Evidence of meeting #1 for Veterans Affairs in the 43rd 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 Bryan May
I can simply say, folks, that if the latitude is still there for the chair to hold those conversations before the meeting, obviously it would depend upon how many witnesses we have at the meeting. If there's one witness, we have much more leeway. For the second part of your amendment to work, we'd have to shorten the witnesses' time a little bit.
I see that MP Casey has his hand up as well.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would not support having opening statements at any more than five minutes, and here's why.
Let me say this. My support for the motion will be conditional on the opening statements being limited to five minutes.
I agree that the chair should have discretion in the circumstances Mr. Albas described, but in the first round you have four six-minute slots. That makes 24 minutes. In the second and subsequent rounds, you have four five-minute slots and two slots of two and a half minutes. That's 25 minutes.
You thus have 49 minutes of questions. Take that 49 minutes of questioning, with two witnesses presenting for five minutes each, and there's your 59 minutes for one panel.
The problem I have is that if you increase the time for the presentations, the slot that gets cut is the Liberal slot at the end. To be comfortable with moving us to the back of the line and moving the NDP and the Bloc up the line from where they were in the last Parliament, I would want to have the assurance that there's some hope of getting to us. That assurance is gone if the opening statements are longer than five minutes.
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Is there any further discussion?
We have to deal with MP Blaney's initial amendment.
To clarify from the clerk, we will be voting on MP Blaney's amendment. Is that correct?
The Clerk
If the whole committee agrees, then we don't need to go to a recorded division. If not everyone agrees, then we can go to a recorded division.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Okay.
Let me ask—and committee members can either nod or shake their heads—does everyone agree with MP Blaney's amendment?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Excellent.
(Amendment agreed to)
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
We'll go back to MP Lalonde, please.
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I will now present the motion concerning document distribution:
That only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee, only when the documents are available in both official languages, and that witnesses be advised accordingly.
October 14th, 2020 / 11:35 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you.
Is there any discussion?
(Motion agreed to)
MP Lalonde, you may continue.
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
This is the motion concerning working meals:
That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Is there any discussion?
(Motion agreed to)
Please continue, MP Lalonde.
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
I will move on to the motion regarding travel, accommodation and living expenses of witnesses:
That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.
Liberal
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
This is the motion regarding access to in camera meetings:
That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to have one staff member at an in camera meeting and that one additional person from each House officer’s office be allowed to be present.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Is there any discussion?
(Motion agreed to)
You may continue, MP Lalonde.
Liberal
Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON
Here is the motion regarding transcripts of in camera meetings:
That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the committee clerk’s office for consultation by members of the committee or by their staff.
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Chair, I know that it's been the experience of other committees for the chair to ask for unanimous consent, given the fact that we are virtual. I'm going to make a suggestion that we verbalize our consent as opposed to maybe going to a recorded vote. If there's a need to go to a recorded vote, then we do that, but I think we should be verbalizing our consent just so that everyone is clear where everyone stands.
That's just a suggestion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Just so I'm clear, are you referring to this process we're going through right now?
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
It just gets really tough with everybody talking at the same time. The microphones don't really work well that way. I'm trying to do that visually. We can try it. I'm just not sure if our interpreters....
Conservative
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
You can direct and call us on it, right? You could say, “Do the Conservatives agree? Yes. Do the Liberals agree? Yes.”
