Official Languages Committee on June 16th, 2011

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

Does that include the notice of motions? I would like us to take a few minutes to read them.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

So we have a motion on the floor right now to adopt the first nine routine motions that this committee had in the last Parliament. We'll have discussion now as to whether the committee wants to accept them as they were in the last Parliament or whether the committee wants to make amendments to these first nine routine motions. We'll have a discussion about that.

Members, I'm going to suggest that somebody move an amendment to this motion on the floor. As the clerk has pointed out to me, if you look at the second routine motion, that has to change. Currently it requires that the subcommittee be comprised of the chair, two vice-chairs, and a member of the “other” opposition party. But there is no other opposition party, so that has to change. We used to have three opposition parties on this committee, so you could have two vice-chairs and then a member of the third opposition party.

So we need to change that routine motion.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Could we amend it to just say the chair and two vice-chairs?

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

No, that doesn't work.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Why not?

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Because, in a way, it hands control over to the opposition. We have a majority government in the House, on the committee and on the executive committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

I will make the suggestion that the subcommittee be comprised of five members: the chair, the two vice-chairs, the parliamentary secretary, and a member of the government. What that means in the subcommittee is that the chair would.... There would be two vice-chairs, the parliamentary secretary, and a member of the Conservative Party. So then you'd have three government members and two opposition members.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Yes. That is my amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay.

That's the amendment, so now we're discussing the amendment to the main motion.

Mr. Julian.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Chair, we could just go over the motions one after another. I think that would be easier. We have nine at the moment, actually. I think that, if we look over the motions again, the first one will pass very easily and then we could come back to the question of procedure in the second.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We have a motion and an amendment to the motion on the floor. The proper procedure would be to dispose of them before we go to your suggestion.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

I could withdraw the original motion, because it's getting too complicated. Maybe we should go--

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

If that's doable.

Sorry about that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Technically, you can't withdraw motions from the floor.

Do I have unanimous consent to defeat both the subamendment and the main motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

They're off the floor.

We're now going to do this differently. We'll start with the first routine motion. Do I have a mover of the routine motion?

It's moved by Mr. Bélanger. Is there any discussion on the routine motion as it's presented on this sheet of paper?

Here's what it says: “That the committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.”

Is there any further discussion? Seeing none, I'll call the vote.

All those in favour?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We'll now go to consideration of the adoption of the second routine motion. It's the routine motion concerning the subcommittee on agenda and procedure. Is there a mover for this particular motion?

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

It's not what is written here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

I'd like you to move what you would like to move. Would you please read it into the record?

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

I move that the subcommittee on agenda and procedure be composed of five members, including the chair, the two vice-chairs, the parliamentary secretary, and a member of the government party.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

So we have a routine motion on the floor to adopt, concerning the subcommittee on agenda and procedure.

Mr. Galipeau has proposed that the subcommittee be composed of the chair, two vice-chairs, the parliamentary secretary, and a member of the government. So there would be three government members and two opposition members on this committee. One of the three government members would be the chair.

Is there any discussion?

Monsieur Bélanger.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Chair, I feel that Mr. Galipeau's exact words are important. He said: “un membre du parti gouvernemental”.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

I said “du parti ministériel”.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Right, but that does not mean a member of the government. I think that is quite an important distinction that should be reflected in the motion. If it is a member of the government, it would have to be another parliamentary secretary.