HEAL Committee Meeting

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

COMITÉ PERMANENT DE LA SANTÉ

EVIDENCE

[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]

Tuesday, October 7, 1997

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[English]

The Clerk of the Committee: Honourable members, I see a quorum.

The first order of business is to elect a chair. Dr. Hill.

Mr. Grant Hill (Macleod, Ref.): I wonder if I might just make a comment before we do nominate the chair.

Reform, as you know, tried very hard to make the committee structure more democratic when we were the third party. We tried really hard to have a secret ballot so the election process was in fact more democratic, hoping that would make the structure of the committees more democratic. Now that we're in official opposition status I think it would be hypocritical no longer to try to do that, so I would like to request the committee to consider having a secret ballot process for the nomination of the chair and vice-chairs. That would give the opportunity for other individuals to serve as vice-chairs, instead of the typical precedent of the official opposition always holding that position.

The Clerk: I can't entertain anything other than motions for the election of the chair.

Mr. Joseph Volpe (Eglinton—Lawrence, Lib.): Yes, I understand that. I was just going to make a point. While my colleague—

Mr. Grant Hill: There's a method for doing that. That's the reason I suggest it here. And the committee is master of its own fate, as you know. If the committee, by unanimous consent, agrees to do this, it is a fait accompli.

Mr. Joseph Volpe: I think we're going to be able to get that unanimous consent today, Mr. Hill. There's probably another forum for doing this, so when it comes to the committee the committee would be appropriately informed and have the issue under the appropriate consideration before making the decision.

For my part—and I don't speak for everybody else on the committee—I take what you have said under advisement. I will consider it with the same kind of weight as you would want me to consider it as an individual member of the committee. I'll even go beyond that and make the recommendation to those who occupy their time considering the rules of procedure for both the House and the committee and look to them for some guidance as well, so we can make an informed and intelligent decision. But I must add that I think in the past the way the elections have been made has been very democratic. I haven't felt any pressure from colleagues around the table.

If you're only in a position to receive motions, and the only motion you can receive is that we proceed with the election of the chair, then perhaps we might engage in that process post-haste. You might call for a nominee.

The Clerk: I see Mrs. Ur.

Mrs. Rose-Marie Ur (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, Lib.): Madam Clerk, I would like to nominate Beth Phinney chair of the health committee.

Mr. Grant Hill: Might we have a recorded vote, please.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 16; nays 0)

The Clerk: By the terms of the motion I declare Ms. Phinney to be unanimously elected to the chair and I invite her to take the chair.

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The Chair (Ms. Beth Phinney, Hamilton Mountain, Lib)): Thank you very much.

I think we'll move directly to the election of the vice-chairs. Do I have a nomination for first vice-chair?

Mrs. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul's, Lib.): I would nominate Elinor Caplan as vice-chair of the health committee.

(Motion agreed to)

The Chair: I declare Elinor Caplan first vice-chair.

I need a motion for the second vice-chair.

Mr. Joseph Volpe: I would nominate Mr. Reed Elley, in absentia. He's being replaced by....

Mr. Gary Lunn (Saanich—Gulf Islands, Ref.): I'm Mr. Lunn and I'm standing in for Reed Elley.

Mr. Joseph Volpe: We're not voting by proxy. We're here in person, but his is the name in nomination.

(Motion agreed to)

The Chair: I declare Mr. Elley second vice-chair.

Congratulations to the vice-chairs.

We have some complications of numbers and things like that that we can see coming up in the future, and there are some things that we might want to have a consensus on before we even start. As your chair, I would like to meet with each of the opposition parties, with your main critic, or all of you if you would like, to discuss some of these things. With that in mind, I would ask that we not do anything else, that we not proceed any further today until I have met with each of the opposition parties. I don't know how you feel about that. Do you agree with that?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

The Chair: I adjourn to the call of the chair.