Evidence of meeting #1 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was liberal.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
What I proposed was only what was done in other committees. Nothing is on the table right now; we're only discussing what the order should be. What you do have is exactly the way it was. What I suggested is what foreign affairs does, and now we're having some discussion on it.
Mr. Lessard.
Bloc
Yves Lessard Bloc Chambly—Borduas, QC
You're right, this is different from the other committees. The other committees are currently discussing this because they find that our way is the right way.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
There were some concerns about it. That's why I'm having some discussion right now.
I have Ms. Yelich and then Mr. Lake.
Conservative
Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK
I think it should reflect how the House questioning is allocated. Also, I attended many committees after that and I found that this seemed so much fairer for the government and the official opposition.
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Okay. If you want to refer to the motion we had the last time around, I'll read from that--with the change:
That in hearing evidence, the witnesses be allowed a maximum of ten (10) minutes for their presentation and that the rounds of questioning be as follows:
First Round (time includes Question & Answer) A. Liberal Party - 7 minutes B. Bloc Quebecois - 7 minutes C. New Democratic Party - 7 minutes D. Conservative Party- 7 minutes.
Second Round (time includes Question & Answer) A. Liberal Party - 5 minutes B. Bloc Quebecois - 5 minutes C. New Democratic Party - 5 minutes D. Conservative Party - 5 minutes.
Third Round (time includes Question & Answer) Back and forth between the opposition and the government, at the discretion of the Chair - 5 minutes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
If you could repeat it, we're with you on the first round. Perhaps we could get you to repeat the second round, please, so we have it.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Okay. It would be:
A. Liberal Party - 5 minutes B. Bloc Quebecois - 5 minutes C. New Democratic Party - 5 minutes D. Conservative Party- 5 minutes.
So it alternates: Liberal, Conservative, Bloc, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, for five minutes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
We're going to take names here.
Mr. Martin, I still have you, then Mr. Lessard, and we'll come back.
Go ahead, Mr. Martin.
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
I don't understand the need for change here. I thought we had a committee, probably one of the better working committees in the House in the last session. We all had a chance to ask our questions.
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
When you look at parties, we each had a fair shot at the witnesses, and I think it worked well. I think we should leave it as it is. Why fix something that isn't broken?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
The challenge, once again, Mr. Martin, is that you had a chance to ask three questions when the Conservatives, who clearly would have four or five people show up, wouldn't get a chance to ask some questions. I ask if that's fair, if you hold one seat and they have four seats and all their members, who spend just as much time preparing for committee, don't get a chance to ask a question. That's the only reason I'm asking the question.
I realize you didn't have a problem with it, but the Conservatives did, and I believe the Liberals did for their time as well.
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
This is the first I've heard of the Liberals having a problem with it; they seemed to be okay with the last session.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Hold on a second. Let me keep the list going here. I have Mr. Lessard and then Mr. Lake again.
Mr. Lessard.
Bloc
Yves Lessard Bloc Chambly—Borduas, QC
Mr. Chairman, I propose that we keep the system we'd already established. For the benefit of our colleagues, I will explain why this had been done this way.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, we already have a motion on the table.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
That's correct.
Mr. Lessard, we do have a motion on the table we need to deal with. We'll come back to you, and we can look at reintroducing that.
Bloc
Yves Lessard Bloc Chambly—Borduas, QC
Can I talk about his motion?
Mr. Chairman, I think we must defeat this motion and come back to the motion that we'd adopted in the last two Parliaments. I say this for the following reason, Mr. Chairman...
Bloc
Yves Lessard Bloc Chambly—Borduas, QC
I will wait till my colleagues can understand this properly because this will be essential for the vote.
Here is what came out of the previous two sessions: the party in power has every opportunity to express its viewpoint, especially in the House of Commons, since the rules favour the party in power.
The committees exist so that opposition parties can also express their opinion and their wishes regarding bills which most of the time were tabled by the government itself. This proposal was made at the time so that the opposition could benefit from committees to do the work expected of it, and more specifically so that it could ask questions. Therefore, in our opinion, there is no reason to change the order in which questions are asked during committee meetings. Otherwise, the very nature of these meetings is being changed.
I would therefore urge my colleagues who are present here today to defeat the motion of our colleague Mike Lake. Afterwards, I will table a motion to maintain the order that has already been established.