Procedure and House Affairs committee  First of all, I don't remember the circumstances to which you refer. That doesn't mean they didn't happen. Your specific question has to do with what happens to those members of a party who don't meet one of the rules in the House of Commons on how many people have to be there b

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's getting to be a long time ago, but I don't remember that being a big issue at all. I just wanted to say something to Mr. Christopherson. When I said that there's an old saying that you don't look for a new solution unless you've seen the problem, I don't want him or any of

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'll be very short. Speaker Milliken, I think, got to the nub of the thing. Salaries and benefits are determined by the government in the budget, not by the Board of Internal Economy. That, however, may not transfer over to the question of expenditures on any particular trip or

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You started off, and I was very taken with this, saying that maybe the proposed solution isn't there because there isn't really a problem. Again, I haven't been around there recently; Speaker Milliken has, and we have a new Speaker as well. But I come back to what I said a few mi

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Mr. Julian, unless I were able to go back over all of the minutes over a number of years.... I might find a situation like that, but if there had been situations like that, I think I would have a pretty good memory of it. I can't recall any situation in which the discussion at th

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's a big, wild country out here, and my instructions as to how to find this place were, by either my fault or somebody else's fault, not easy. In any event, Stephanie here finally got me on the phone, she brought me in front of you, so here we are, and I'd like to help in any w

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Well, I guess that's a good way of putting it.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  And then of course I'll take questions. I'm in your hands.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  All right. Is that satisfactory to everybody?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I can, and I'm very pleased to be here.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I've been driving all over British Columbia trying to find the place.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's not very lengthy, but I have some comments when you're ready for them.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You can hear me all right?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  First of all, thank you very much for asking me to appear in front of this august committee. I hope everybody is aware that it has been some years since I was Speaker of the House of Commons, but I've kept a pretty close interest in what is going on in the House of Commons and I