned this issue of programming motions. They have existed in the United Kingdom for the last 20 years. They were deeply resisted when they were first introduced, and now they're taken to be part of the daily routine of the life of a member. I would assume that introducing such a measure would be difficult. It would be challenged because it would be seen as a way to further limit the role of MPs. That is a matter of very, very serious negotiation, and it may very well be that a counterpart to that might be something like establishing a parallel chamber.
That might be the quid pro quo, if you like.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Thank you very much for coming, Mr. Clerk.
I'm certain this won't be the last time we have discussions on this. We started this a long time ago. This committee started debate on this when we were on our first family-friendly discussion, as you said. We started this debate, and I don't think it's going to end now, so I'm sure we'll see you again. We appreciate your wise counsel.
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to you.
Noon
Liberal
Noon
Clerk of the House of Commons
Again, I think it depends on the hours. I think that if the parallel chamber is sitting, some committees may not be sitting, so I think we could probably come up with the resources.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Ninety clerks, wow.
That's a good way to end.
We'll suspend for a couple minutes while we change witnesses.
