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.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Are there any further comments on those routine motions?
Not seeing any—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Madam Chair, I'm wondering if you can provide some clarification on the subcommittee. For this particular committee, historically it's something that hasn't really been utilized. Perhaps you could provide some clarification on the terms of reference for that subcommittee.
Since we're in this unique stage and committees can be mobilized very quickly, and we don't all have to physically get together, and a committee of the whole can occur very efficiently and very quickly, I'm wondering what the purpose of the subcommittee would be. What would they be doing differently? How often would they meet, and for what purpose?
This committee has only sat once since March. I think we should be meeting together as frequently as we can. I was wondering if you can provide some clarification as to what that subcommittee would look like.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Yes, Madam Chair.
This is what we did this morning on the meeting of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure. We adopted a motion “That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five members; the Chair, one member from each party, and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.”
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Can I throw something out in an answer to Ms. Gray?
In our last session, we did not use the subcommittee part. We would have a discussion among all of us as committee members and decide the priorities of the different items that each party cared about and wanted to see some work done on, and we did it all as a group, rather than having a separate subcommittee. We never utilized it.
Mr. Hoback, I'd appreciate your comments too, because you've been on the committee quite a while.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
Yes, Chair. We've got along so well as a committee. When we sat together, we tended to either basically negotiate it beforehand or have it all figured out in the committee among ourselves.
At the time, we thought a subcommittee was a waste of time, because decisions had to come back to the committee to be authorized anyway. The subcommittee could go out and do all this work and come back to the main committee, and all of a sudden they'd all get voted down. You might as well just do it all in the main committee and be done with it. Then we all know where we're going, and it gives everybody a chance to have their input into the direction the committee should travel—“travel" may not be the right word, but which way it should go.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Yes.
Are there any further comments on that idea that we won't utilize the subcommittee, that we will just utilize the whole committee to establish our priorities?
Is everybody okay with that?
Go ahead, Mr. Blaikie.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Terry Sheehan Liberal Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Sorry about that.
I'm just agreeing with everyone, including the new vice-chair, and congratulations.
To Randy's point, we had that in our pocket but we never used it. I think that we can form it through resolution today, but I think agreement among ourselves.... I can't remember ever using it as well. If we ever needed to, I suppose it would be in our pocket, but we could all agree as a committee that we would direct the subcommittee to do something. However, we've never used it. It's just a good tool to have in the tool box, because you never know when you will need that tool.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Okay. Are there any further comments on that? Is everyone okay with that?
(Motion agreed to)
All right. We will continue to function as we did prior.
Thank you for raising that point, Ms. Gray.
We need to take a vote now.
All those in favour of the routine motions as amended?
October 14th, 2020 / 3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Madam Chair, I have a quick question. It went pretty fast. As for the in camera meetings, do we really want all staff to be there? I think traditionally we only had a member from every whip's office in the in camera meetings.
I know it went fast, and I wasn't able to interject then, but my suggestion would be members and only one member from the whip's staff for an in camera meeting.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Mr. Dhaliwal, are you speaking on the same issue? Then I have Mr. Savard-Tremblay.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Regarding in camera meetings, I would like to bring in a routine motion. It is “That the committee may meet in camera only for the following purposes: (a) to consider a draft report, (b) to attend briefings concerning national security, (c) to consider lists of witnesses, or (d) any other reason with the unanimous consent of the committee; that all votes taken in camera, with the exception of votes regarding the consideration of draft reports, be recorded in the minutes of proceedings, including how each member voted when recorded votes are requested; that any motion to sit in camera is debatable and amendable.
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Before the discussion on the motions ends, I want to address one topic and ask a question, because this process was fairly quick.
The new vice-chair, whom I want to congratulate and also welcome, spoke earlier about parliamentary assistants attending this meeting. I want to know whether this involves giving them Zoom codes so that they can access our meeting.
4 p.m.
The Clerk
As of now, the motion reads that every MP has the right to have one staff member attending the in camera meeting, plus a member from the leader's office and a member from the whip's office.
I tried to find out how this would be done before the meeting, and to be frank, I received contradictory information. I will get back to you on that.
To my knowledge, during the summer every MP could have one member of his staff and one member from the leader's office and one member from the whip's office by Zoom. They received the link and they received the password, but the cameras were not open. Only the members had the camera open, but the staff could listen to the meeting.
Please take that carefully, because I need to double-check that.
Ms. Sgro, if you can take a minute, please, I would like to speak to you about the motion tabled by Mr. Dhaliwal.
4 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Mr. Dhaliwal, before we suspend for a few minutes, do you want to say something about the motion that you moved regarding in camera meetings?
4 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Madam Chair, that one is fine. However, on the other one, the one where the witnesses come and speak, instead of allotting them 10 minutes, I think we should have only five minutes, because if there are two from—
4 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
No. You're changing things.
Chair, why don't we just deal with one motion at a time?
4 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Yes.
I don't know how we do all this, but I'm going to suspend the meeting for two minutes while I have a discussion with the clerk.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
All of this is an experience for all of us.
Mr. Dhaliwal, you had moved a motion regarding in camera. So that everybody clearly hears it, would you like to read out again the motion you're suggesting? I certainly didn't hear it clearly enough and understand fully what the implications are.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Madam Chair, it's not a necessity that we get this motion passed. It was my suggestion. The clerk may feel that it is not a necessity for this committee. This might be applicable to one committee but not the others.
I have no problem, one way or the other, whether this motion goes through, but I can read it for you and the members again.
It is “That the committee may meet in camera only for the following purposes: (a) to consider a draft report; (b) to attend briefings concerning national security; (c) to consider lists of witnesses; (d) for any other reason with the unanimous consent of the committee; that all votes taken in camera, with the exception of votes regarding the consideration of draft reports, be recorded in the minutes of proceedings, including how each member voted when recorded votes are requested; that any motion to sit in camera is debatable and amendable.”
I would like to withdraw my motion because I don't think it's a necessity here.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
I think we should do it. I agree with that. I think it's a good motion.
