PROC Committee Meeting

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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

Meeting No. 27

Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs met in a televised session at 11:01 a.m. this day, in Room C-110, 1 Wellington Street, the Chair, Joe Preston, presiding.

Members of the Committee present: David Christopherson, Kevin Lamoureux, Alexandrine Latendresse, Tom Lukiwski, Joe Preston, Scott Reid, Blake Richards and Craig Scott.

Acting Members present: Hon. Laurie Hawn for Scott Reid, Dave MacKenzie for Brad Butt and Erin O'Toole for Ted Opitz.

Associate Members present: Hon. Laurie Hawn.

In attendance: Library of Parliament: Sebastian Spano, Analyst ; Erin Virgint, Research Assistant.

Witnesses: Assembly of First Nations: Peter Dinsdale, Acting Chief Executive Officer. National Pensioners Federation: Barry Thorsteinson, Past President. As an individual: Paul Howe, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick. Lac La Ronge Indian Band: Gladys Christiansen, Director of Human Resources. Native Women's Association of Canada: Teresa Edwards, In-House Legal Counsel, Director, International Affairs and Human Rights.

Pursuant to the Order of Reference of Monday, February 10, 2014, the Committee resumed consideration of Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts.

Paul Howe, by videoconference from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Barry Thorsteinson and Peter Dinsdale made statements and answered questions.

At 11:58 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:06 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Gladys Christiansen and Teresa Edwards made statements and answered questions.

The Committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to Committee business.

David Christopherson moved, — That, pursuant to the motion adopted by the House of Commons on Thursday, March 27, 2014 relating to the parliamentary functions being performed in offices of the Official Opposition, the Committee invite the Honourable Leader of the Opposition; and also invite the Right Honourable Prime Minister to appear before the Committee to address the many partisan activities undertaken by his government, specifically by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and by the Conservative Research Group (CRG), and that furthermore, the current study on C-23 be extended by the same number of days as those scheduled for the study on the referred motion.

A point of order was raised by Tom Lukiwski regarding the procedural admissibility of the proposed motion.

RULING BY THE CHAIR

The Chair ruled the motion inadmissible as it exceeded the mandate of the Committee.

Whereupon, David Christopherson appealed the decision of the Chair.

The question: "Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?" was put and the decision was sustained on the following recorded division: YEAS: Laurie Hawn, Tom Lukiwski, Dave MacKenzie, Erin O'Toole, Blake Richards — 5; NAYS: David Christopherson, Alexandrine Latendresse, Craig Scott — 3.

At 1:09 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

Marie-France Renaud
Clerk of the Committee

2014/04/04 10:56 a.m.