Evidence of meeting #1 for Natural Resources in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was motions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
The same motion as last year on witnesses' expenses.
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Staff at an in camera meeting.
Ms. Bell.
NDP
Catherine Bell NDP Vancouver Island North, BC
I'll move that the motion on staff at in camera meetings be adopted as circulated.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I have an amendment to the motion, that in addition each party shall be permitted to have one party staff member attend in camera meetings.
We're not worried about party staff, but that's to give the whip's office a chance to have somebody in the meetings, if they choose to do that.
Bloc
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
The interpreter was not fast enough and I did not understand what Mr. Anderson said. I would like the interpreter repeat the amendment that Mr. Anderson just moved, please.
Conservative
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
The motion would read that unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting. In addition, each party shall be permitted to have one party staff member attend in camera meetings.
The rationale was to give our whip's office an opportunity to have somebody in the meeting as well.
Liberal
Ken Boshcoff Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Yesterday we agreed to the amendment but deleted the words “party staff” and specified that the person be a member of committee, the research bureau or the whip's office, or a House leader, so that it wouldn't necessarily be someone from some other division not from Parliament. So we specified that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. Boshcoff.
Mr. Anderson, you've heard what Mr. Boshcoff has said. Does that work with what you intended?
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Sure. Our intention was that it would be the whip's office, but if they want to expand it to research and...that would be fine.
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Liberal
Ken Boshcoff Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
It would read that unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting, who may be of the member's staff, the research bureau, the House leader's office, or the whip's office.
(Motion agreed to)
Conservative
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
If someone wants to move the motion, I would like to make an amendment to it. Or I can make a new motion, whichever people would prefer.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
You can do that, because these are only what was there at the last meeting. We're starting from scratch.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay. I'll move that in camera meetings be transcribed and that the transcription be kept with the clerk of the committee for later consultation by members of Parliament, and that these transcripts be destroyed at the end of the session.
That is a motion that has been passed in a couple of committees—or one of them, anyway, in 2006. I didn't realize until yesterday that the in camera transcripts are kept permanently and are going to be opened up in 25 or 30 years, or whatever. I guess I always assumed that our in camera discussions were private, and I guess I assumed they were destroyed at some point.
So this is a suggestion we're making.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Yes. In fact, the minutes of in camera meetings are kept at the archives, I believe, for 30 years and are then made public. I believe that's correct. I got that information from you, so it has to be right.
Liberal
Lloyd St. Amand Liberal Brant, ON
Mr. Chair, through you to Mr. Anderson, I haven't heard of a single instance in which the 30-year provision has been abused or violated, and at the risk of sounding overly colloquial, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think the provision as distributed should remain, and I'll be voting against the amendment.
Conservative
Bloc
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I support what Mr. St. Amand just said. Personally, I have had to re-read some transcripts in the Clerk's office, and it was very important for me to re-read my own statements and those of my colleagues in order to clarify the substance of certain discussions. I think it is very important that there be rules to control and manage the archived documents from the in-camera meetings. Unlike Mr. Anderson, I believe it is important to maintain this rule which, during the last session, was fully justified—at least in my case—and allow me to go and check on what was said in the Clerk's office. It is important that those documents remain in the archives.