Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 21st, 2017

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

I don't have my thesis with me, unfortunately.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Hold on a second.

Mr. Blaikie.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Perhaps I could make a brief intervention while we're on the topic. I think it's fair to say that using votes to challenge the Speaker's ruling as a dilatory strategy in legislatures was used to some effect in the Manitoba legislature. In fact, I believe it's still the case—if it's not, it was just changed in the last few years—that members of the Manitoba legislature are able to challenge the Speaker.

In 1995 when the Conservative government of the day undertook, successfully I might add, to privatize the Manitoba telecom system, the opposition of the day—the NDP was the opposition party at that time—used that very technique, if you will, to tie up the legislature for a month or more, I think. It might have been longer than a month when they just rang the bells every day.

Someone would prompt the Speaker to rule on something—disorder in the House—and the Speaker would stand up, make a ruling, they'd challenge the ruling, the bells would ring for 30 minutes or whatever it was to call members in for a vote, they'd vote, the Speaker's ruling would be upheld, typically, and then they would force another ruling by the Speaker. They did this for at least a month, and I think it might have been substantially longer than that. I'd have to check. In fact I didn't come prepared to talk about the episode in the Manitoba legislature surrounding the privatization of MTS, but I think it is to the point and a sign that this is just an ancient technique.

In these debates, the McGrath committee has come up a lot. If I'm not mistaken, it was the McGrath committee that actually recommended putting an end to challenges to the Speaker.

Incidentally, while I'm on the record, part of the reason I know that is because I grew up on stories of the McGrath committee. My father was a member of the McGrath committee, so it wasn't uncommon, from time to time, depending on the topic, that you could elicit, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not—get talking about something or use certain trigger words or themes—and all of a sudden you were into McGrath committee territory, and there were stories about the McGrath committee, and how this happened, and that happened, and, “We made this recommendation and that was because this had been going on, and it was in response to that”. If I'm not mistaken, it was actually the McGrath committee that made the decision that the Speaker should not be challenged by the House. That the Speaker should be elected by secret ballot was also a McGrath committee consideration.

Anyway, thank you for the parliamentary history.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Mr. Richards.

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

I just want to thank Mr. Blaikie for that intervention, because it was actually quite interesting to hear about that experience in Manitoba. I suppose all of us have some kind of collective memories of different things, and obviously his experiences from having grown up in a political household would be different from what others might be. I actually didn't know that his dad had been on the McGrath committee, and I'm sure there were lots of great things he learned through his father from that.

I think all of us, coming from different provinces and things like that, often have different stories or experiences we hear from the different legislatures and things like that, which are quite interesting, but that Manitoba one I found incredibly interesting, for sure.

I just really want to thank Mr. Blaikie for that intervention, because I think it is helpful when people are able to jump in and update information.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Thank you, Mr. Richards.

Mr. Waugh.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to share one from Saskatchewan. At the time, the Conservative Party was dealing with potash. The government at the time was in charge of the Saskatchewan Potash Corporation and sold it. It's almost like MTS. Once the government got rid of it.... As you've found out, recently Bell just bought MTS, and they're trying to service Manitoba.

That was kind of the same situation in the Saskatchewan legislature. They did have a lot of discussion. The NDP did walk out on the Conservatives at that time, when the government of Grant Devine tried to sell Saskatchewan Potash. They were successful in selling Potash, and as you all know—we've brought up stories here—Manitoba Tel was one of the most successful independent telephone companies in this country up until a year ago, when they were sold to Bell Canada.

I think we have seen the same with Saskatchewan Potash. It was an interesting debate that they had. Many people didn't think the Province of Saskatchewan should have sold the potash rights, but they did. They got good money for them, and when they did go into private hands, it turned out to be a blessing, because PotashCorp, as you all know, is the biggest potash company in the world. They beat everyone in the world. They're one of the greatest.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Sorry, but did something happen in the legislature about the Speaker?

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes. They filibustered for months on that, because the government tried to sell it, and they were successful.

I just wanted to share that story. We talked about MTS, and I just thought I would share that on PotashCorp, because we also had a filibuster at that time, when the NDP did not agree to selling it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Mr. Simms.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

That's very interesting.

To my colleague from Saskatchewan, does the Saskatchewan legislature sit on Friday, and if it doesn't, would you be willing to go to them and say that they should?

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

No. Isn't that interesting. I think a couple of years ago, they decided not to sit on Friday. Did it meet with opposition? Yes, it did a bit. They also have, as here in Ottawa, some young families. Travel really isn't the issue in Saskatchewan.

They did take a hit. I hear it today in my riding of Saskatoon Southeast. People are wondering why the MLA is home at five o'clock on Thursday and all day Friday.

They decided in the legislature to have no sittings on Fridays. They sit a little longer, though.

You really can't, at times, compare federal with provincial. I show them my schedule in the House of Commons. Most MLAs look at that and say, “You're in Ottawa for 26 weeks of the year?” Yes, that's what I was hired to do. I've missed only one Friday in Ottawa. I'll fly back tomorrow afternoon after we're done, at 2:30, and I'll come back Sunday night at two in the morning.

There are varying degrees. For me, Mr. Simms, I'd like to share that I worked in sports for 40 years. There were no weekends. There were no nights. I worked from three to midnight for 40 years. I worked weekends for 40 years. I worked Christmas Eve for 32 of the 40 years. That's part of the job.

When I came into this job, along with Mr. Nater, in October, we knew the situation. We knew well in advance the schedule.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I was a TV weatherman at one time—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes. So you know that. We still do the three to midnight. I don't know, in your old station, if they're....

You know exactly what I'm talking about. On Christmas Eve, you would have had to work.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Christmas Day.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes. It's no different here.

When I looked at the calendar a year or two ahead, I knew darn well I would be gone 26 weeks of the year.

My wife and I have been married for 39 years. There was no difference in our household. Kevin Waugh was gone at eight in the morning—I was a school board trustee—and Kevin Waugh came home at 12:20 in the morning. I served the community.

You would have served the community as a weatherman.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

[Inaudible--Editor] prefers it that way.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes, my wife actually prefers it.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

The more you're gone, the better.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

That's right.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Now I'm glad we televised this.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes.

When you serve the public, as you did, that's expected. I don't have to tell you that when you had a day off, you had to represent your station somewhere. You did that. Come on, all weather guys are asked to go and represent the station at a function.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

We get a lot more grief than sports guys, trust me.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Well, yes, but today in Saskatoon it's plus 20. The weatherman is very well liked.