International Trade Committee on May 3rd, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

The next is on 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, in which case the 48 hours won't be required, and that notice of motion be filed with the clerk of the committee and distributed to members in both official languages.

[An hon. member]

So moved.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Now we're down to the one that may take a little more time; maybe not. It's the allocation of questioning time at committee.

Mr. Julian.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Congratulations, Mr. Chair.

I would like to say hello to members who are returning, like Mr. Menzies, Mr. Eyking, and Mr. Paquette. We functioned in a very collegial way in the last Parliament. What we had for witnesses was essentially close to this option 2 that's before us. As you mentioned earlier, this is not as much of a partisan committee. It's a committee that works very effectively together. I would like to move option 2. I think that's in keeping with the past practices of the subcommittee before it became a standing committee. It's also in the spirit of that collegiality that was mentioned earlier.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Paquette, go ahead, please.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Peter is moving the second motion. There is no order contained in that motion for hearing questioners from the various parties. I would like to at least insure that on the first round of questioning, the Liberal Party will go first, followed by the Bloc Québécois and then the Liberals and New Democrats. I'm less concerned about the subsequent rounds. I think that the opposition parties should be able to count on being heard first. I do not have a problem with the second motion. I prefer it to the other one, which puts the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party much further down the list and gives much too much speaking time to the Conservatives. I would therefore like us to agree on opposition parties being given the floor on the first round.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Just for clarity, Mr. Paquette, are you suggesting that in the first round the Conservative Party be last on the list of questioners?

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

No, I mean for the first round and for the first option.

I would suggest that the Liberal Party have five minutes, the Bloc Québécois five minutes, the Conservative Party five minutes and the New Democratic Party five minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Could I ask for your thoughts on increasing the time of the first round to seven minutes maybe? That's more common, but it's of course up to the will of the committee.

Mr. Julian, go ahead, please.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

It says that for the first round of questioning there will be up to ten minutes for the first question of each party. I assume we're functioning the way we functioned before, which was the government, official opposition, Bloc, NDP. In the following rounds of questioning there would be up to five minutes for each subsequent questioner, and I'm assuming again the same principle: the government, official opposition, the Bloc, and the NDP. That's how we functioned in the last Parliament. It's a lot less complicated and it provides for the collegiality that we all want to see.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

At the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs—

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Menzies, go ahead, please.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

It seems to me that we started out with the opposition first.

Am I right, Mr. Paquette?

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

If my memory serves me well, at the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs the opposition members had the floor first, then the Bloc Québécois members, then the party in power and the New Democrats, after which we started over again. I do not mind if the New Democratic Party members speak before the Conservative Party members.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Menzies, were you finished?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

It was official opposition first, then government, then third party, then fourth party, if you'll allow me those terms.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

I don't remember it being like that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Does that sound reasonable for the first round?

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

I would prefer that the Liberals, the Bloc members, and why not, the New Democrats... The government has an opportunity to speak through its ministers. I think that in a committee, we have to give the floor to the opposition, especially given the fact that we have a minority government. We need to go second.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Just for clarification, Mr. Paquette, you are saying then that the three opposition parties should question first and then the governing Conservative Party?

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Yes, if we can agree on that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Ritz, go ahead, please.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Just further to Mr. Paquette's motion, are you saying there would be a different speaking order if there were a minister here? You're saying that government members have access to the minister so they should go last. But with witnesses we have no more access to them than you do, or any of the other parties does. Are you talking about two different---

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

No. Because you are members of the governing party, you have many opportunities to speak, not necessarily as members of Parliament but as a party. It seems to me that opposition parties should be able to speak on the first round.

If my memory serves me well, at the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Conservatives, who were the official opposition, had the floor first, followed by the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals and the New Democrats. I think we should at least have that. We could also be creative by allowing the New Democrats to speak before the Conservatives. We agreed to say that for the following rounds, we would proceed according to the interests of the parties and the members of Parliament. My suggestion is simply for the first round of questioning.