Evidence of meeting #2 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was clerk.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
I think we agreed it had to be somebody from the whip's office.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Yes, not from the political party. So that actually should be omitted in the French. It wasn't taken out in the French. The discussion last time was such that it wouldn't have to be from the political party; it should be from the whip's office.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
Bloc
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
I don't know enough about languages.
It says in the English, “each party shall be permitted to have one staff member from the Whip's office”. So each party can have it. It's just at the beginning of the sentence in English and at the end of the sentence in French.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
You could fix it by saying, in English, “to have one staff member from each party's Whip's office”.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
In my opinion, the meaning and the intent are clear. I just pointed out that there is a difference between the two.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Okay. We're at in camera meetings transcripts:
That In Camera meetings be transcribed and that the transcription be kept with the Clerk of the Committee for later consultation by members of the Committee, and that these transcripts be destroyed at the end of the session.
Yes, Ms. Brown.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
I move that the suggested clause be replaced by the original one, which reads:
That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the committee clerk’s office for consultation by members of the committee.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Okay. What happened is they were archived for 30 years.
The clerk also pointed out to me that one year before they can become public--that must be the 29th year--it goes to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and if there are any extenuating circumstances, he might want to--
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
--keep them beyond the 30 years. So there's more in the archivist regulations of the House of Commons.
Phil has pointed out an omission here, that our support staff at the committee should also be allowed to review those. Would you agree? If they have to write a report, they may have to consult....
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Is there a bar to that? I'm assuming they're the guardians of it along with the clerk.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Well, the clerk is the guardian. I don't think they're the guardians. We should just make sure they have access to that.
3:50 p.m.
Committee Researcher
If I may, Chair, the way the motion reads now, only the members of the committee can have access and read the documents, and we, not being members of the committee, cannot. The practice is, of course, that we do review in camera transcripts when we're trying to understand drafting instructions you give us to supplement whatever notes we take during a drafting session.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
I can't see a problem with allowing you to read that. Are there any comments?
Monsieur Ménard, you had your hand up.
3:50 p.m.
Bloc
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
I do not understand why we want to destroy these transcripts at the end of the session.