Public Accounts Committee on Feb. 16th, 2016

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

No, no. We will have 14 minutes.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

May I, Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Go ahead.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

It's 14 minutes.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

It's 14 minutes. If we accept your proposal, we will have more than...

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes, you're right. The government would get 14 minutes, I agree. I can fight only one fight at a time, and over here in the third party, it's all I can do to fight for my own little turf.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

May I finish?

According to the proposal we initially put forward, we would have 12 minutes. According to your proposal, we would have 14 minutes. I just want us to understand each other.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I understand. It's all the more reason that the official opposition shouldn't—

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

This will be the order: Liberal Party, Conservative Party, NDP, Liberal Party.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes, I get it. I'm just talking to the seven minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Is that in the second round?

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

No, I'm talking about the first round.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Can you say that again?

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

It would be Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Liberal. That's the PROC model.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Yes, and again, I'm fighting for the extra minute in the opening round based on the fact that I'm rarely going to get my last three minutes.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

I understand, Mr. Christopherson. I understand where you're coming from. I'm just saying, putting it on the table, this is what it looks like.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, I agree. I can't do all the heavy lifting from the third party. Again, I say to the official opposition—

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

We were there before. We were there before. We know that.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I say again to the official opposition, give your head a shake here. You're about to allow, if we go with the amendment, as my colleague has mentioned, 14 minutes to control the floor. I don't know why you want to allow that.

But anyway, what I need to know, Chair—

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

But you say that's what you proposed.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I understand that and I'm ready to live with it.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Mr. Christopherson's argument is based on the fact that he may not get a second round. I think that's the reason for his argument.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

That's a bigger problem for them than me because all I'm going to get is the opening—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

On the other hand, what the official opposition may want to consider is not just the minutes but whether it will lead to something else.

Is there any other debate on the time, because that is your motion?