National Defence Committee on Nov. 13th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

The amendment is defeated.

On the question of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure as presented, all those in favour please signify.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

The motion for reduced quorum is that the chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three members are present, including one member of the opposition.

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

On distribution of documents, the motion is that only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee, and only when such documents exist in both official languages.

Committee, this is critically important. I sometimes find myself that somebody will send you a letter, and you quickly want to do something with it. But be very cautious. Everything comes through the clerk, and if it's not in both official languages, it cannot be presented to the committee.

Is there any further discussion?

Are you in favour of that, Claude?

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Yes, absolutely. Can I vote twice?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

I think you might have written that one.

Working meals is something we're going to have to deal with, because we're going to be meeting from eleven till one. The motion is that the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangement to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

For witnesses' expenses, the motion is that if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation, and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Did everybody get a copy of the little book I am holding?

In it is our budget for last time. We spent about half of what we had to spend. Our budget was $245,000, and we spent $128,000, and $122,000 of that was to go to Afghanistan. So the committee was very frugal, as we would expect.

The next topic concerns staff at in camera meetings.

Go ahead, Mr. Coderre.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

I think that we also have to be practical, Mr. Chair. I understand that, as members of Parliament, we need our representatives. But what I find a bit disappointing is that, in our parliamentary world, there are whips, and whips' representatives in each party. Too often, when there is work to do in a meeting in camera, especially if people of any party are missing, the whips' representatives are told that, since they are not staff representatives, they have to leave.

In our party, the whip's representatives even attend caucus meetings. I do not see that as a problem. So I would like us to say that the representatives of party whips can attend in camera meetings.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

It presently states that unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting.

What is the addition you're suggesting, Mr. Coderre?

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

It's that a representative of the whip's office or any party—I'm not talking about five, but if there's at least one—would be able to remain if they're here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Okay, so it would be one staff member at an in camera meeting, and one staff member from the whip's office of each party.

Mr. Hawn.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

May I suggest a friendly amendment that we not limit it to the whip's office, and instead say “one party staff member”? It wouldn't necessarily have to be from the whip's office; it might be from the House leader's office.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

But you already have that. I said whip because most of the time the whip's office is all over the place, we have to fill the gaps, and they've been taken out. It's the function itself, I think.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I understand that, but I'm saying it should say one staff member per party, in addition to the individual members.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

That means it could be anyone. I want them to be specifically from the whip's office. In that motion we already have our own staff—you have yours and I have mine if they're coming—but for the whip's office I think it's kind of a pragmatic way of doing things. So I don't accept the friendly amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

We have a speaking order going here now. Mr. Bachand is next, and then we'll come back to Mr. Hawn.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

I have nothing against adding a member of the whip's office, but adding anyone from the party... I am not terribly fond of the Privy Council office, and I would not like someone from the Privy Council sitting here listening to what is going on. So, I prefer to keep the amendment the way it is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Okay.

Mr. Hawn is next and then Mr. Lunney.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I would like to propose a formal subamendment. Then we can vote on it. I'd like it to say “one party staff member attend in camera meetings”, because it might be from the House leader's office, for example. I'd like to propose that as a subamendment, and we can deal with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Mr. Hawn's subamendment would read “one party staff member”.

The amendment by Mr. Coderre is for “one representative from the whip's office from each party”.

Mr. Lunney.

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Chair, thank you.

I just want to clarify. I think the intent of Mr. Hawn's motion is to cover one person. We're not talking about PCO or PMO; we're talking about one party. It could be expanded beyond the whip's office to include somebody else from the House leader's office, as he's expressed, which is a little more inclusive than “the whip's office”. Perhaps members would want to give that consideration.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Ms. Black.

[Dawn Black, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the motion, but there's one thing I would like to get on the record. If you're having an in camera meeting it's for specific reasons, and the more people who are in the room, the more you run the risk of the in camera nature of the meeting being difficult to maintain.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rick Casson]

Thanks for that.

We'll vote on the subamendment of Mr. Hawn that we add one party staff member.

(Subamendment negatived)