Evidence of meeting #16 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
What you have just said, Ms. Blaney, seems like another study. It almost seems like we're not just adding in whether a provincial parliament has had a session or two, but in addition to that, we're also adding the whole plan that—
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
No, we don't have to add the whole plan. I don't think that's a requirement. I'm saying they have them. Making a reference that gives a link to their plan, to me, reflects that we are a national body and there are provincial and territorial bodies, and as all of us move through this, we're looking at what other countries are doing and what other provinces and territories are doing.
It's at the will of the committee. I respect that we don't have a lot of time, but I think there could be some solutions that we could talk about. That's just my perspective.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Okay.
I feel we've gone down a road that is now almost going to have a whole bunch of mini-studies that would be very insightful and would be great, but let's hear from Andre. Maybe he could sort this out for us.
Committee Researcher
If it helps the committee during this discussion, I emailed my colleague who wrote the section and said that the committee is discussing this right now. I asked if it would be possible to add a line along the discussion that the committee is having now. She wrote back to me and said she's on it, if that helps the committee.
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Madam Chair, could I just be clear, then, about what she's on?
Andre, if you could clarify that for me, it would be appreciated.
Committee Researcher
I asked her to add a sentence about when each province is coming back or if there's anything known about when the provincial or territorial legislatures are planning on sitting again—every province.
For additional information for Ms. Blaney and for Dr. Duncan, I would put something at the top explaining that there are of course going to be differences across the country about how COVID is affecting people in the different provinces and legislatures and that the reader might want to keep that in mind when reading about the provinces and territorial legislatures.
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Madam Chair, to be frank, that's precisely what we were asking for. It is to reflect the current environment. You'll have to excuse me, but I thought we were in the process of drafting a report that does reflect the current environment. There are things that have been added. For example, we talked about what's happening in the Scottish Parliament. We added the current environment in New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Frankly, it doesn't make any sense not to add what the current environment is here in our own country when we did that for other countries half an hour ago. It's not asking for much, except to reflect the current environment.
We're in the process of drafting a report. This is what we do. We don't try to keep information away from Canadians. We try to put it in the report. That's what we're reflecting here.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Yes, I did see your hand go up and I saw another one.
We'll go to Ms. Petitpas Taylor and then Mr. Genuis.
Liberal
Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Thank you so much, Madam Chair.
I think it also would be very fair, if we're going to be adding a line with respect to that, to include a line that reflects our current national reality as well when it comes to travel. I think that really needs to be highlighted in the report as well. If we are going to add the reality of what's going on in the provincial setting, so be it, but the public health measures that have been put in place as well also have to reflect our reality as parliamentarians.
Ms. Blaney is on one coast and I'm on the other coast. My reality in New Brunswick is very different from Ms. Blaney's. We also know that there are many restrictions that provinces have put in place. My concern is with that total picture. It's not that I don't want the information to be available to Canadians. My concern is that there are parts of this picture that are really going to be missing. That's my only concern with respect to adding pieces of information. I think we have to have a total picture if we're going to start adding pieces to it.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Some of the points I was going to make are maybe a bit moot in light of the fact that there seems to be an agreement about adding some additional information. I'll leave it to the regular members to discuss specifics.
Madam Chair, I want to ask you about the process for getting recognized in the committee. Are you using the hand-raise function on the right of the screen, or are people getting your attention in another way? It seems that there might be multiple tools being used.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Thanks for that, Garnett.
Generally, in every meeting other than this one, we have been using rounds so that I know who's up next to speak, or we have used the raise-hand tool in the participants' section. Today, since we have been going so quickly, people have just been catching my eye by waving their hand; hence, the rules have been a little off today. If we could go back to people putting their hands up in the participants' section, that will make it easier when more people jump in than just the one or two so far.
Conservative
Conservative
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
I think everybody could agree on making a small change in the Newfoundland section. A smaller change would be more agreeable to Andre. It isn't the legislative assembly, but the House of Assembly in Newfoundland. We can all probably get a thumbs-up on that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Just like that. The point about the Victoria museum that Mr. Brassard made the last time was a good catch.
Andre, I know you mentioned travel as well in another part of the report, and that there are quarantine requirements in place in some provinces and not in others. It didn't really get into details, so seeing everyone's comments here, do you think we would be able to add in how many sittings the legislature has had, what the travel restrictions in and out of that place are, and if they have a provincial plan in place, could we link to it, as Ms. Blaney suggested? Could all of that be done?
Committee Researcher
The issue, I think, could be one of time. I was in touch with my colleague, and she'll probably finish work, as most people do, around four or five o'clock. I said I'll create a list of things for her to add to that section in line with whatever the committee would like added. Right now I have noted that we need to update when the provincial and territorial legislatures are sitting, and, if they are sitting, what their plan is. I can add something about travel restrictions as well. We'll see if she's able to find that information and add it to the section as well.
Is there anything else the committee would like?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Okay, is that good then? Can we move on? All right.
Go ahead, Christine.
Bloc
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
As far as the part relating to Quebec is concerned, I want to make sure it doesn't seem contradictory. In fact, the French reads:
Aucune disposition du Règlement de l’Assemblée n’autorise les députés à participer à distance aux travaux de la Chambre et des comités.
This suggests that members are illegally participating in the work, remotely. Perhaps we should simply reword it and make it clear that there is no provision that specifically allows for this, but there is no provision that prohibits it either. Maybe we just need to word it in such a way that it doesn't seem contradictory.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
We're lacking a provision for that. You have that, Andre, right?
I'm going to go back a little and name each province off and just get the thumbs-up from everybody or see if there are any other minor mistakes.
For the British Columbia section, are we good with that? Yes. Now we have Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
I think the point that Christine made here with regard to Quebec, Andre, could be applicable to more than just the one section. We could say there is an absence of any rules regarding remote voting or any of that. All of that could probably be phrased a bit better than the way it is right now, in the negative, where it just says that it's not allowed or something.
Now we have New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon.... Obviously, as we've discussed, there are going to be some additions to all of those sections.
Now we go on to the “Discussion” section and the meatier part of our report.
Go ahead, Mr. Turnbull.