Agreed.
Evidence of meeting #50 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was countries.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #50 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was countries.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Okay.
Mr. Julian, you go ahead with a comment on this.
For the 12 years I've been here, as you all well know, this has been allowed with every committee I've been on. It's a routine type of thing, and the exception has been this committee.
Mr. Julian, if you could go ahead and make a short comment, and Monsieur Cardin as well, then we'll go to a vote.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
My comment is actually a question, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to ask my Liberal colleagues and Bloc colleagues--because they may have had a chance to consult--about their feelings on the matter.
1 p.m.
Bloc
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With respect, I must admit that I have looked into this. You say that all of the committees have adopted a similar motion. I asked around and I was told the opposite, that is, that all committees use indirectly what is currently available, namely standing order 108(1)a), which was amended and which allows us to append dissenting or different opinions.
We can do it, it is possible. But if we do it systematically, it means that the committee cannot use some discretionary powers and must choose to proceed in that way in some cases but not in others. Now, it will be done systematically: anyone at any time can draft a dissenting opinion. According to what I have been told, all of the committees are operating as they have done in the past. We, the Bloc Québécois, have not changed our mind. We favour the status quo. It is up to the committees, when they produce a report, to decide how they will include any dissenting opinions that may have been expressed; they can even go as far as to limit the length of the text.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Monsieur Cardin, of course, the motion does say that the conditions would be attached by the committee each time. So that's there.
What I said is that up until this last year, this has been routine at all committees. I don't know of a single committee that hasn't passed a motion like this, up until the last year. Certainly things have changed for some reason in this past year and some committees don't have this now.
I would like to go to a vote on this then. I think we've had the discussion on it. Let's go to a vote and let things fall as they may.
(Motion agreed to)
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you very much.
As you understand, the committee will have to set the conditions for each report. That's something that has been done in the past as well.
Thank you very much, everyone, for your cooperation on that.
We'll go to the steering committee after this, but this meeting is adjourned.