Evidence of meeting #1 for Public Safety and National Security in the 43rd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
He added the words “receive and publish evidence”. Does that cause any problems?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Is there debate?
Seeing no call for debate, let me state that the motion is to receive and publish evidence and to have two members of the opposition and two members of the government present prior to the chair's being able to start a meeting.
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The amendment carries and we have to vote on the motion as amended.
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The next motion concerns questioning of witnesses.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
I'll move it, Chair, but I have a question after I've done so.
This motion is regarding questioning of witnesses:
That witnesses be given 10 minutes for their opening statements; that, at the discretion of the chair, during the questioning of witnesses there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each party as follows: Round 1: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois New Democratic Party;
For the second and subsequent rounds, the order and time for questioning be as follows: Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes, Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes, Bloc Québécois, two and a half minutes, New Democratic Party, two and a half (2.5) minutes.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
It's just a question to put out there about the witness statements being 10 minutes each. Given the number of political parties we have here, if we pass this, is it cast in stone? I know that sometimes, if we have, for example, three or four witnesses and they all get 10 minutes each, that means there's very little time for questioning.
Is there discretion, perhaps at the subcommittee or for the chair to say that if we have four witnesses, we could go to five or six minutes. We used to do that at the status of women committee. We would reduce it to five or seven minutes, if there were more than two witnesses.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Do you want to frame it so that it reads that at the discretion of the chair, witnesses be given 10 minutes?
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
Actually it says “at the discretion of the chair”, so I think you have the power anyway, Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
No, but just reframing it.... The framing, as I read it, is that the discretion of the chair be on the six minutes rather than 10 minutes.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
That's how I read it initially.
I'm all in favour of chair discretion, by the way.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
Should we be put “at the discretion of the chair” at the beginning?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Yes, that's my suggestion, only because if you have two witnesses, 10 minutes each is good, but if you have four witnesses, you've used up 40 minutes. Basically that means nobody else gets any questions after the first round.
Conservative
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
I agree. You need the opportunity to reduce the time allotted for the witnesses' appearances.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
We'll reframe this to say “at the discretion of the chair, witnesses be given 10 minutes”.
Is that fine? There's also a further discretion of the chair to reduce members' time.
I like this.
Angelo, do you want to move the amendment?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Does everyone understand the amendment to the motion?
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
We move to the main motion, as amended.
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The next motion is on the distribution of documents.
Mr. Iacono.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
I move:
That the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee only when the documents are available in both official languages and that witnesses be advised accordingly.
(Motion agreed to)
Liberal
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
I'll do it.
I move:
That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Is there any discussion?
We'll vote on the motion.
(Motion agreed to)
Who wants to move the motion on witness expenses?
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
I'll move it.
I move:
That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses not exceeding two representatives per organization; provided that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Is there debate? Seeing none, we'll vote on the motion.
(Motion agreed to)
The motion on staff at in camera meetings is next.
Ms. Damoff.