Status of Women Committee on June 21st, 2011

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

That sounds good. Mr. Holder's proposal is to approve the 10 minutes for each witness. Is there any discussion? That sounds fine? Is everybody in favour?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Excellent. We've cleared that one completely.

On number eight, staff at in camera meetings, is there any discussion?

[An hon. member]

I move approval.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

I have a motion for approval.

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Actually, I have a question. I just noticed that the word “staff” has been dropped from the sentence that reads “staff member present from their office or from their party”, whereas in the original one, it reads, “party staff member”. That has a completely different meaning. I think the word “staff” needs to be back in there.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Sorry, to clarify, where would you add the word “staff”?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

In the right-hand column you have “unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to have one staff member present from their office or from their party”; “party” is different from a “party staff member”, and I think you need to have “staff member” in there if you're going to approve the second column for the revisions.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Ms. Ambler.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

It seems to me the new wording is actually reducing the number of staff at the meeting. It looks as though each member is allowed to have one staff or a person from the party, whereas it was clearly previously “in addition”.

I like the earlier wording. I like the wording from the previous Parliament better. It specifies that you can have one person from the member's staff, one person from the party.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Ms. Sgro.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

It's substituting the “or” for “and”.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

We could keep the old one, replace this with the old one.

Mr. Holder.

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Could I move a subamendment to that subamendment? Could I move that we vote on the original routine motion, which I think works extremely well, and we won't get into the confusion about office or not office folks? I just think it's fairly clean, and I would be comfortable if the committee might consider supporting that.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Thank you for the proposal.

Everyone in support of Mr. Holder's motion to adopt the previous version for number eight?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Excellent. Thank you very much.

We move on to number nine, on in camera meeting transcripts.

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

I would like to make an amendment such that where it says “or by their staff” that we not have “staff” for the in camera meeting transcripts.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Would that be in line with keeping the old version, which does not have that section?

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

Yes, I think that would be fine, as long as it doesn't say “staff” on there. So I'd like to move a motion to go back to the original one.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

That sounds good.

Ms. Truppe has moved a motion to go back to the original version.

Is there any discussion? All in support of maintaining the previous version?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Excellent. Thank you.

We move on to number ten, on notice of motions.

Is there any discussion on number ten?

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

I would like to move an amendment to that as well, that we add “and that completed motions that are received by 4 p.m. on business days shall be distributed to members same day”.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Just to clarify, this addition would be in what section, Ms. Truppe?

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

I would put it right after the “and”: “to members in both official languages and that completed motions that are received by 4 p.m. on business days shall be distributed to members same day”.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

To clarify, this would be in place of the 48 hours' notice in general? You're clarifying the 48 hours. Would that be a fair assessment?

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

Yes.

[The Chair, NDP, Niki Ashton]

Sorry. There may have been confusion. So we can keep that 48 hours' section, and the proposal here is to add the section that you referenced?