Evidence of meeting #55 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 opposition.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Chair, for your indulgence.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
I wasn't ready to change speakers so quickly. I think because we're close to suspending for the Scottish speaker and question period, I will just make a couple of administrative remarks and let Mr. Graham start this afternoon.
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Yes. So when we suspend, we'll come back, as Mr. Reid suggested, half an hour after QP, and go roughly until midnight as we did last night, and then tomorrow morning from the same time. We'll start in the morning at 9 and go until question period, which is at 11. Then that will be it for tomorrow.
I forgot to remind people. Did everyone get their copy of the paper we asked our researcher to do on the history of standing order changes in the House?
Conservative
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Have you made any decisions about next week? You've gone as far as Friday.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Not yet. I said before you were here that I was hoping not to come Monday, or to come after QP on Monday, but I didn't do anything final.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Are there any other administrative things? I think that's it.
The speaker of the Scottish Parliament will be here, and it will be informal. It's voluntary. You don't have to be here. There will not be any minutes. It will just be a discussion.
Ms. Mendès.
Liberal
Alexandra Mendes Liberal Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC
Thank you, Chair.
As a point of information, because we actually met him yesterday, he's not a speaker, he's a presiding officer. He insists on being called that, the presiding officer.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Okay, the presiding officer.
Just so you know what has been going on in the House, all morning they've been debating Lisa Raitt's question of privilege, which the Speaker found a prima facie case, but they're still debating it.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
We know where that goes: here. It's one more layer in the onion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
I think the motion also goes to the specific length of saying that it takes precedence over this discussion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
There's an amendment that would do that. They're still discussing. They're still debating the amendment.
Mr. Doherty.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Chair, was it your intention, through your last few comments, to serve notice that we would not be resuming the committee until after QP on Monday, or do we have an opportunity to discuss this further as a group, perhaps later tonight? I ask because I know we have our list of members who are wishing to speak here, and the more we postpone it, the more we'll have members who are not allowed or not afforded that opportunity to speak to this important topic. The quicker we can get back to resuming this, barring any agreement from the House leaders obviously, the better it would be.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
As I said, I haven't decided yet for next week, but we're hoping we can come to an agreement this week so we don't have to worry about next week.
We'll suspend until one half-hour after question period.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
We are resuming meeting number 55.
For anyone who wasn't here this morning, this is a reminder that our intrepid researcher did the research that we asked him to do on Standing Order changes in the past and how those decisions were made. Everyone on the committee should have a copy.
Go ahead, Mr. Lukiwski.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
I have a point of order, Chair, or, perhaps more accurately, a point of clarification. It deals with the mandate of this committee.
My understanding is that just in the last 30 minutes or so Madam Tassi put a motion forward in the House, or put it on notice at least, that the procedure and House affairs committee study the issue of privilege raised by both MP Raitt and MP Bernier.
My question to you, Chair, is whether PROC has the ability to agree to engage in that study arbitrarily or whether we need a reference from the Speaker to do so. I wonder if you could rule on that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
At the moment, we would need a reference from the House, because we're in the middle of something. We could decide to do that later when we get around to future business, but if the House refers it to us now, if there's an order of the House, then we have to follow the order of the House.
