THE SENATE COMMITTEE OF SELECTION
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Tuesday, February 3, 2004
The Senate Committee of Selection met this day at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to hold an organizational meeting; and, pursuant to rule 85(1)(a) of the Rules of the Senate, to nominate (a) a Senator to preside as Speaker pro tempore and (b) the Senators to serve on select committees during the present session.
Ms. Heather Lank, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, I see a quorum. As clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive nominations to that effect.
Senator Stratton: I nominate Senator Losier-Cool.
Ms. Lank: Are there any other nominations, honourable senators?
Senator Kinsella: I move that nominations cease.
Ms. Lank: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Stratton that the Honourable Senator Losier-Cool do preside as chair of this committee.
All those in favour of the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Lank: I declare the motion carried and invite Senator Losier-Cool to please take the chair.
Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool (Chairman) in the Chair.
The Chairman: Item number 2 on our agenda is election of the deputy chair.
Senator Carstairs: I nominate Senator Stratton.
The Chairman: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
The next item is the nomination of a Speaker pro tempore. Are there any nominations?
Senator Kinsella: I nominate Senator Pépin.
The Chairman: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Is there a motion that I report the nomination of the Speaker pro tempore to the Senate?
Senator Rompkey: I so move.
The Chairman: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Rompkey, seconded by the Honourable Senator Kinsella, that the chair report to the Senate the nomination agreed to at this day's meeting. Is it agreed, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: We must nominate senators to serve on committees.
Are there nominations for senators to serve on the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples? The leadership has agreed upon two lists.
Senator Stratton: In our view, we do not have to go through the lists, because our lists are as before, with the exceptions that we have added Senator St. Germain to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. The list will continue as before.
Senator Carstairs: I do not have a list. Is Senator Prud'homme on the list for the Banking Committee?
The Chairman: Yes.
Senator Carstairs: Has Senator Plamondon been given a committee?
The Chairman: Not yet, because there are no vacancies. According to our list, Senator Prud'homme is still on the Banking Committee. Senator Roche is on the Social Affairs Committee.
Senator Stratton: What about the two new senators?
The Chairman: Senators Massicotte and Munson are on the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.
Senator Stratton: Senator St. Germain replaces me on the Aboriginal Peoples Committee and replaces Senator LeBreton on the Agriculture Committee.
Senator Carstairs: I do not think Senator Plamondon will say a word, but I think that Senator Prud'homme, speaking not for her but on her behalf, may raise a concern that she is the only independent senator who, to my knowledge, would like to sit on a committee and is not.
Senator Bacon: She spoke to me last night and said that she had written a letter asking to sit on the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce.
The Chairman: She asked to sit on the Banking Committee, but Senator Prud'homme, as an independent senator, is already on that committee.
Senator Bacon: She is interested in that committee because of her history as a consumer affairs representative.
The Chairman: In answer to that letter, I told her that when we make the complete changes, I will take that into account as a priority.
Senator Bacon: She has to know.
The Chairman: She will have a reply. I gave her an oral reply and I plan to send her a written one today. I did not want to do so before this committee met.
Let us put on the record the names that each side has proposed for each committee. On the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples we have Senators Chaput, Christensen, Gill, Léger, Pearson, Mercer, Sibbeston and Trenholme Counsell.
Senator Stratton, would you read the list from your side?
Senator Stratton: On the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples we have Senator Carney, Senator Johnson as deputy chair, and Senators St. Germain and Tkachuk.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry we have Senators Callbeck, Day, Fairbairn, Fitzpatrick, Hubley, LaPierre, Ringuette and Sparrow.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Gustafson, St. Germain, Oliver as chair, and Tkachuk.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce we have Senators Biron, Fitzpatrick, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Kroft, Massicotte and Moore; and as an independent, Senator Prud'homme.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Angus, Kelleher, Meighen and Tkachuk.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources we have Senators Baker, Banks, Christensen, Finnerty, Kenny, Merchant, Milne and Watt.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Buchanan, Cochrane, Eyton and Spivak.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans we have Senators Adams, Cook, Hubley, Mahovlich, Phalen, Robichaud, Trenholme Counsell and Watt.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Comeau, Cochrane, Johnson and Meighen.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs we have Senators Corbin, De Bané, Grafstein, Graham, Mahovlich, Poy, Sparrow and Stollery.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Andreychuk, Eyton, Carney and Di Nino.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights we have Senators Ferretti Barth, Jaffer, LaPierre, Maheu, Munson and Poy.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Beaudoin, Rivest and Rossiter.
The Chairman: On the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration we have Senators Bacon, Bryden, Cook, De Bané, Gauthier, Gill, Jaffer, Munson, Massicotte and Poulin.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Atkins, Stratton, Eyton and Robertson.
Senator Bacon: I have Angus, Atkins, Eyton —
Senator Stratton: Put Senator St. Germain on.
Senator Kinsella: I would like to put my name on that one.
Senator Stratton: All right. Senator Kinsella.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs we have Senators Baker, Bryden, Cools, Furey, Jaffer, Joyal, Pearson and Smith.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Andreychuk, Beaudoin, Buchanan and Nolin.
Senator Carstairs: There was an arrangement that I believe both sides knew about relating to the study, should it be resurrected, on the issue of non-derogation. Senator Jaffer agreed to step aside for those meetings and Senator Sibbeston would then sit on the committee.
Senator Stratton: That is correct.
The Chairman: That will be taken into account.
On the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament we have Senators Morin, Lapointe and Poy.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Kinsella and Forrestall.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance we have Senators Biron, Day, Downe, Ferretti Barth, Finnerty, Furey, Gauthier and Ringuette.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Oliver, Comeau, Doody and Murray.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence we have Senators Banks, Cordy, Day, Kenny, Munson and Smith.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Atkins, Forrestall and Meighen.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages we have Senators Chaput, Gauthier, Lapointe, Léger, Maheu and Munson.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Beaudoin, Comeau and Keon.
The Chairman: On the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament we have Senators Downe, Fraser, Grafstein, Harb, Hubley, Joyal, Losier-Cool, Milne, Ringuette and Smith.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Andreychuk, Di Nino, Murray, Robertson and Stratton.
The Chairman: On the Standing Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons for the Scrutiny of Regulations we have Senators Biron, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Lavigne and Moore.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Kelleher and Nolin.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology we have Senators Callbeck, Cook, Cordy, Fairbairn, Kirby, Léger and Morin. As an independent, we have Senator Roche.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Keon, Robertson, LeBreton and Rossiter.
The Chairman: On the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications we have Senators Adams, Corbin, Day, Fraser, Graham, LaPierre, Merchant and Phalen.
Senator Stratton: We have Senators Eyton, Gustafson, Johnson and Spivak.
The Chairman: May I have a motion to report?
Senator Carstairs: I move that the chairman report to the Senate the nominations agreed to at today's meeting.
The Chairman: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Carstairs, seconded by the Honourable Senator LeBreton, that this report be presented to the Senate this afternoon. Is it agreed, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The committee adjourned.