Evidence of meeting #2 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was meeting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Chair, these changes seem somewhat redundant to me. In fact, vice-chairs are always members of the opposition. I am not sure I understand the reasons or the rationale behind these changes.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Yes, members of the opposition were already mentioned, but I am talking about members of the official opposition. Hence, the changes are not redundant. The words “one (1) member of the opposition, and that each member be authorized to be accompanied” apply to the quorum.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
It concerns the quorum, and not the constitution of the subcommittee.
The motion calls for the subcommittee to be made up of five members, that is to say the parliamentary secretary, the two vice-chairs, the chair and another member of the government party.
As for the quorum, there have to be three members, and one of them has to be a government member, as well as a member of the official opposition, and each member is authorized to be accompanied by a member of his or her team or a member of the staff.
Mr. Gourde, you have the floor.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
The three parties have always been represented within the subcommittee. I would not like to eliminate a party.
In any case, I think that Ms. St-Denis has to check this on her side.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
I think that the subcommittee did not meet during the first session of the 41st Parliament.
Mr. Godin, you have the floor.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I want to be clear. I suggested nothing that would eliminate Ms. St-Denis' presence. If Mr. Gourde had read the motion correctly, he would see that it mentions the chair and the two vice-chairs. Since Ms. St-Denis is a vice-chair, she has not been eliminated.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
It is almost the same motion as the one we passed in the first session of the 41st Parliament. Mr. Godin simply added a sentence regarding the quorum for the subcommittee.
Liberal
Lise St-Denis Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
So we are talking about quorum for the subcommittee.
Conservative
Liberal
Lise St-Denis Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
The subcommittee is comprised of five members, but we would need three rather than four members to have a quorum. Is that what you are saying?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Precisely.
Mr. Dionne Labelle has the floor, then Ms. St-Denis.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
According to the words pertaining to the quorum, a meeting could not be held without the presence of a member of the official opposition. Is that what is being proposed?
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Should there be a reduced quorum, a meeting could not be held strictly with members of the government party, without members of the official opposition being present. It seems to me that that is very reasonable.
Liberal
Lise St-Denis Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
I'd like some clarifications on the second motion, regarding the quorum, Mr. Chair. It only talks about the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, and not about reduced quorum, correct?
Liberal
Lise St-Denis Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
The member wants to add that to have a quorum, a member of the official opposition must be present.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
There have to be three members, and one of them has to be a member of the government party and there has to be a member of the official opposition.
Liberal
Lise St-Denis Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
And the third member could be me, the parliamentary secretary or the chair?
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I want to explain this clearly. The subcommittee will be composed of five people: the chair, the two vice-chairs, another member of the government party and the parliamentary secretary. That would be the makeup of the subcommittee. The rest of the motion concerns quorum. We want the meetings to take place and in order to do so, there would have to be at least three people. This isn't the same thing as what is in the beginning of the motion.
The quorum would be made up of three members, among them one member of the government and one member of the official opposition. We will not hold any meetings without informing the Liberals. If we decide that there have to be at least three members, this gives an opportunity for all three parties to be present. Afterwards, we can begin the meeting of the subcommittee. That is what we are explaining here; there must be three people present in order to have a quorum.