LIAI Committee Meeting

38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Liaison Committee

EVIDENCE

CONTENTS

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Mark Bosc)

Ms. Nancy Karetak-Lindell (Nunavut, Lib.)

The Clerk

Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Newton—North Delta, CPC)

The Clerk

Hon. Andrew Telegdi (Kitchener—Waterloo, Lib.)

The Clerk

The Clerk

Mr. John Williams (Edmonton—St. Albert, CPC)

The Clerk

The Chair (Ms. Bonnie Brown (Oakville, Lib.))

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. John Williams

Ms. Raymonde Folco (Laval—Les Îles, Lib.)

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds—Dollard, Lib.)

Mr. John Williams

The Chair

Mr. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, Lib.)

The Chair

Mr. Massimo Pacetti

The Chair

The Chair

Hon. Don Boudria (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Lib.)

The Chair

Hon. Don Boudria

The Chair

The Chair

Mr. Gurmant Grewal

The Chair

Mr. Bernard Patry

The Chair

Hon. Roger Gallaway (Sarnia—Lambton, Lib.)

Mr. Gurmant Grewal

Mr. John Williams

Ms. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.)

The Chair

Mr. Paul Steckle (Huron—Bruce, Lib.)

The Chair

The Chair

Ms. Anita Neville

The Chair

Ms. Raymonde Folco

The Chair

The Chair

Mr. Alan Tonks (York South—Weston, Lib.)

CANADA

EVIDENCE

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]

*   *   *

·  (1310)  

[Translation]

    The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Mark Bosc): Honourable members of the committee, I believe we have a quorum.

[English]

    Are there any nominations for the position of chair of the liaison committee?

    Ms. Karetak-Lindell.

    Ms. Nancy Karetak-Lindell (Nunavut, Lib.): I would like to nominate Bonnie Brown to be the chair.

    The Clerk: Ms. Brown is nominated. Are there other nominations?

    There being no further nominations, I do declare Ms. Bonnie Brown elected chair of the liaison committee.

[Translation]

    Our next item of business is the election of a Vice-Chair.

[English]

    Are there nominations for the position of vice-chair?

    Mr. Grewal.

    Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Newton—North Delta, CPC): I nominate Mr. John Williams.

    The Clerk: We have Mr. John Williams nominated.

[Translation]

    Are there any other nominations?

[English]

    Mr. Telegdi.

    Hon. Andrew Telegdi (Kitchener—Waterloo, Lib.): Roger Gallaway.

    The Clerk: Mr. Gallaway is nominated. We have two nominations. Are there other nominations?

    There being no further nominations, we will now proceed to a secret ballot.

·  (1315)  

    I declare Mr. Roger Gallaway elected vice-chair of the liaison committee.

    Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

    The Clerk: Mr. Williams.

    Mr. John Williams (Edmonton—St. Albert, CPC): I have two points, Mr. Chair.

    First, I would like the--

    The Clerk: Mr. Williams, I am not entitled to hear points or points of order. I will call on the chair, Ms. Brown, to come to the chair.

    The Chair (Ms. Bonnie Brown (Oakville, Lib.)): Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'll call this committee to order.

    You will see that we've taken care of items 1 and 2—

    Mr. John Williams: I rise on a point of order, Madam Chair.

    The Chair: Mr. Williams.

    Mr. John Williams: On the election, I am sure you would find unanimous consent to make the election of Mr. Gallaway unanimous, and I'm quite sure that had I been allowed to give a campaign speech the results might have been quite different, but I will accept the ballot of the committee.

    Thank you.

    Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

    The Chair: Thank you very much.

    You'll notice that we're at item 3, a subcommittee on committee budgets. In a normal year this subcommittee carries, I would say, the largest load of work. It sometimes meets three to four times a month as requests for budget allocations come in from the various standing committees. We are looking for five Liberals and two opposition members. We have a list here of people who have been on in the past.

    Yes.

    Mr. John Williams: Why is it five Liberals and two opposition?

    The Chair: We always had four Liberals and one opposition and the clerk has suggested that we upgrade it in view of the fact that the opposition now chairs four committees. So we're giving you one more seat on this.

    Mr. John Williams: I would have thought with the House being pretty well evenly divided and the government actually having a minority, we would respect that and have the subcommittee with somewhat akin to an equality of opposition and government.

    The Chair: I was just ruling somewhat arbitrarily there at the suggestion of the clerk around the numbers, but I would be willing to take a motion that strikes the number of Liberals and opposition members on the committee. The clerk has suggested five and two. Mr. Williams is suggesting three and three, or something like that.

    Mr. John Williams: I would say three and three.

    Ms. Raymonde Folco (Laval—Les Îles, Lib.): I suggest six. Five and two make seven. Three and three make six.

    Mr. John Williams: I move that the subcommittee on budgets be comprised of three members from the government side and three members from the opposition side.

    The Chair: Are there speakers to that motion?

    Mr. Patry.

    Mr. Bernard Patry (Pierrefonds—Dollard, Lib.): Does that mean, Mr. Williams, you're going to get one from every party in the opposition?

    Mr. John Williams: No, I just said three from the government and three from the opposition. We have four chairs represented here, and if it's the wish of the committee that we invite one or more of the other parties to participate in the subcommittee, I don't have a problem with that.

    The Chair: Members of the subcommittee have to be members of this committee. The way the motion is now, it would be half Liberals and half Conservatives, because only Conservatives are chairing committees.

    Any further comments?

    Mr. Pacetti.

    Mr. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, Lib.): Isn't this the committee of the chairs?

·  (1320)  

    The Chair: Yes.

    Mr. Massimo Pacetti: Then shouldn't it simulate or be along the same lines as the formation of the committee itself?

    The Chair: Yes, and to that end, we have 17 Liberals on this committee and 4 Conservatives.

    Any further comments? Seeing none, I'll call the question on Mr. Williams' motion.

    (Motion negatived)

    The Chair: Could I have another motion?

    Mr. Boudria.

    Hon. Don Boudria (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Lib.): I move the one you have in front of you.

    The Chair: Which is five Liberals and two opposition.

    Hon. Don Boudria: My thoughts exactly.

    The Chair: Any discussion of that motion?

    (Motion agreed to)

    The Chair: So it will be five Liberals and two opposition members.

    In terms of members from the past... because I think we'd want some experience. Of those, and the ones who are present here today, we have still Pat O'Brien, we have Bernard Patry, and we have John Williams. Those are three experienced members.

    Is Mr. Wappel here? No?

    Mr. Wappel is a committee chair, and he has also been on the committee.

    So those are the experienced members.

    First of all, we have to have nominations, do we not?

    Mr. Gurmant Grewal: I also was a former member of the liaison committee.

    The Chair: Yes, but you weren't part of the budgets subcommittee. That's what I'm talking about now.

    Mr. Patry.

    Mr. Bernard Patry: I propose Mr. O'Brien.

    The Chair: Let's make a list here. We'll see if we have to have a vote.

    Mr. Gallaway.

    Hon. Roger Gallaway (Sarnia—Lambton, Lib.): I propose Mr. Telegdi.

    Mr. Gurmant Grewal: Mr. Williams.

    Mr. John Williams: Mr. Grewal.

    Ms. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.): And I propose Mrs. Catterall.

    An hon. member: Mr. Benoit.

    An hon. member: Mr. Patry.

    The Chair: Just a minute.

    I believe I now have seven names, five Liberal and two opposition.

    Are there further nominations?

    Mr. Paul Steckle (Huron—Bruce, Lib.): I move that nominations be closed.

    The Chair: We have a motion to close nominations.

    Any comments? Seeing none, I'll call the question.

    (Motion agreed to)

    The Chair: The members of the budgets subcommittee are Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Telegdi, Ms. Catterall, Mr. Patry, Mr. Williams, Mr. Grewal, and me.

    So number 3 is taken care of. Thank you very much.

    Number 4 is simply in the form of information, that the meetings will be held the first Thursday of each month at 1 p.m.

    We need a motion that a working meal be paid out of the committee's budget at the discretion of the chair. We traditionally have lunch.

    Ms. Anita Neville: So moved.

    The Chair: Any discussion about lunch?

    Ms. Raymonde Folco: I know that a lot of people drink Pepsi and Coke, but some of us drink Perrier. I would like to see some Perrier on the lunch menu, please.

    The Chair: I'm sure the clerk can take note of that.

    I'll call the question on that motion, that we allocate money for lunch.

    (Motion agreed to)

    The Chair: Now we need to move in camera. I'll take a motion to that effect.

    Mr. Alan Tonks (York South—Weston, Lib.): I so move.

    (Motion agreed to)

    [Proceedings continue in camera]