Official Languages Committee on Feb. 24th, 2009

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

I would just like to say that I thought that, according to the rules that govern the committees, any committee that is hearing from a representative of Parliament—like Mr. Fraser—or a minister, is automatically obliged, or at least its chair is obliged, to reserve a room in which there is a TV camera. There are two parliamentary rooms that have a camera. I thought that this was an obligation, but now Mr. Godin has me doubting that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

It's common practice, but we can make it official through a motion, if committee members agree.

Mr. Petit, or rather Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

It's a good thing that I ate a hearty breakfast this morning. He called me "Mr. Petit." Don't ever call me that before breakfast, because I simply am not in the same league as Mr. Petit.

[Voices]

Ah, ah!

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

This is the only committee that has objected to being televised. A motion was tabled to solve this problem and we never heard anything further. Now I am introducing a motion so that this doesn't happen again.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I think that I have unanimous consent from the committee members who have spoken.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

This morning, we had three rounds. All the members were able to speak, except for two members on the government side. I'm going to read the short excerpt that I was shown concerning rounds of questions in the Marleau-Montpetit. Section 55 reads as follows:

[At the committee's discretion], other members of the House may attend committee meetings, question witnesses and participate in the committee's public proceedings, unless the House or the committee orders otherwise. They may not, however, move motions, vote or be part of a quorum.

I will take a few questions and comments on the replacement of members by associate members as part of the rounds of questions.

Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I just want our operating rules to be clear. We discussed them briefly, and I think it is important that we keep this meeting on track. Mr. Godin seems to think that all parties are aware of these rules, but I am not sure of that. I was not notified. I will check, and if the parties were notified then it's not a problem. It's just that we should be operating under clear, specific rules. According to what the clerk said, a guest member of Parliament may only speak with the consent of the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

In the document, it says that it's at the discretion of the committee—

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

In other words, that approval of the committee members is required.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Yes.

Ms. Glover, I'm going to ask Mr. Godin for some information. He is the whip and he may have attended some meetings. He will inform the committee members and then we will proceed.

Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, it is not my responsibility to inform the other political parties. I apologize sincerely, and I will just tell you what happened.

I already spoke over the phone to the Conservative and Liberal whips. This is an agreement that we reached when we struck the committees and when we had to decide if they were going to be made up of 11, 12 or 15 people. The political parties agreed on the makeup of the committees. However, the week before the parliamentary recess, there was an incident during one of the meetings. A committee member stated that according to the rules, he was not required to listen to the person. Then, the Conservative whip said that he was going to settle the question. So it's supposed to be settled.

I don't want to say any more, I just wanted to tell you what happened. That's why I asked the whips, as soon as that happened, to clarify things with their members and their committees. If they have arguments to bring forward, they should do so within their political party.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

So we should each check with our respective political parties. For example, Mr. Nadeau could have come to the committee with an associate member, someone from the Bloc Québécois, and that person could have participated in the round of questioning.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Yes, in the Bloc's round. If the Bloc Québécois has seven minutes, they can share their time. In certain cases, this allows people who have some expertise on the topic to participate. We have 37 members in the House of Commons and our party is the only one that is not represented by two people on committees. This situation would also give us the opportunity to ensure that everyone knows how the committees work. The associate member would not have the right to vote or to introduce motions or anything like that, and he or she would not use up the time of any political party. The Conservative whip certainly did not say that the committee member had to leave the room when the other person spoke.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I would still like to limit the interventions. We will have to check with our respective political parties. That will clear up any doubt, because otherwise, we could end up with 20 speakers. I see that some people want to say something.

Ms. Glover.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I just have a question about procedure. It's a good question, but I think we should settle it before a problem occurs. Apparently it is permitted according to your procedures, but I'm wondering how we can ask the committee for permission before a witness appears. This has really relegated our debate to the sidelines.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Ms. Glover, there is an expression that says that we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public.

Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I agree with you, Ms. Glover. I never thought that this would happen. I thought that it was settled because the agreement was reached with the whips about one month ago. I thought that the whips had told all the committees. I apologize. That's why I didn't bring... If I had, it too would have sparked a discussion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

In the wake of what Ms. Glover said, I suggest, as chair, that we organize a meeting after having heard the witnesses when such things happen, so that we can clarify things.

Mr. Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

If there is an arrangement, then that's fine. I'm just a little concerned. The primary responsibility of certain members is to be present here on the Official Languages Committee. For example, a witness testified for an hour and a half, which is somewhat exceptional. Usually, there are one or two witnesses for an hour and then another group of witnesses. Certain members did not get to speak. Often, the members of the Liberal Party and another party cannot participate in the debate because there is not enough time. I sit on other committees, and the same is true for my colleagues. It is curious that the NDP asks a question in every round, but it's... Wait, Mr. Godin.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Lemieux, Mr.Godin has a point of order.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chair, the issue has been settled. The NDP is entitled to ask a question in each round. Mr. Lemieux should learn the facts before making such a statement. Furthermore, the NDP member did not take up other people's time. He is using my time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I accept your point of order to the extent that Mr. Lemieux needs to be reminded that the speaking order was the subject of a long debate. By the way, I would like to talk to you about something immediately afterwards.

Mr. Lemieux, have you finished?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

No, not yet.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I would like to come back to... Pardon me, Mr. Lemieux, I just want to tell you... wait a moment, I want to...