Public Safety Committee on May 4th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I'd like to bring this meeting to order. This is the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, meeting number 15. We are today focusing on Bill C-391, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (repeal of long-gun registry).

Our first witness is the mover of Bill C-391, Ms. Candice Hoeppner, the MP for Portage—Lisgar.

We agreed on April 28—I'll read from the motion of Mr. Holland. He makes the comments, “...just so it's clear that she's getting special consideration...”--referring to Ms. Hoeppner--“that the mover of the bill, Mrs. Hoeppner, be granted 30 minutes at the beginning to present her private member's bill, and that she be included in the list of 15 witnesses afforded to the Conservative Party.”

That's taking away one witness from the Conservative Party and giving Ms. Hoeppner 30 minutes.That's the motion. We had a recorded vote on that. It was in public.

Do you have a point of order?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Chair, thank you.

Mr. Chair, to be very clear, when we said a presentation, it would be that there would be a presentation such as given by any other witness. This would mean we would have a period of time for questions. On that basis, if it wasn't clear before, I'll give you a motion that the witness before us now, the mover of the motion, be granted 10 minutes, and that each party have a round of five questions.

[Some hon. members]

Five minutes.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Five minutes, excuse me.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

That motion is already out of order, because we made preparations--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

--for this meeting. It says that she's getting special consideration.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I'm explaining my ruling to you. We already said clearly that she was going to get special consideration. It's what your motion--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

A motion to challenge the chair is non-debatable and it has to be voted on. I had the floor and I'm challenging the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I don't accept that.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Chair, you have to. I had the floor. I spoke. I'm challenging a decision of the chair. You made a ruling.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I'm going to pause for a moment here.

This motion is completely out of order.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

It was your motion to begin with.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Chair, you made a ruling.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

You didn't give us 48 hours' notice. You have to do that.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Chair, it's because it's a matter before us immediately.

Mr. Chair, you've taken a very twisted interpretation, in my opinion; therefore, I'm challenging the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

How can you twist the--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'm challenging the chair. It's a non-debatable motion. You've made a decision. I'm challenging it. That is in order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I don't accept this.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

You cannot ignore a challenge to the chair, Mr. Chairman. Ask the clerk if you can ignore a challenge to the chair. You've made a decision; you made a ruling. I'm challenging it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I'm going to suspend this meeting for a moment to consider this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I think we're ready to reconvene now. I think the parties have worked out a bit of a compromise agreement.

It's my duty as chair to uphold things the committee has agreed upon. I think the misunderstanding has been worked out.

Can we forgo the challenge to the chair and simply move to have Ms. Hoeppner present for approximately 10 minutes? Then we've agreed to four minutes per party for questions and comments. Is that okay with everybody?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.