Thanks, Madam Chair.
I'm not going to make a lot of extra remarks at this point, but I do have an amendment that I'll move. The amendment is centred around trying to help us with a path forward here.
When we're looking at anything as this committee, I see that one of our key roles here is making sure that for Parliament and the way this Parliament is chosen—mainly with elections law—we're doing it in a way that is looking at it from a perspective of what is fair and what is helpful. I think anything we're doing should be done that way. That's one of the reasons why we have the principle that we do these changes by consensus. Trying to have something with which all parties feel comfortable is very important. It's very important to operate in that way.
The idea that we want to make sure that.... Yes, in the last election, Canadians decided to reduce the number of seats that the NDP held and the number of seats that the government held, and to increase somewhat the seats that our party and the Bloc Québécois hold. That makes a change in terms of how representation works in Parliament, of course, and it also makes a change in how things work in committees.
I think there was a lot of effort to try to make sure the decision of Canadians was recognized in the way the committees were made up and in the way things were done. Respecting the ability of all parties to have a role in a minority Parliament like this one was critical. I think that was recognized and was done, as my colleague just pointed out, in the way that committees and the steering committees for each of the committees were made up.
When we look at this further change that's being requested here, as one of my colleagues pointed out, many Canadians would look at it simply as a way to get a pay increase for one of the caucuses. Essentially, what that boils down to is that it's being suggested for I think a couple of reasons. It's a thought that people have for a couple of reasons. One, obviously, is that it would lead to that entire caucus receiving extra salary and, in some cases, for some of those members of Parliament, receiving more than one additional salary.
Keeping in mind that there are many members, particularly those of the Liberal caucus and the Conservative caucus, who receive no extra salary, I appreciate there might be some indications that as a critic for a party maybe there is some extra responsibility, and there certainly is, but there also is for people who are deputy critics for a party or people in the government caucus. I don't know for certain the situation, but I recall that when I was first here in a minority Parliament as part of a government caucus, I sat on two different committees. There is a fair bit of extra work involved in being on two committees as well, and those things aren't recognized with additional salaries.
Maybe that's a conversation that at some point happens, but I don't think it should be done in the context of what we're talking about here. Also, as one of my colleagues pointed out, the idea that we would have members of committees voting to increase their own salaries, essentially, is something that probably offends Canadians. I don't really believe.... I certainly hope that wouldn't be what this is about.
The other thing that I think some Canadians might look at and call into question is that given that situation you're talking about, with an entire caucus having their salaries increased, in supporting that principle, is that an attempt by the government to buy favour from one particular caucus in order to keep the votes they need to pass legislation and keep themselves in power?
I'm not suggesting that's the case, but I can certainly see how it might appear to some people to be the case. We certainly always want to try to avoid those kinds of appearances.
I recognize that no one would want it to appear that way. No one in the NDP caucus would want it to appear as though they're taking that kind of payment, I guess. Nobody in the Liberal caucus would want to make it appear as though that would be the case.
I think there is a way we could move forward with this, to do what I believe is the intention here, without creating that kind of impression. I think the intention here—I certainly hope this is the case—is simply to recognize with a title the role that an NDP member would be playing on a steering committee, etc. The way we could do that would be by making the following amendment.
The motion, as it's been put forward, currently reads:
That for the remainder of the 43rd parliament, notwithstanding Standing Order 106(2), in addition to the Chair and first vice-chair, there be one vice-chair from the Bloc Québécois and one vice-chair from the New Democratic Party for all committees listed under Standing Order 104.
That's the motion as it stands now. What I would suggest we do would be to make the following amendments. We would replace everything after the words “Standing Order 106(2)” with the following:
for all committees listed under Standing Order 104, the first vice-chair shall be a member of the official opposition, the second vice-chair shall be a member of an opposition party other than the official opposition party, and that the eligible member not selected for the position of second vice-chair be given the title of third vice-chair provided that they do not receive an additional salary under paragraph 62.1(1)(h) of the Parliament of Canada Act.
That would remove any of those impressions that people might have about payments and things like that. What it would do is, of course, provide for that title for the member of the other opposition party who wasn't chosen to be second vice-chair, and, I guess, provide some comfort that the recognition of their role on a steering committee is there. That's what I would move as an amendment at this time.