Evidence of meeting #1 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
We have not yet adopted a quorum requirement in this committee. You're saying that's the way it worked in the previous Parliament?
Conservative
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Well, the committees I've been part of have always included members of the opposition.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
This really isn't a deal breaker for us. If you want to say one member of the opposition, that's fine.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
We're looking to avoid the same situation that was in the subcommittee.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
That's fine. We were trying to just include our Liberal colleagues in the....
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Just to be clear, Mr. Lake, and so we know what we're voting on, do you want to read that into the record once more as we've agreed amended?
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Sure: that the chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least four members are present, including one member from the opposition.
Conservative
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Yes. Sorry, I do have to clarify that, because it's an important clarification.
The way that we've taken it out, we said “each recognized party”, and of course the government is one of those recognized parties; so it's including at least one member from the opposition and one member from the government.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Wait a minute: one member from the government and one from the opposition, right?
Does that...?
Okay, we've captured that now.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
So there are no changes in the second paragraph.
Everybody's fine with that timing? Okay, great.
(Motion as amended agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
The next motion is that when the chair and vice-chairs are unable to act as chair at or during a meeting of the committee, the chair shall designate a member of the committee to act as chair at or during the said meeting and that such an acting chair shall be vested with all the powers of the chair at or during the said meeting.
Is there any debate on this? It basically gives the chair the ability, if Mr. Masse and Mr. Regan were in some kind of circumstance, to designate somebody else to chair--my fine motorcycle buddy Mr. Thibeault, maybe.
That's fine?
It's moved by Mr. Masse.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
The next one is about timing for witnesses: that witnesses be given--and you can decide the number--minutes to make their opening statement; that, at the discretion of the chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated whatever number of minutes for the first questioner of each party when a minister appears before the committee and whatever number of minutes for the other meetings and that thereafter whatever minutes be allocated to each subsequent questioner, alternating between government and opposition parties.
Comments or debate?
Mr. Lake.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
With regard to rounds of questioning, witnesses from any one organization shall be allowed ten minutes to make their opening statement; during the questioning of witnesses, there shall be allocated seven minutes for the first round of questioning; and thereafter, five minutes shall be allocated to each questioner in the second and subsequent rounds of questioning.
Do we deal with speaking order at the same time, or is that separate?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
If we replace this motion right now with what you just said, then there's no conversation about speaking order.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
So the speaking order would happen within this?
Conservative
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Okay, then I'll just add it as a second paragraph, if that's okay.
The order of questions for the first round of questioning shall be as follows: Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Liberal. Questioning for the second round shall alternate between the government members and opposition members in the following fashion: Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, based on the principle that each committee member shall have a full opportunity to question the witnesses. If time permits, further rounds shall repeat the pattern of the first two at the discretion of the chair.
