[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]
Thursday, September 28, 1995
.1530 
[English]
The Clerk of the Committee: I'm ready to receive motions for the election of a chair.
Mr. McGuire (Egmont): I nominate Dianne Brushett as chair.
The Clerk: It has been moved by Mr. McGuire that Mrs. Brushett do take the chair of this committee. Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?
Motion agreed to
The Clerk: I invite Mrs. Brushett to take the chair.
The Chair: Thank you, colleagues. We'll now call this subcommittee together to review electoral boundary concerns in the Atlantic region.
The first purpose of business is to determine a date to hear the seven candidates who wish to be heard. The clerk has blocked out some suggested time. Do both members have it here?
I'm open to your pleasure. Wednesday is probably the most difficult day for me because I may have to return to the riding. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, I'm available when it's convenient.
Mr. Johnston (Wetaskiwin): I think, Madam Chairman, that we would be also available on all those days.
The Chair: Thank you.
Mr. McGuire: If Reform is not travelling, Monday afternoon might be a good time. Are you going home on the weekend?
Mr. Johnston: I'm a stand-in at this committee.
Mr. McGuire: Is John Cummins -
Mr. Johnston: John Cummins is actually the member.
Mr. McGuire: - coming back or is he here?
The Chair: What if we said Monday, say, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.?
Mr. Johnston: If John's not going to be here he will arrange for a stand-in, I'm sure.
Mr. McGuire: I propose Monday afternoon between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Chair: The clerk has advised us from the other regions that they're allowing approximately 15 minutes to hear each witness. According to that, with seven witnesses, the maximum time we should require is about two hours. You're suggesting 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mr. McGuire: In that time range.
The Chair: From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.. So it's at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 2. Is that acceptable?
Mr. McGuire: Is John going to be here Monday?
A voice: Yes, he will.
Mr. Johnston: So what were the times again?
Mr. McGuire: Between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., say 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., or in that range.
Mr. Johnston: In the afternoon.
Mr. McGuire: I have no problem.
Mr. Johnston: Okay.
The Chair: The clerk has just pointed out that this is all happening on very short notice and that there is a possibility that some witnesses will not be available to be before us on Monday during that timeframe. So we will perhaps decide on an alternate day to hear those who are not available to be heard on Monday.
Mr. Johnston: Good idea.
The Chair: Let's carry on with Tuesday, the immediate day following that.
Mr. McGuire: Tuesday morning? I have other committee meetings in the afternoon, so we could start at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The Chair: It will be 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, October 3? Agreed?
Those are the established times to hear these members bring forward their concerns.
Mr. Johnston: So, Madam Chairman, that's Monday from 4 p.m. onward, and Tuesday from 9 a.m. onward.
Mr. McGuire: Do we need a motion to hold tight at 15 minutes or how do we play that?
The Clerk: It's up to the committee to decide how to formalize it.
Mr. McGuire: Is it up to the chairman to cut everybody off at 15 minutes?
Mr. Johnston: A motion, I think, will maybe give our chairman the clout she needs. So I'll move that submissions be constrained to 15 minutes.
The Chair: Thank you. Agreed?
Motion agreed to
The Chair: We'll notify our members accordingly. I guess that takes care of that portion of business.
Is there anything further?
The Clerk: You may want to discuss the draft report and when that could be considered, because the subcommittee has to report back to the full committee by October 16. So you may want to set aside another meeting to discuss this.
The Chair: That is the Monday we return following the break.
The Clerk: Right.
.1535
The Chair: There is the urgency again to have the report in, as the clerk indicates.
Mr. McGuire: We'd have to do it by Thursday, because I doubt we'd have too many people around on Friday. It has to be on Thursday.
The Chair: Then let's set it for late afternoon on Thursday, October 5.
Mr. Johnston: For the writing of the report?
The Chair: Yes. Is there a time that you'd prefer?
Mr. McGuire: Can we consider that on Tuesday morning? Let's determine the best time.
The Chair: So we'll hear the members Monday and Tuesday, then decide a time for Thursday?
A voice: John normally returns to B.C. on Thursday afternoon.
The Chair: Thursday morning, then? Is it okay for 9 a.m. again? The House opens at 10 a.m. So it's Thursday at 9 a.m. for the consolidation of the report.
Is there any further business?
Our researcher has indicated that we perhaps should collectively review our thoughts on our hearings so we can consolidate them into the report appropriately. We should do this following our Monday or Tuesday meeting, whichever is the last event, toward hearing the witnesses come forward. We'll allow a little bit of time for that.
Just one point to the clerk. If we're short a committee member do we...? Mrs. Wayne has not come today.
The Clerk: But we have a quorum.
The Chair: So we will proceed?
Mr. Johnston: As long as we have a quorum, yes.
The Chair: We will proceed. Thank you. Is there any further business?
This meeting is adjourned.