Evidence of meeting #2 for Status of Women in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was motions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON
Again, Madam Chair, it provides a little flexibility for the parties. If an in camera meeting is under way and you already have your staff in attendance and the whip's office needs to send somebody in to the committee to relay a message or something of that nature, it affords that possibility. For example, if you have your full complement, it wouldn't raise an objection if a member of the whip's office came to bring information or whatever the case may be.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Just for clarification, Madam Chair, are the whip's staff of the respective parties not allowed in the in camera discussions now? I thought they were.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
We've seen them, that's why.... This is an in camera meeting, isn't it? Aren't they in the room right now?
Conservative
Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON
They would only be there if they were there as a substitute. If a member didn't have a staff person in, then another member from the Prime Minister's Office or another ministerial department could be there as that staff--
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
If I may finish, since I just wanted clarification, I'll just give you my final....
I don't have a problem with having either a staff person from any of the members' offices, obviously, or a researcher from one of our research offices. I don't see the need to have a party person. What is the point?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
If I may be so bold as to speak on behalf of Mr. Stanton, you have a specified person and the whip is the most specified person. If we leave it dangling and the whips are always there.... Am I right in that this is why you chose the whip?
Conservative
Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON
It's the whip's office because they're the staff members who are providing the administrative type of support. It's not departmental staff per se. It's administrative in nature.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Is there any more confusion?
Madam Davidson, did you want to clarify?
Conservative
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
No, I want to speak on something else in general, not on that specific point.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Okay, could I just get people to agree to this?
Do you need to consult your colleagues, Ms. Demers?
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
I would like to consult with Ms. Minna, Madam Chair. I do apologize, but as you know, I have a great deal of respect for your colleague.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
So the proposal is, and Mr. Stanton, if I'm putting words in your mouth, you may tell me,
In addition, each party shall be permitted to have one party staff member attend in camera meetings (from the whip's office).
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Very rarely does that happen, although with the government, it passes.
(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]
Conservative
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
That's okay, Madam Chair.
I wonder if I may make my remarks now. I want to make sure that I'm clear on what we're doing. We're not working actually from either of these documents now; we're working on last year's document and amending it. Is that correct? And we don't have it in front of us.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
You do have that.
What we are doing, Ms. Davidson, for clarification purposes, is taking from the proposal that has been presented by Madam Boucher and taking ones that are sort of do or die, and asking if we can agree to have them replace the current staff at in camera meetings.
Conservative
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
I didn't realize that the minutes were what we had decided last year as we laid them out.
Thank you.