Evidence of meeting #2 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
The next one is on staff at in camera meetings: that, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting.
Is there some difference in the French there? No, so that's okay.
Marc then moves it, I guess.
Are there any comments on that? Are we all agreed that those attending in camera meetings can be accompanied by one staff member? It doesn't need to be from your own member of Parliament office.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
Next is in camera meetings transcripts: that one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the committee clerk's office for consultation by members of the committee.
That is so moved by Nancy.
Are there any comments or questions on that?
For our newer members here, so that none of us is in breach of what was shared at an in camera meeting, the transcript is kept at the clerk's office. You can consult it there. It's not a document that is available to the public. Also, we are in breach if we share things outside this meeting room when there have been in camera discussions. There are sanctions that can be brought if that does occur.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
Next is the notice of motions: that 48 hours' notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration; and that the notice of motion be filed with the clerk of the committee and distributed to members in both official languages.
Roger, just to be clear for me again, is it 48 hours from the time you receive it?
The Clerk
Well, it depends. If it's substantive and I receive it in only one language, I have to have it translated.
Conservative
The Clerk
Maybe. If I receive it past 6 o'clock, I'm not at my office very much, so I would send it out the next morning.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
Are there any thoughts from those who have chaired committees you've served on before? Anita, Nancy, Jean?
Yvon.
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
If, according to the motion, it is 48 business hours, this would be in keeping with the practice that the clerk is not to exceed a 48-hour limit for translation. In the case of an 8-hour day, for instance, it takes 6 days to reach those 48 hours.
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Is the clerk in a position, in a period of 2 times 24 hours, to have the motion translated?
The Clerk
Usually, the motions are relatively short, and so are the translation deadlines.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
So if we have a scenario where a motion comes in after 6 o'clock on Friday and you pick it up in your in-box on Monday, when do the 48 hours begin?
The Clerk
That would be up to the committee to decide. My interpretation of it in the past has been that it's 48 hours as it leaves my office—
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
Do you accept that, Jean? Okay?
It's from the time it leaves the clerk's office, which means the onus is on the clerk to get it together quickly and get it out, so there is no delay and great frustration or upset from any of our members who got it in. The clerk has his work cut out to get it done quickly.
So with that understanding—which will be entered into the Hansard records—it is from the point the clerk gets it out that the 48 hours will be required.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
And then we have a motion on the allocation of time for questioning. You have before you the proposal. I don't know if anybody has done research in terms of other committees; I did some myself.
Jean.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Mr. Chair, I looked at a number of committees, and I know this was set for this particular committee in the last sitting of the House, but most other committees have a round of ten minutes for their opening statements and then seven minutes allocated for each of the opposition parties in the first round, with five minutes in the second round. That's fairly standard across a number of committees, and I do have the various committee descriptions here, so I would propose....
Did we actually move this?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Maurice Vellacott
It has not been moved as yet, but if you have another motion, could you state it clearly and loudly for us so we can understand it.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
I would propose that where it says, “during the questioning of witnesses there be allocated nine (9) minutes for the questioner of official opposition, seven (7) minutes for the questioner of the other parties”, it be amended to say, “there be allocated seven (7) minutes for the questioner of the official opposition, seven (7) minutes for the questioner of the other parties....”
