[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]
Tuesday, September 19, 1995
.1004 
[Translation]
The Clerk of the committee: Honourable members, welcome. I see we have a quorum.
[English]
Your first order of business today is to elect a chair. I'm ready to receive nominations to that effect.
[Translation]
Mr. Bergeron.
Mr. Bergeron (Verchères): I nominate Mr. Bill Graham as chairman of the committee.
.1005
The Clerk: You have heard the motion moved by Mr. Bergeron and seconded by Mr. Volpe.
[English]
It is proposed that Bill Graham be elected chair of the committee.
Motion agreed to
The Chairman: I'd rather be back where I was, where you can say something in this committee. Nobody lets me do or say anything in this chair.
[Translation]
Thank you very much.
[English]
It's now appropriate for me to call for nominations for the two vice-chairs. Do you have any propositions?
Mr. Paré.
[Translation]
Mr. Paré (Louis-Hébert): Mr. Chairman, I nominate Stéphane Bergeron as vice-president of the committee.
[English]
The Chairman: My understanding of the procedure is that we vote on one proposition and then we move to the next proposition.
Motion agreed to
The Chairman: I declare that Mr. Bergeron is elected vice-chair.
On a point of order, Mr. Penson.
Mr. Penson (Peace River): If you're moving on to the next nomination, I would like to be recognized.
The Chairman: You will recall that Standing Order 106 provides that for the chair and the two vice-chairs, two of the three must be from the government party. Therefore I would ask for nominations for vice-chair from the government.
Mr. Penson: I had asked to be recognized by the clerk on the first nomination. I signalled that I wanted to be recognized on the first nomination and was not recognized for a nomination for vice-chair.
The Chairman: I'm sorry, I didn't see that, but the clerk advises me she had Mr. Paré first and you second.
Mr. Penson: To continue on that point of order, is it not possible to have more than one nomination for vice-chair at a time?
The Chairman: I inquired into that before the meeting. My understanding is that the rules do not provide that one would nominate various people vice-chair and then vote on, say, two or three - say from the opposition you would have two people and vote on them - but rather that you vote and then if that person doesn't win, you proceed to the next nomination.
Mr. Penson: Is that a standing order you can give me, as far as procedure goes?
The Chairman: The clerk advises me that's so. We can get you the reference, if you like. I agree, it's not necessarily a usual form of procedure, but that is the procedure in the committee, I'm advised by the clerk. She's always been very knowledgeable about these matters before. But we'll get you the reference.
Mr. Penson: Thank you.
The Chairman: Mr. Paré.
[Translation]
Mr. Paré: I nominate Joseph Volpe as vice-chairman of the committee.
[English]
The Chairman: Do we have a seconder? It's about time we got some action from over on that side.
Mr. Alcock (Winnipeg South): I second it.
Motion agreed to
The Chairman: I declare Mr. Volpe elected vice-chairman.
Mr. Leblanc (Longueuil): We have one English, one French, one Italian. We have another very good team.
The Chairman: One English, one French, one Irish?
Mr. Leblanc: One Italian.
The Chairman: I'm Irish.
.1010
Mr. Leblanc: I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman.
An hon. member: I may reconsider my vote.
The Chairman: That's what the Irish said.
If there's no other business before the committee today, I declare us adjourned until -
[Translation]
Mr. Paré: Would it be possible to touch briefly upon a few other questions?
The Chairman: Thursday, we will have a meeting of the Subcommitte on Programme and Procedure. However, if you have a proposal to make right now, go ahead.
Mr. Paré: I would like us to take a look at three issues.
Last week I took part in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland and the translation service was there. However, I find it less practical to have an interpreter beside me than to have a full-fledged interpreation service. I would therefore like our future meetings to be held in a room where there is a booth for interpreters so that we have a full-fledged translation service. This would allow us to take into account the needs of parliamentarians.
Secondly, I know that Canada is preparing to host a very large number of foreign visitors and I would like the Committee to ask itself whether it will have a role to play with regard to those meetings. I would like us to be kept informed.
Thirdly, last year, we proceeded to do a review of foreign policy and you will remember that the fact that the report was in two volumes had us worrying that the government might chose to give out one or the other. Without wanting to be overly negative towards our chairman, I simply note that this is exactly what happened last week, during the Prime Minister of Ireland's visit. The only report tabled was the government majority report, and the one containing the annexes and mostly the dissenting view of the Bloc Québécois was not. This is something I must deplore and I hope that, in the future, we will be a bit more careful in this regard.
The Chairman: Mr. Paré, with regard to visitors, next week, the president of the Indian Assembly will be meeting the Committee. As I understand the system, the office of protocol of the Department of Foreign Affairs is the service that asks these people to come to meet us. I will therefore inform the office of protocol that the Committee wishes to meet these visitors.
However, for the moment, I intend to maintain the A and B teams because there are too many people coming through Ottawa. Nevertheless, all members of the Committee are welcomed to take part in any one of these meetings. Everyone will be getting the meeting notice as well as the names of those who are part of the receiving team.
Mr. Paré: All foreign visitors do not automatically call on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. How do we decide which visitors will be invited by the Committee and which will only be received by the government?
The Chairman: This depends on the visitor or his government's request. For example, we think that Mr. Mandela will be coming and I have already informed the Department that the Committee would very much like to meet him. But that will not be possible if Mr. Mandela gives a speech before the two Houses of Parliament. So, we shall see. In many cases foreign dignitaries, if they are of high rank, have such a heavy schedule that they cannot appear before the Committee. This depends not only on the visitor's government, but also on the Canadian government.
I would like also to address the incidents you have mentioned with regard to Mr. Bruton's visit. I had not noticed that the two reports had not been tabled and I will make sure, next time, that the entire report is given out. The original edition is just about out of stock.
.1015
As for the interpretation service, I am sorry that things turned out the way they did. All other participants seemed quite content, and especially the Prime Minister of Ireland. The government of Ireland had requested that the meeting not be held in the large room adjacent to this one. Therefore, I acted as I did to accommodate the Prime Minister of Ireland. Of course, there was a problem in terms of interpretation. Next time, we will ask for a smaller room, such as this one, so that we can accommodate both the interpretation and the guests.
[English]
The Chairman: Does anybody else have anything they would like to raise before we adjourn?
Mr. Penson, is it all right if we discuss your motion rather than keeping everyone? Okay.
On that basis, I remind members of the procedures committee that we have a meeting on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Mr. Volpe is asking if it is possible for us to do it today. The other members of the committee would be Mr. Bergeron, Mr. Flis, Madame Beaumier. At what time?
An hon. member: I don't know if we're part of the committee.
The Chairman: Yes, you are a member of the steering committee.
Is 3:30 this afternoon all right with you, Mr. Mills?
Mr. Mills (Red Deer): It is my duty day, but I can probably get away.
The Chairman: Is that all right for you, Mr. Flis?
Mr. Flis (Parkdale - High Park): I already have an appointment lined up at 3:30 p.m.
The Chairman: It's not all right with Mr. Flis. In that case, Mr. Volpe, we'll just have to go without you, or you can be replaced by somebody.
Mr. Alcock: Then there will be no other meeting of the committee this week?
The Chairman: No.
I think we'll have to go on Thursday morning, Mr. Mills.
How long is your meeting, Mr. Flis?
Mr. Flis: An hour.
An hon. member: What's wrong with Thursday?
The Chairman: Mr. Volpe can't be there on Thursday.
Okay, the steering committee will meet at 4:30 this afternoon. We shouldn't take more than half an hour.
This meeting stands adjourned.