Evidence of meeting #5 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 benefits.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Madam Chair, I would like to make a motion in connection with this subject.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Is this motion pertaining to the...?
Yes, we are going in camera soon, so we can probably deal with it then. We only have 30 minutes to get the work plan done and we're going in camera in a minute.
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I would very much like it to be public, Madam Chair, and not in camera.
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
For reasons of transparency. Our proceedings are being televised.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
That means we will have cut back on the time for private members business, so if you can, please present the motion as rapidly as you can. We will not discuss the motion today, because we really have to get on with our work plan and we had said we would stop and give ourselves half an hour.
If you want to do this today...or you can do it at the next meeting, perhaps—present the motion then, and not in camera. Would you wait until the next meeting?
12:35 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I made a request and I would like to make a motion, Madam Chair. Let me move it and we will discuss it.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
As long as you know that we won't be discussing that motion now; that's all l'm saying. We don't have the time to discuss the motion at this moment.
Present the motion, Madame Deschamps, but we will not debate the motion, because we are due to go in camera now.
So present your motion--
12:35 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
That is your decision, Madam Chair. May I challenge it?
I have the privilege of moving a motion in connection with today's subject.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I am giving you the choice. You can present your motion now—it will not be debated—or you can wait until the next meeting and present it then so that we can discuss it.
12:35 p.m.
Bloc
Johanne Deschamps Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
When we decided the rules of procedure for this committee, we gave ourselves the privilege of making a motion that deals with the subject at hand. You are now telling me that I must postpone my motion.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I would like to get the feeling of the committee, because I could rule on this, but I think it's really important for us.... We had said we would discuss a work plan. We now no longer have time to discuss a work plan. If you present your motion, Madame Deschamps, either the committee will decide to limit the debate on it for a very short period of time, which will then allow us to go in camera and discuss the work plan....
I would like to get a sense of the committee on this. Perhaps she could quickly read the motion. Once she reads it, it's open for discussion, if it's pertaining to the business at hand. She tells me it is.
Would you read us the motion?
I have to say, if she reads the motion, then it's on the table.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
I want to say something for the record.
My only concern, and I've expressed it earlier, is that we have a sufficient amount of time to talk about the work plan. I for one have to leave right at one o'clock, so if she presents it, whatever decision we make, as long as we have our time to talk about the work plan....
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I'm just explaining to you that this is why I'm turning it over to the committee to decide. If it is presented and is pertinent to the things we're discussing, we have to debate it. If you want, we could limit debate, and I don't know whether Madame Deschamps would agree to that, or—what I was suggesting to her—unless this motion is urgent, she can bring it in on Tuesday. It will give us time to debate it properly. It would be done in public, so it wouldn't be in camera, and we can get on with this. That's why I suggested it to Madame Deschamps. But it is her choice and it is the choice of the committee.
I believe, however, that in terms of getting on with this work, we must discuss the work plan. So Madame Deschamps, if you read your motion now, we can debate it in public, but we will limit the debate, and the committee will decide on the limited debate—and limit it to only five minutes.
If you think that will do justice to your motion, present it now. If you would like to do justice to your motion, I would suggest that you present it at the next meeting, when we can have a better debate on it. The choice is really yours, first and foremost.
Madam McLeod.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
I have just a quick point of order. I can't recall from our original meeting. If a motion is brought to the floor related to the relevant subjects, how are we dealing with the interpretation issues?
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
I mean the English-French interpretation. I thought there was something other than just the booth interpretation.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
No, I thought there was an additional mechanism that had to take place.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Do you mean that a motion must be presented in both official languages? Is that what you're speaking of?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I think if a motion comes from the floor or from the table that is pertinent to the issue at hand, it does not have to be done in both languages.
12:40 p.m.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Madam Chair, I was here when we decided on the rules of procedure for this committee; Mr. Petit was not. We decided that when a motion was introduced it could be debated immediately. Certainly, Madam Chair, a motion is in the language of the person moving it. The motion would then be translated by the translators. We have also adopted a procedure that lets us debate the motion and vote on it the same day.
The more time we waste, the farther we get from the subject. This is a motion dealing with employment insurance.
