Evidence of meeting #1 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was meeting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
I'd like to see everybody get at least six minutes, and this way, the Conservatives are the only party that doesn't get six minutes. The third person wouldn't get a full six minutes.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Mr. Hoback, in the previous Parliaments the way I saw it was that the first round was six minutes and the second round was usually four minutes, or something like that. This way, at least it's pretty fair.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
It does give every Liberal member six minutes, and it doesn't give every Conservative member six minutes. It also gives the NDP nine minutes.
I just want to give everybody six minutes. That's all I'm asking. If we still have to stick to that 50 minute timetable, I think—
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
I think, in this one, the way I see it is that we are giving more time to the official opposition, and we are also giving three additional minutes to the NDP.
I would like to see this go as it is, but it's going to be at the discretion of the chair, because we can run pretty non-partisan. Just in case it goes to the parties and things, I would like to see this go the way it is right now. At least, with the NDP, if we run out of time, the NDP probably won't have that time for the next round.
9:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
If I may comment, I don't know if it makes a big difference, but I think that this committee's going to have a lot of witnesses, so you might find that round one is with one group of witnesses and round two might be another group or something.
The thing I like about this is that the NDP gets a crack at the next...you know, because sometimes with witnesses in that round, you're going to get the questions in.
I'm going to be flexible. If a topic's going well, if it's a topic that we've never heard, just because you ask a question—I'm just using this situation—and nobody thought about the question, it's a really good one, and we have a witness who's on a good roll, I'm not going to be putting the hammer down. I'm just letting you know the way I operate, that's all.
It's in the hands of the committee as to whether they're going to agree with this or have to vote on this, or what you're going to do with it.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Mr. Chair, can I give you a little background on the makeup of the House? The make up of the House is that Liberals are 56.3%, the Conservatives are 30.3%, and the NDP is 13.5%. When I look at the percentage of time allocated, the Liberals are only allocated 48%, the Conservatives are allocated 34%, and the NDP are allocated 17%. If we go with that representation in the House, the official opposition and the NDP are better off than the number of minutes we have, and I would like to see this motion go through as it is.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
Can I make a proposal that we change the end? Then in round two, in spot four, we go to the Conservatives for six minutes and the NDP for two minutes because that NDP member will have more time than any of the existing members there.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Mr. Hoback, if we look at it this way, because we are giving them 13.5%, they get 3.5% more, and at 30.3%—you are getting almost 3.7% more according to representation.
Let 's leave it as it is, and I'm sure the chair will be very cordial and will not cut us off within 30 seconds this way or that way, as is his discretion.
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON
I support it as it stands as well. I support what you have there with the time allotted.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like us to keep to the method of allocating time on the basis of the seats we hold in the House of Commons, as was proposed. And I think we have already been very generous in terms of allocating time, for that matter.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
I'm not asking to take away time from the government. I'm just asking that you reallocate opposition so that everybody gets—
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
We want to be fair to every party. We want to be fair to the NDP as well. The way we see it, Mr. Hoback.... You know that it is at the discretion of the chair to be half a minute this way or that way, but just—
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
It's not fair because everybody around this table gets six minutes except for one Conservative member. This is not fair.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Two Liberal members don't get to speak at all, so everybody around the table does not get the six minutes. Are you proposing that the Liberals get six times six minutes? That's the logical conclusion.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
I was just going to bring that up. One of you guys is not going to be speaking each day.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
Then, of course, the parliamentary secretary will want to speak once in a while.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
9:10 a.m.
A voice
It's been moved.