Status of Women Committee on Nov. 19th, 2007

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I was going to say much the same thing that Mr. Stanton just said in his last remarks. I think it should be calculated from the time the motion has been electronically distributed.

I know the motions I sent forth to the clerk were in both official languages. They were translated, so they were able to be sent on as soon as they were received.

I don't think we need this last part, because I think the official languages part is covered in one of the other clauses in that original, if I'm reading the minutes correctly. So I think we can probably forget that last part after “clerk of the committee”. That perhaps might--

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Make it easier?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

--make it easier to understand.

It just makes it fairer for everybody. We're all dealing with the same timeframe. It means that I can't bring something in that's translated and ready to go, then give it to the clerk and expect to deal with it right off the bat when the rest of the people haven't had a chance to look at it.

It's fair for everyone.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Minna.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

I was just going to refer to what I said earlier, which is that I think the current one is fine. We all have translation capabilities or access to it as part of our offices. So when we send in motions, out of courtesy, because we're parliamentarians, for starters we should send them in two official languages anyway.

So Instead of playing with the words “48 hours”, we could say that all motions that are sent in to the clerk ought to be sent in two official languages so the clerk doesn't have to take the time to translate motions and can send them out immediately. If you want to put in, “at the time they were electronically distributed”, I'm not going to die over it or worry about it. My main concern was that if we were going to wait for them to come to this committee, wait for distribution by hand, then it would just take forever.

But I would say that maybe you add in there the fact that it should be in both official languages so that the clerk, once receiving it, can also notify when they electronically send it. Because if they're receiving them in both official languages, presumably they can turn around and send them out rather quickly, I would think.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Okay.

Madam Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, we are wasting a lot of time here. Our committee worked well last year. Mr. Stanton, you were not unhappy with the way in which procedural motions were addressed, and to my knowledge, nobody was prejudiced by them. In fact, with the exception of one occasion, I have never heard anybody on this committee object to the way in which motions are tabled. Everything ran very smoothly. I cannot fathom why we are wasting so much time discussing these motions when everything worked very well. It's beyond belief, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you, Ms. Demers.

Ms. Boucher.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I would like to comment on what Ms. Demers said. Perhaps you did not experience any difficulties, but I myself have sat on two other committees where there were problems.

I therefore want to ensure, first and foremost, that I will have the opportunity to review the motions before they are tabled. In some committees, motions have been tabled without anybody even having received them by the day the committee was sitting. Two or three people may have seen the motions, but the others have not even had time to look at them.

I therefore, want to make sure that members will be able to review the motions 48 hours before they are tabled. Furthermore, my colleagues assure me that this is an excellent way of organizing our business. It would allow all members of the committee to be up to speed and have a grasp of the issue at hand. To my mind, it is important to work as a team, and I want to be guaranteed that we will receive motions ahead of time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Okay, committee members, we've heard the debate on this, and if I have heard you correctly, 48 hours.... We're going to the proposal; we're not reading from the minutes. It reads:

That 48 hours' notice will be required for any substantive motions to be considered by the committee and that the period of notice be calculated from the time that the motion has been electronically distributed to members of the committee by the clerk of the committee.

Ms. Davidson, then you suggested the rest of it is not worth it, but we could put down that it's distributed to the clerk of the committee in both official languages?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Yes.

[The Clerk]

And that motions be sent in both official languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Can I repeat—

[The Clerk]

So is that your proposal, Mr. Stanton?

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

So all we're going to do is to drop the last sentence out of the government's proposed motion where it reads “and that all motions received by the clerk shall be placed upon the agenda”—although you might still want that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Can I read that again, before you—

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

So “distributed” means when it's received by my office, not when it's sent?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

No, no, no.

It has a different meaning.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

It's important to clarify it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Demers, could you explain to us what is understood by “distribution” in French?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

It means that the documents will be sent to our offices, to committee members' offices. I am with you.

[The Clerk]

We are talking about distributing motions electronically—I do not see the difference.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

It is because previously the clock started when the motion was received at the clerk's office.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Can I repeat this?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Previously, the clock started from the time that the clerk's office received the motion.