THE SENATE COMMITTEE OF SELECTION
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Senate Committee of Selection met this day at 10:30 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.
[English]
Heather Lank, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive any motions to that effect.
Senator Cowan: I move that Senator Segal do take the chair of this committee.
Ms. Lank: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Cowan that the Honourable Senator Segal take the chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Lank: I therefore invite the Honourable Senator Segal to please take the chair.
Senator Hugh Segal (Chairman) in the chair.
The Chair: I want to point out that Senator Stratton used to be chair, and now that I am chair the rules have changed. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
The next order of business, honourable senators, is the election of a deputy chair. Do I hear a nomination?
Senator Stratton: I move that Senator Cowan be nominated as deputy chair.
The Chair: Are there any other nominations?
Hearing none, all in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
I would invite Senator Cowan to join myself and the clerk of the committee at the head table.
You are just a heartbeat away from being chair.
Senator Tkachuk: You look remarkably healthy, though.
The Chair: Honourable senators, the next item on our agenda is the nomination of a Speaker pro tempore, and I would ask for nominations.
Senator Fraser, are you nominating Senator Losier-Cool?
Senator Fraser: I am.
The Chair: We have the nomination of Senator Losier-Cool, seconded by Senator Nancy Ruth. There being no other nominations, all those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: No one is opposed, so the motion is carried unanimously.
If senators are in agreement, in our report to the Senate at the earlier possible opportunity we shall submit the name of Senator Losier-Cool as our unanimous nomination for Speaker pro tempore.
We are now at Item No. 5, the composition of our committees. Have I missed anything?
Senator Robichaud: We have to move that the chair of the committee reports.
Senator Bacon: I so move.
The Chair: Thank you.
We turn to Item No. 5, the nomination of senators wishing to sit on the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples. Are there any nominations for that committee from the minority?
Senator Tkachuk: For the Aboriginal Peoples Committee, I nominate Senators St. Germain, Carney, Gustafson and Segal.
The Chair: Are there any nominations from the majority?
Senator Cowan: I nominate Senators Campbell, Dallaire, Gill, Hubley, Lovelace Nicholas, Peterson, Sibbeston and Dyck.
The Chair: I will entertain a motion for the adoption of that membership.
Senator Cowan: I so move.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed?
Carried unanimously.
The next committee, honourable senators, is the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Are there any nominations from the majority?
Senator Cowan: I nominate Senators Bacon, Baker, Callbeck, Fairbairn, Mahovlich, Mercer, Peterson and Cowan.
The Chair: Are there any nominations from the minority?
Senator Stratton: From the minority, I nominate Senators Gustafson, Carney, St. Germain and Segal.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if anyway?
Carried unanimously.
The next committee is the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. I would invite nominations from the minority regarding the membership of this committee.
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Angus, Eyton, Meighen and Tkachuk.
The Chair: Could I ask for nominations from the majority for this committee?
Senator Cowan: Senators Biron, Fitzpatrick, Goldstein, Grafstein, Harb, Massicotte, Ringuette and Cowan.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if anyway?
Carried unanimously.
The next committee is the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources. Can I have the majority nominations?
Senator Cowan: Senators Adams, Banks, Campbell, Kenny, Milne, Mitchell, Sibbeston and Trenholme Counsell.
The Chair: From the minority side?
Senator Stratton: Senators Nolin, Brown, Cochrane and Spivak.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed?
The motion is carried unanimously.
Next is the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. Could I have nominations from the minority side, please?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Cochrane, Comeau, Johnson and Meighen.
The Chair: Could I entertain nominations for the majority side?
Senator Cowan: Senators Adams, Campbell, Cowan, Gill, Hubley, Robichaud, Rompkey and Watt.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if anyway?
Carried unanimously.
Next is the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Could I have nominations from the majority side, please?
Senator Cowan: Senators Corbin, Dawson, De Bané, Downe, Jaffer, Mahovlich, Smith and Stollery.
The Chair: From the minority side, please.
Senator Stratton: Senators Di Nino, Johnson, Nolin and Rivest.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
With respect to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, could I have the nominations from the minority side, please?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Andreychuk, Kinsella and Oliver.
The Chair: Could I ask for nominations from the majority side?
Senator Cowan: Senators Dallaire, Jaffer, Lovelace Nicholas, Munson, Pépin and Poy.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
Next is the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration. I would ask for the minority nominations, please.
Senator Stratton: Senators Stratton, Comeau, Kinsella, Nancy Ruth and Prud'homme.
The Chair: From the majority side, please.
Senator Cowan: Senators Cook, Cowan, Downe, Furey, Goldstein, Jaffer, Massicotte, Phalen, Robichaud and Stollery.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
We now come to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and I would ask for the majority nominations, please.
Senator Cowan: Senators Baker, Bryden, Carstairs, Fraser, Furey, Joyal, Milne and Watt.
The Chair: Could I ask for the minority nominations, please?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Andreychuk, Di Nino, Oliver and Stratton.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
Next is the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament. Could I have the majority nominations, please?
Senator Cowan: Senators Lapointe, Rompkey and Trenholme Counsell.
The Chair: Could I have the minority nominations, please?
Senator Stratton: Senators Oliver and Murray.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
With respect to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, could I have the minority nominations, please?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Stratton, Di Nino, Nancy Ruth and Murray.
The Chair: Could I have the majority nominations, please.
Senator Cowan: Senators Biron, Cowan, Day, De Bané, Eggleton, Mitchell, Moore and Ringuette.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
Next we have the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. Could I ask for the minority nominees first?
Senator Stratton: Senators Tkachuk, Meighen and Nancy Ruth.
The Chair: Are we making an independent nomination? Not to your knowledge?
Senator Stratton: No.
The Chair: From the majority side?
Senator Cowan: Senators Banks, Day, Kenny, Moore, Zimmer and Atkins.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
The next committee is the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, and I would ask for the majority nominees first.
Senator Cowan: Senators Chaput, Tardif, De Bané, Goldstein, Harb and Losier-Cool.
The Chair: Could I ask for nominations from the minority side?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Champagne, Comeau and Murray.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
With respect to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, I would ask for the minority nominations first, please.
Senator Stratton: Senators Keon, Andreychuk, Angus, Brown and Champagne.
The Chair: From the majority side?
Senator Cowan: Senators Corbin, Cordy, Fraser, Furey, Grafstein, Joyal, Losier-Cool, Robichaud, Smith and McCoy.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
Next is the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations. Could I have the majority nominations, please?
Senator Cowan: Senators Biron, Bryden, Cook, Harb and Moore.
The Chair: From the minority side?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Eyton, Nolin and St. Germain.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
With respect to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, could I ask the minority side for their nominees first?
Senator Stratton: Senators Keon, Brown, Champagne and Cochrane.
The Chair: From the majority side?
Senator Cowan: Senators Callbeck, Cook, Cordy, Eggleton, Fairbairn, Munson, Pépin and Trenholme Counsell.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
With respect to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, I would ask for the majority nominations first.
Senator Cowan: Senators Adams, Bacon, Dawson, Fox, Mercer, Merchant, Phalen and Zimmer.
The Chair: From the minority side?
Senator Tkachuk: Senators Oliver, Eyton, Johnson and Tkachuk.
The Chair: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
Item No. 6 calls on us to pass a motion to report to the Senate the nominations agreed to at this day's meeting. Is there a motion on the floor?
Senator Robichaud: I so move.
The Chair: All those in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Opposed, if any?
Carried unanimously.
I will entertain a motion for adjournment from Senator Bacon.
Senator Fraser: Will you be reporting today?
The Chair: I have been led to believe that if leave is granted, we will report today.
Senator Stratton: If everyone agrees, I will seek leave to report to the Senate and have the report passed today so that committees can meet tonight if they so choose.
Senator Cowan: Would that require unanimous consent?
Senator Fraser: If we do not obtain leave to deal with the report today, is one- or two-days’ notice required?
An Hon. Senator: One.
Senator Fraser: Meaning the chamber could deal with the report tomorrow.
The Chair: That is correct, which would notionally still allow committees to meet tomorrow afternoon.
The committee adjourned.