Environment committee  If members send me questions that they would like asked of government for written responses, then I would be pleased to reach out to the parliamentary affairs offices of those respective departments and convey the questions on behalf of the committee.

Environment committee  Thank you.

Environment committee  Ordinarily, services are available for two full hours of proceedings. That excludes suspension time and also includes a 15-minute grace period. The committee was suspended for approximately 10 minutes, plus 15 minutes. The committee could proceed until approximately 5:25 p.m. without requesting additional services.

Environment committee  Well, it's 25 extra minutes, so that would take the committee to—I beg your pardon—5:55.

Environment committee  Would you like me to speak to that?

Environment committee  Pursuant to Standing Order 115, when bells ring to alert members that there's an upcoming vote in the chamber, the committee is required to suspend the meeting, unless there is unanimous consent to continue to sit. However, historically, if members do not give their unanimous consent to continue to sit, a member will often propose adjournment of the committee if members do not intend to come back to the meeting.

Environment committee  Pursuant to Standing Order 106(3), as the clerk of the committee, I will preside over the election of the chair. I must inform members that the clerk of the committee can only receive motions for the election of the chair. The clerk cannot receive other types of motions, cannot entertain points of order nor participate in debate.

Environment committee  Mr. Bonin moved that Ms. Shannon Miedema be elected chair of the committee. Are there any further motions? (Motion agreed to) I declare the motion carried and Shannon Miedema duly elected chair of the committee. Ms. Miedema, I invite you to take the chair.

Environment committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. The interpretation services can provide their assistance for two hours and fifteen minutes of the meeting, not counting suspensions. The meeting began at 11:03 a.m. and the suspension lasted about 13 minutes. If my calculation is right, interpretation services can be available until about 1:30 p.m.

Environment committee  Strictly speaking, the meeting adjourns at the will of the committee. From time to time, and usually, if ever we see the chair adjourn the meeting directly, at the usual time of adjournment, it's because the chair observes that there is implied consent among the members. I hope that answers your question, sir.

Environment committee  In my role, I advise the chair and all members on matters of procedure and administration, and I capture the decisions of the committee.

Environment committee  I don't have the text of the motion adopted by the House in front of me. However, the wording is essentially that when the House adjourns on Thursday, March 26, it shall stand adjourned until Monday, April 13. I'm going to double-check this, but the motion does not prescribe that the program for Thursday, March 26 be a Friday program.

Environment committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Leslie. I'm familiar with the tradition of “two sleeps”. Nevertheless, on June 16, the committee adopted its own routine motion for governing notices in the committee, which provides that notices filed with the clerk after 4 p.m. from Monday to Thursday will be treated as if received the following day.

Environment committee  The motion as amended would read as follows: That the committee undertake a study, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), of one meeting, on the implementation and impacts of the single-use plastics prohibition regulations as well as the suspension of Ottawa’s export ban on single-use plastics; that the study take into account the scientific evidence that shows that plastic pollution poses a threat to the environment; that the committee invite the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and any other witnesses appropriate to this study to appear before it; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

Environment committee  The committee has authority to plan all of its business. In the absence of any explicit decision by the committee, the chair is also empowered in his administrative role to give instruction. As a matter of course, I prepare a calendar of the committee's program of activity that is distributed to all members.