Evidence of meeting #1 for International Trade in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Christine Lafrance
Honourable members of the committee, I see a quorum.
I must inform members that the clerk of the committee can only receive motions for the election of the chair. The clerk cannot receive other types of motions, cannot entertain points of order and cannot participate in debate.
We can now proceed to the election of the chair.
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the chair must be a member of the government party.
I am ready to receive motions for the chair.
The Clerk
It was moved by Mr. Dhaliwal that the Honourable Judy A. Sgro be elected as chair of the committee.
Are there any other motions?
(Motion agreed to)
Seeing none, I declare Ms. Sgro the chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade.
Liberal
The Chair (Hon. Judy A. Sgro (Humber River—Black Creek, Lib.)) Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you all very much for the vote of confidence.
I have worked with some of you before in other committees. I think that we worked well in the last committee session. People know me as being pretty patient. I want to make sure everybody gets their fair time and a great opportunity to ask their questions, and so on. Thank you for the vote of confidence.
I have a question for you all. Does the committee wish to proceed at this time with the election of the vice-chairs?
The Clerk
I'm sorry, but I just got a message that the technicians are requesting a pause. I'll just make sure that everything is fine and then I will come back.
[Technical Difficulty—Editor]
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the first vice-chair must be a member of the official opposition.
I'm now prepared to receive motions for the position of first vice-chair.
Ms. Bendayan, the floor is yours.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
I'd like to nominate Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay as vice-chair of the committee.
The Clerk
Mr. Savard-Tremblay may be nominated, but as second vice-chair. The first chair must be a member of the official opposition.
Is there a motion for the first vice-chair, who must be a member of the official opposition?
Conservative
The Clerk
Are there any further motions?
(Motion agreed to)
Seeing none, I declare Ms. Tracy Gray the first vice-chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade.
Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the second vice-chair must be a member of an opposition party other than the official opposition.
I'm now prepared to receive motions for the position of second vice-chair.
Ms. Bendayan, the floor is yours.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you.
I nominate Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay as second vice-chair.
The Clerk
It was moved by Ms. Bendayan that Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay be elected as second vice-chair of the committee.
Are there any further motions?
(Motion agreed to)
I declare the motion carried and Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay duly elected as second vice-chair of the committee.
Madame Sgro, the floor is yours.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Okay.
As you are all aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee. To ensure an orderly meeting, I have to outline a few rules to follow.
Interpretation in this video conference will work very much as in a regular committee meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of either “floor”, “English” or “French”. As you are speaking, if you plan to alternate from one language to the other, you will need to also switch the interpretation channel so that it aligns with the language you are speaking. You may also want to allow for a short pause when switching languages.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When you are ready to speak, you can click on your microphone icon to activate your mike. I remind you that all comments by members should be addressed through the chair.
Should members need to request the floor, they should activate their mike and state that they have a point of order. If a member wishes to intervene on a point of order that has been raised by another member, they should use the “raise hand” function. This will signal to the chair your interest in speaking.
In order to do so, you should click on “Participants” at the bottom of the screen. When the list pops up, you will see next to your name that you can click on “raise hand”.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute, and the use of a headset is strongly encouraged.
Should any technical challenges arise—and I'm sure they will, in relation to, for example, interpretation—or if a problem with your audio arises, please advise the chair immediately, and the technical team will work to resolve the issue. Please note that we may need to suspend during these times, as we need to ensure that all members are able to participate fully.
Before we start, can everyone click on their screen in the top right-hand corner and ensure that you are all on gallery view?
Is everyone on gallery view? With this view, we can all see all of the participants in a grid view. It will ensure that all video participants can see each other.
If the committee wishes, we can now proceed to the consideration of routine motions.
Liberal
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
I will begin in English, and for the benefit of our translators, I will switch to French about midway through routine motions.
Beginning with “Analyst Services”, the motion reads:
That the committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the chair, the services of one of more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.
With respect to “Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure”, we have:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and composed of five (5) members; the Chair, one member from each Party; and that the subcommittee work in the spirit of collaboration.
With respect to “Meeting Without a Quorum”—
NDP
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
I have a quick question, Madam Chair. Are we going to be dealing with these one at a time or are we going to be dealing with them all together? How is it your intention to proceed?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
If we have unanimous consent, we can deal with them all on the completion of the presentation of the motions.
NDP
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Well, I do have suggestions for some slight alterations, so I'll ask how you want me to deal with those. Do you want me to raise them as the motion is read, or do you want me to wait until the end and then go back?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
My suggestion is that we wait until Ms. Bendayan finishes and then we will go to you, Mr. Blaikie, for any suggestions you may have.
Is that acceptable to the committee?
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
On a point of order, Madam Chair, this morning at the immigration and citizenship committee, we read one motion at a time. I think it was as fast as this, and it's not going to be as confusing as going back and forth. I think we should do one topic at a time.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Okay, let's try it, then.
Mr. Blaikie, Ms. Bendayan will start again with the routine motions, and you'll have to indicate where you want to make an amendment or a change.
Will that work for everybody?
