Transport Committee on June 4th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for attending the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, meeting number 23.

Before we proceed with our guests, every member of the committee has received a report of the subcommittee from the previous meeting. I'm advised that I'm going to have to read it very quickly into the record just so that anyone who's listening or following the debate of the committee will know and understand what we're talking about.

Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has the honour to present its Second Report.

Your Subcommittee met on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, to consider the business of the Committee and agreed to make the following recommendations:

1. That the Committee undertake a study on the management and operation of Canada Post and that the President and Chief Executive Officer be invited to appear before the Committee at the earliest opportunity.

2. That the Committee continue its study on NAV CANADA's Airport Traffic Services and invite the President & Chief Executive Officer to appear at the earliest opportunity with respect to the recent changes in airspace and terminal control services at Mirabel Airport.

3. That the Committee undertake the study of Bill C-310, An Act to Provide Certain Rights to Air Passengers, once it reconvenes after the summer recess.

Ms. Chow.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

I would like to propose an amendment. I move that the committee undertake the study of Bill C-310, an act to provide certain rights to air passengers, prior to the other two studies.

So we are moving it ahead of the Canada Post and airport traffic services studies. I don't believe you need me to go into great details as to why that is important. Usually, when there is a private member's bill in front of the committee, there should be a courtesy to allow the private member's bill to be dealt with. This bill has been in front of the committee for a month or so. We should deal with it before the summer recess.

That's my amendment to the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

For the record, it isn't before the committee yet. That's the discussion we're having.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Sorry, just for the record, I meant that it had been passed by the House of Commons on a second reading, and that it could be in front of the committee. When is what this report is all about.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

So we have the report of the subcommittee in front of us. We now have an amendment to that, which would suggest that we move beyond Canada Post and NavCanada and bring forward Bill C-310.

I'll open the floor for debate.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Do you need a seconder, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

No.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

I'll call for a recorded vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Are there any comments?

Mr. Jean.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I'm curious. If part of her motion—and I don't have a copy, as I haven't received notice of it—is referring to interrupting the current study that we're doing.... She mentioned in her dissertation that she wanted to move it ahead of these two studies. One study is already in progress, so “interrupting the study” I think would be more appropriate.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Ms. Chow.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

No, that's not the intention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Are there any other comments?

Seeing none, I'll call the vote on the amendment.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Should you not read out the names?

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Madam Chow, could you please allow me to run the meeting? Thank you.

(Amendment negatived)

It was not unanimous.

All in favour of the second report as presented?

A point of order, Ms. Chow?

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

How does the recorded vote register from this committee? I'm sorry, I'm a substitute for this committee. Normally a recorded vote has names attached to it.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Yes. We would be happy to record the vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

It was actually acknowledged by the show of hands when I requested it. If it's the will of the committee, and we have unanimous consent, we can actually have a recorded vote, but the record would show that it was not unanimous.

Ms. Chow.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Chair, just a point of order. Does calling a recorded vote require unanimous consent? I didn't believe it would be the case.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

We have already acknowledged the vote on the amendment by the show of hands. If we wanted a recorded vote, we would need to have unanimous consent of the committee.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Pardon me, Mr. Chair. I asked for the recorded vote twice. Prior to the vote, I asked. During the vote, as you were about to, I said again, can we call for a recorded vote? You mentioned at that time that, yes, you would chair the meeting and I thought the recorded vote would be a calling out of names. That was what my request was. I wished to have that recorded vote, and that was done prior to that vote being taken.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Jean.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Chair, I can't interrupt the rules of the committee or the ruling of the chair, but from the government's perspective, we're happy to acknowledge that all the government members voted against the amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Volpe.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Likewise, we're not interested in interrupting the process or the procedures, but we'd already discussed this thoroughly. We had agreement around the table. So if it's important to show unanimity--and obviously there isn't any--the Liberal members would have voted against it.