Status of Women Committee on June 21st, 2011

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Just to be clear, the amendment put forward pertains only to the second round. It would just involve switching the last two spots, ensuring that what was initially proposed as an NDP spot by Ms. Truppe go to the Liberals, as Ms. Boivin is suggesting, and then it would go back to the Conservatives, in line with the initial proposal made by Ms. Truppe. It only changes that second-last piece: from NDP to Liberal. Is there discussion on that particular amendment?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Yes. Let me make a motion on the order that we've just seen, Madam. We would have Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, and Conservative, Conservative, Liberal, instead of Conservative, Liberal, Conservative.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

That is an amendment you're putting forward?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Yes.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Can you repeat it? I'm sorry.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Yes: Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, and Conservative, Conservative, Liberal, instead of Conservative, Liberal, Conservative. The same amount is in there; it's just that the last two are reversed.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

So this would be a subamendment by Ms. Truppe. This is a subamendment being put forward, with the last two positions going first to the Conservatives and then to the Liberals.

Is there discussion on the subamendment?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

May I move to accept?

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

The motion is to accept the subamendment. Is everybody in favour of the subamendment?

Ms. Sgro.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

I don't really understand. It leads with Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Conservative. So you have one, two, three, four....

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

The way the second round would work, as is being proposed in the subamendment, would be Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Conservative, Liberal.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

That's correct.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

I will say that I think it was very generous of Ms. Boivin to offer a spot up for me. I appreciate that generosity and I do support Ms. Boivin's amendment coming forward.

I just think it's really important. I'm not going to sit here and waste energy back and forth, but I just think it's very important that we all get a chance to speak, share our views, and work together in a positive way on this committee.

I think the status of women committee, contrary to its past, changes the vision that is out there of this being a totally dysfunctional committee. I think we have a wonderful group of people here. Especially as the status of women committee, I think, we should show real leadership here, show that we're all going to work together in a positive way, and share as much of the time as we can with each other.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Thank you, Ms. Sgro.

We have the subamendment before us. Could we have a vote on the subamendment?

(Subamendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

So the subamendment is adopted, given that it was a majority vote, and now we'll move to the other significant part of this discussion on number seven: the timing in the first and second rounds of rotation. We have before us a reference to, first of all, 10 minutes for each of the witnesses, then 10 minutes for the first questioner of each party, and then the second round at five minutes.

Understanding, of course, the pressures of time in our committee, the generic proposal put forward, with 10 minutes for the first round of questioning, would quite frankly not allow us to get anywhere near the proposal that was put forward to allow all parties a chance to ask the witnesses questions.

There is the thought out there and discussions in committees to move the first round to seven minutes.

Is there any discussion on having seven minutes in the first round?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Do you mean seven minutes and then five?

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

It would be seven in the first round and five in the next.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

I'll move a motion to accept.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Madame Boivin, do you have a...?

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

No, it was the same.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

We'll recap. The first round, in which each party will have seven minutes, will be Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Liberal. In the second round, in which each party will have five minutes, it will be Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Conservative, Liberal. That is the motion in front of us.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Didn't we change the order? In the subamendment by the Conservatives that was just adopted, if I understand it correctly--and correct me if I'm wrong--it is seven minutes, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, and then five minutes, Conservative, Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Conservative. No?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

The second round is Conservative, NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Conservative, Liberal. And I don't think the first round changed. It is Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Liberal. That is the first round.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Just to clarify, the first round stays intact. The only change is from 10 minutes to seven minutes. But the second round is where, with the subamendment, there was a change, namely to the last two positions.

We have the motion in front of us. Is there support for the motion?

(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Given the committee's show of support for the motion, there will be a new version drafted to reflect what we just passed. We did not have a chance to decide on the amount of time to be given to witnesses. This is something that perhaps in the interest of time we could decide prior to having witnesses, and this would allow us to move on to the next point, if that's okay.

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Madam Chair, I have a point of order. In the committees I've sat on in the past, 10 minutes has not been untypical for our guests to make their representations. Why don't we just deal with it now and then it will be done, if there's general agreement that we will do it that way, which I think there will be?