Evidence of meeting #1 for Status of Women in the 40th Parliament, 2nd 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
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Yes, I know, but Madame Boucher is opening it up to a larger group. That's all her amendment is saying.
Are you withdrawing the amendment?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Okay, great.
I shall call the question on the motion as written here.
(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you, Madam Neville.
It reads that except for amendments to bills, 48 hours' notice be given before any substantive motion is considered by the committee; and that the motion be filed with the clerk of the committee and circulated to members in both official languages. Upon receipt of notice, the clerk shall put the motion on the agenda of the committee's next meeting.
Ms. Deschamps
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Madam Chair, I have an amendment to suggest to the committee, so that the motion would read as follows:
Que sauf pour les amendements au projet de loi, un avis de 48 heures soit donné avant que le Comité ne soit saisi de toute motion de fond ne portant pas sur l'affaire étudiée à ce moment...
The rest is fine. Let me explain. This allows us to make an emergency motion on the topic or the study under discussion without having to give 48 hours' advance notice. Sometimes, in our work, members of the committee from any party may want the possibility of making a motion on the matter under discussion or of having it dealt with as quickly as possible. Sometimes, 48 hours' notice can affect our work. It is done in other committees.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Shall we discuss this amendment?
The amendment will read that except for amendments to bills, 48 hours' notice be given before any substantive motion with no bearing on the matter before the committee at the time is considered by the committee.
Is that right, Madame Deschamps?
February 5th, 2009 / 12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Madame Deschamps, would you please repeat your motion? You did say “with no bearing”.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Perhaps, Madame Deschamps, before we discuss it, there is a motion that says what you want to say and that other committees have adopted. It reads: “unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration”. It's the same thing that you're saying, but I guess it's said in more “committee-ese” language.
Is that okay?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Good.
Is there any discussion on that amendment?
The amendment says that 48 hours' notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration, and that the motion be filed with the clerk of the committee.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
I would like to ask a question so that I fully understand the issue before I vote.
Explain it to me again because it is not at all what I understood earlier. I understood that, if we were studying the trafficking of women and we decided to make a motion right away, the 48 hours' notice would not apply. Is that right?
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Yes, I am talking about times when there is some urgency and when 48 hours' notice can cause a problem. For example, with the motion that you made this morning, if we were really running out of time and wanted to meet the minister, 48 hours' notice would be too long.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
I am trying to help my colleague understand the idea. I think that it is very important and, if she understands, she will be in favour of the amendment.
Let us say, for example, that the committee was studying a situation of human trafficking. The committee meets on Tuesday and Thursday, but, on Wednesday, 40 women, victims of trafficking, are found somewhere in Montreal. At the Thursday committee meeting, we might well want to have a motion asking that the situation of those women be dealt with immediately. With the requirement for 48 hours' notice, we could not do that. It would be impossible for us to wait 48 hours before making the motion. Even if everyone understood how urgent the situation was, those women could take no comfort from any committee action denouncing the fact that they had been abused.
Bloc
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Yes. I would just like us to clarify that it would only be for emergencies. Then no one on any side could make a motion complaining that some lady has pink lipstick when we think it should be red. If we just put ”in case of emergency“ and a national emergency happens, I have no objection.
