Public Safety Committee on Aug. 10th, 2010

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Members, just give me one moment on this.

Mr. Holland, on your point of order, I am going to rule it out of order--subject, again, to challenge. But there is a procedural way that you can introduce another subject matter, if you wish. If you haven't produced it prior to the meeting, in the 48-hour period before, by committee members, you can put on the floor of this meeting at this point in time a motion to that effect. It will require the unanimous consent of the committee to proceed on another subject matter.

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

Mr. Chair, I will seek unanimous consent for the committee to move to deal with the item that we were dealing with in the previous meeting.

So do I have unanimous consent?

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

We're going to allow speakers to your motion.

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

Do I get to speak to my own...?

It's not a motion. It's a request for unanimous consent.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

It's non-debatable.

Let's move to another item....

It's non-debatable.

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

Correct.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Okay.

So you're putting the motion on the floor to study....

Could you place the motion on the floor, please?

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

I put the motion on the floor that we continue with the business of the last meeting relating to the setting of a schedule for the G-8 security meetings.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

A point of order, sir.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Yes.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I hate to use process, because it interferes, frankly, with what I think Canadians expect us to do here. But I was on the speakers list, and I was waiting patiently while all of these procedural shenanigans happened. And that was before he made a motion.

He made a point of order. You ruled on it. I'm on the speakers list. Unless it's another point of order, I believe I have the right to speak. Then he can make his motion and follow the speakers list as it is.

If I'm incorrect, I apologize, but I would like to speak at some point, because I think it's very important that Canadians hear why we convened this meeting.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

I follow exactly what you're saying, Ms. Glover. What happened here was that after the challenge to the chair was...you know, that was turned down, Mr. Holland did not put a point of order on the floor. He just started to discuss, as on the speakers list, what he felt should happen next. You were recorded as the next speaker after he started to speak.

That was interrupted by a point of order from Mr. Jean. We dealt with Mr. Jean's point of order.

So we go back to the point where Mr. Holland was making his remarks. I stopped him on his remarks, because he was going into an area in which I did not believe this committee came together for.

You are next on the speakers list after that, but I believe we first have to deal with and vote on the motion that has been put on the floor. I believe we have to deal with Mr. Holland's motion--

[An hon. member]

The motion doesn't get...[Inaudible--Editor]...without unanimous consent.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Order.

Right. It requires unanimous consent.

[A voice]

You need a vote.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Okay.

So the motion is--

[An hon. member]

A point of order.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Just a second.

The clerk is advising me that the next step would be that the committee would need to vote on whether we proceed to another order of business.

[Brent Rathgeber, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

But before you deal with that, you have to deal with Mr. Volpe's motion. Mr. Volpe made a motion that the proposed study was ultra vires this committee. You ruled him out of order. There was a challenge to the chair. This committee still hasn't resolved that we're not going to study this issue.

You ruled him out of order. You were overruled.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

I was overruled.

[An hon. member]

Challenged.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Phil McColeman]

Challenged, yes.

[Brent Rathgeber, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

You were challenged. So now we have to deal with Mr. Volpe's motion, under Standing Order 108(2), whether or not this proposed study is intra vires or ultra vires this committee. And that is debatable, Mr. Chairman.

[Some hon. members]

No.

[An hon. member]

Mr. Chair, a point of order.