National Defence Committee on June 21st, 2011

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

It's always to the clerk. The notice always goes in to the clerk. Don't be sending notices to me. They won't be translated, to start with.

Go ahead, Mr. Strahl.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Chair, I know that in the other committee I've been on there was an attempt to have it be consistent in terms of what the cut-off was for a motion to be submitted to the House. On Monday to Thursday, I believe it's a certain time, and then on Friday it's a certain time. I was unsure if it is six o'clock or four. Perhaps we could be consistent—

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

We're dealing with a subamendment that is saying 4 p.m.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Could you advise or the clerk advise what time it is in the House, just for clarification?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

No, we're talking about 4 p.m. As I mentioned, it could be a problem on Friday, but 4 p.m. would be a little more workable than 6 p.m. As you're suggesting, Mark, some of the committees have said that on Fridays it is 2:30.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC]

That's right.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Mr. Harris, on a point of order.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Yes. My motion, with your assistance, is changed to read that “notice shall be deemed effective if received electronically by the clerk by 6 p.m. on the second business day prior to the date of meeting”. I understood the amendment to say that notice received by 4 o'clock shall be distributed on the same day, which is, I guess, a different point about distribution of the notice, but I'm not sure if that's the intention.

Maybe your intention is to change from six o'clock to four, and you said sitting day, which is difficult, because Friday may not be a sitting day sometimes, and we may have meetings during the summertime or in break weeks and we'd want to submit motions, so I would leave sitting day out of it.

I'd say “business day”, because we don't want to count Sunday or Saturday as a day.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I'm happy to adjust my subamendment to read “business day”.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

So essentially you're just talking about 4 p.m., about changing it from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

If you want to change the six to four and add that it be distributed the same day....

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

That's right. That is the only intent of my subamendment: to change the timing and just to formulate in a sense where.... I don't think the result is....

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

The table officers are advising me that this is doable.

Madam Gallant.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

I would like to speak in favour of the proposed amendment to the amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Yes, we're on the subamendment.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Right. If we end up getting the notice at 6 p.m. on a Friday, some of our colleagues, even late in the day, are already in the air or in areas where they don't have access to communications to be able to prepare, given the amount of time between the notice and the meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Yes, but we're talking about 4 p.m. rather than 6 p.m.

Madam Moore.

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Can you read the motion and all the amendments again?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

I'll read it the way I have it here: that 48 hours' notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee unless a substantive motion relates directly to the business then under consideration, and that the notice of motion be filed electronically with the clerk of the committee and distributed to members in both official languages electronically, and that the motion.... No, wait.

How do we have it here?

Okay: that the motion be filed electronically with the clerk--that's where I'm going to put electronically--and distributed in both official languages and that the motion received by 4 p.m.--

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

I do have the wording.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Go ahead.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

It is that “notice shall be deemed effective if received electronically by the clerk by 4 p.m. on the second business day prior to the date of the meeting”.

Then, added by Mr. Alexander, is that it be distributed on the same business day if it's filed--

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

And distributed on the same business day.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Yes: distributed to members of the committee on the same business day.

Is that right, Mr. Alexander?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Yes.