Justice Committee on Oct. 15th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you, Mr. Garrison.

You're absolutely right. I think the past couple of months we had were an experience. We were able to go back and forth, depending on the situation of the day, depending on the number of witnesses, and so on. Obviously, our job as a committee is to make sure we are able to use a witness's expertise to better inform how we conduct ourselves through the legislation process, through our committee process, to inform any amendments and debate on legislation. I appreciate that.

Monsieur Fortin, is your hand raised from the last time, or do you want to speak again?

You're okay. All right. Thank you.

Mr. Clerk, we have two amendments that are before us for the routine motion on the time for opening remarks and questioning of witnesses. The first amendment is proposed by Mr. Virani. It is to amend the first line to read, “That witnesses be given between five and seven and a half minutes, at the discretion of the Chair, for their opening statement”. Is that accurate?

[The Clerk]

It is, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Do we want to vote on both of the amendments together or individually? I'll take a nodding or shaking of heads at this time.

[The Clerk]

If I may say so, I think it would be preferable to vote on each of these since they don't amend the same part of the main motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Okay.

For that first amendment, maybe we can go ahead. Do we want to do a show of hands, on division, or would we like to have a recorded vote on this?

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I request a recorded vote, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you, Mr. Cooper.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 7; nays 3)

That amendment is now adopted within the original routine motion.

We'll go to the second amendment, which is proposed by Mr. Garrison.

Mr. Clerk, please guide us in reading out how that would amend the original motion. Actually, before you do that, I realize that I can't see Ms. Findlay on the screen.

Mr. Moore, would you like us to suspend while we get her back on, or should we continue?

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

I'm sure she's trying to get back on. Maybe we could suspend for a couple of minutes.

Madam Chair, also when the clerk was reading out the names, I don't know if everyone else had this issue, but I wasn't hearing the clerk. I am hearing everything else, just not the clerk.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

That's interesting. I heard the clerk call your name and everybody else's name as well.

Mr. Clerk, do you want to see if Mr. Moore needs some IT help?

[The Clerk]

Sure.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

I hear you now—

[The Clerk]

That's perfect.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

—but I wasn't hearing you when you were reading the names.

[The Clerk]

As for Ms. Findlay, we had a message at 11:58 from our great technicians here. She's having connection issues. The technician was already on the phone with her and she was trying at that time to connect from another location. That's just for your information as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Mr. Moore, would you like us to continue, or would you like us to wait? In the interest of collaboration, I want to make sure that everybody is well represented here. I just want to make sure that we have your consent before we continue.

Mr. Cooper.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Chair, I would ask that we suspend briefly to give Ms. Findlay time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

We'll suspend for five minutes then. Don't go too far.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Welcome back, everybody.

Mr. Clerk, do we have an update on Ms. Findlay?

[The Clerk]

About a minute ago, I asked our technicians to give us an update, but that update is unfortunately still not available. I presume that they're still trying to resolve the technical issue Ms. Findlay is experiencing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thanks, Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Moore, help me determine how to proceed.

Mr. Moore, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Maguire, how should we be doing this?

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

I think we were still discussing Mr. Garrison's motion, so we can at least move to that for now if you like.

Thanks, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thanks, Mr. Moore.

With that, then, Mr. Clerk, can you help us firm up the language of the routine motion in terms of time for opening remarks and questioning of witnesses? That would reflect the motion that we've just passed now, as well as the motion that is being proposed by Mr. Garrison.

[The Clerk]

Madam Chair, Mr. Virani's motion was actually proposing that five to seven and a half minutes—at the Chair's discretion—be allocated to witnesses for their presentations. That has been passed, so it's done.

Mr. Garrison's amendment concerned the part of the motion on the second round of questions following witness presentations. The original motion proposes that the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party each have five minutes twice in a row, and that the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party each have two and a half minutes.

Mr. Garrison's amendment proposes that the time allocated to the Bloc Québécois and to the New Democratic Party now be provided in the middle of that round of questions, following the first five minutes of the Conservative Party and first five minutes of the Liberal Party. So the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party would be given two and a half minutes each before the second round of questions is wrapped up with the Conservative Party for five minutes and the Liberal Party for five minutes.

I think that clarifies matters, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Is there any clarification needed from any of the members at this time?

I noticed that Ms. Findlay is not back yet, and I'm hesitant to vote on this.

Mr. Clerk, would it be proper for us to move to the next few routine motions, and then once Ms. Findlay is back we can have a vote on this? Is that proper and within the rules?

[The Clerk]

Yes. If the committee consents, it's okay to do so.