Evidence of meeting #1 for Official Languages in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Josée Ménard
Nancy Vohl  Clerk of the Committee

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Josée Ménard

We can begin.

We will proceed with the election of the chair.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Terry Duguid Liberal Winnipeg South, MB

Madam Clerk, I am very pleased and honoured to nominate Emmanuel Dubourg for chair of our committee.

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk

I will first read the text I have in front of me. Then I will receive your motion, Mr. Duguid.

I see a quorum.

I must inform members that the clerk of the committee can only receive motions for the election of the chair. The clerk cannot receive other types of motions, cannot entertain points of order nor participate in debate.

We can now proceed to the election of the chair.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the chair must be a member of the government party.

I am ready to receive motions for the chair.

It has been moved by Mr. Duguid that Mr. Dubourg be elected as chair of the committee.

Are there any further motions?

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

I second the motion.

Mr. Dubourg, you owe us a beer.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg

Ha, ha! I'm waiting for the final verdict.

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk

It has been moved by Mr. Duguid that Mr. Dubourg be elected as chair of the committee.

Pursuant to the House order of Wednesday, September 23, I will now proceed to a recorded division.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk

I declare Mr. Dubourg duly elected chair of the committee.

I invite him to take the chair.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. I'm very pleased.

Thank you to everyone for voting to elect me chair of the committee. Most of you were here before. I'm really glad to see you all back ready to continue to work to move the issues forward.

Madam Clerk, I would also like to take this opportunity to greet you and Nancy Vohl, who is accompanying you. There are also the interpreters, and I'm not forgetting the analysts, in this case Ms. Lecomte and Ms. Blackmore.

Madam Clerk, I will now let you proceed with the election of the two vice-chairs.

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the first vice-chair must be a member of the official opposition.

I am now prepared to receive motions for the first vice-chair.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

I nominate Mr. Steven Blaney as vice-chair.

3:45 p.m.

The Clerk

Are there any further motions?

It has been moved by Mr. Généreux that Mr. Blaney be elected as first vice-chair of the committee. Pursuant to the House order of Wednesday, September 23, 2020, I will now proceed to a recorded division.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)

I declare the motion carried, and Mr. Blaney duly elected vice-chair of the committee.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg

Congratulations, Mr. Blaney.

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As an Irish descendant, I consider it an honour to be a member of this most francophone of Canadian parliamentary committees.

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

Pursuant to S.O. 106(2), the second vice-chair must be a member of an opposition party other than the official opposition.

I am now prepared to receive motions for the second vice-chair.

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

Emmanuella Lambropoulos Liberal Saint-Laurent, QC

I nominate Mr. Beaulieu.

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

Are there any further motions?

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

I nominate Ms. Ashton.

I think she's more likely to buy me a beer than Mr. Beaulieu.

3:50 p.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB

That's nice. We're not known for our beer here, but maybe that's the case in Quebec.

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

More than one candidate has been proposed. In accordance with the order adopted by the House on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, any motion received after the first is to be treated as a notice of motion. These motions must be submitted to the committee one after the other until one is adopted.

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC

It's about maintaining equity between men and women vice-chairs, Mr. Beaulieu. It's nothing against you personally.

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

I will therefore put to a vote the first motion, that of Ms. Lambropoulos, who nominated Mr. Beaulieu for the position of second vice-chair.

It will be a recorded division.

3:50 p.m.

Liberal

René Arseneault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

So we have to choose someone? Is that what you are asking us to do?

Ms. Ashton, I don't want you to be angry with me, but Mr. Beaulieu already has a year's experience.

Although they are two good candidates, I will vote for the person who held this position last year, Mr. Beaulieu.

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

I'd like to briefly remind you that the motion before the committee at this time, which is being voted on, is the first. Pursuant to the order adopted by the House, the second proposed motion is treated as a notice of motion. The committee must first vote on the first motion, Ms. Lambropoulos' motion. I remind the committee that this motion proposes the nomination of Mr. Beaulieu for second vice-chair and that it is not a question of choosing between the two nominees. The second proposal is considered a notice of motion.

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

Madam Clerk, I have a question. Will Mr. Beaulieu be automatically elected or will we have an opportunity to vote on Ms. Ashton's nomination?

3:50 p.m.

The Clerk

At this time, we are dealing with Ms. Lambropoulos' motion to nominate Mr. Beaulieu for the position of second vice-chair.

In accordance with the same order adopted by the House on September 23, since the process is to be done virtually, there will be no secret ballot, unlike the general practice of electing the chair at face-to-face meetings.

If there are two different motions for the same position, the second is considered a notice of motion. The committee must first vote on the first motion presented, namely the motion to nominate Mr. Beaulieu for the position of second vice-chair. If that motion is defeated, the second motion will then be put to a vote.