Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

Convene one emergency committee meeting, get the second one free – and we'll throw in an ITQ poll too!

by kadyomalley on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 10:50am - 20 Comments

Hey, remember last Friday, when ITQ was rambling on about all those possible emergency committee meetings that the opposition parties were hoping to 106(4) into existence? Well, turns out she wasn’t suffering from end-of-August delirium: both Foreign Affairs and Agriculture will be back in business later this week , dealing with motions to “study the treatment of Canadians abroad by the Government of Canada” and “[hold] a meeting on the Report of the Independent Investigator into the 2008 Listeriosis Outbreak, and the Government’s response,” respectively.

The catch? According to the schedule, the two meetings will be happening at the exact same time, which means that ITQ has to decide which one deserves full liveblogging coverage, and which one she can catch in reruns on CPAC. She’s currently leaning towards Foreign Affairs, which seems to hold far more potential for drama, particularly if the opposition can come up with a decent witness list, but she’s willing to entertain arguments in favour of the Aggies too. (And no, she doesn’t promise to be bound by the results of the following poll, but it will definitely be taken into account when she makes her final decision.)

Tags: 106(4) forever!, agriculture, foreign affairs, just don't ask for the margin of error, summertime committee circuit, your wish is her -- strong suggestion anyway

More by kadyomalley

http://intensedebate.com/people/Harbles Harbles

" 3:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. " Quick meeting or is this customary for early versions of agenda?

Kevin

Order of the Day: "Meeting Requested by Four (4 ) Members of the Committee to Discuss their Request to Consider Holding a Meeting to Study the Treatment of Canadians Abroad by the Government of Canada".

So it's basically a meeting to discuss holding a meeting.

Wayne

classic – next thing you know another meeting with strong recomendations
KRB

Hmm, and of course I'm sure the committee will vote to only look at instances since 2008 on, so we don't have to consider the plights of Maher Arar or Bill Sampson, and the then-government's (political and bureaucratic) response to them.

http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

That's the notice for the pre-meeting meeting, during which members vote on the request. The real meeting usually starts right afterwards, but until the motion is passed, the notice for the real meeting isn't usually released.
http://intensedebate.com/people/NorthernPoV NorthernPoV

OK, This is completely off topic but I figure you are the most read blog on Macleans and your editors have made me furious.

You latest cover – which I have only seen on TV and here on the net – gives that miscreant, Colin-effing-Thatcher, a national platform for his lies. You are only compounding the mistake the parole board made when they released him (who else gets out when they show no remorse or refuse to admit their guilt ?)

Justice is on your side when you have money and connections. Shame on Macleans

http://intensedebate.com/people/Harbles Harbles

You could vent here.
Lots of space.

http://intensedebate.com/people/NorthernPoV NorthernPoV

Thanks Harbles – will do

Kevin

Not wanting to contribute to hi-jacking this thread, but you'll be pleased to know that Saskatchewan is moving to seize all the profits from his book.

Back to topic: Kady, please, please the Foreign Affairs Cttee.
tobyornottoby

Maclean's has a cover?

Jim B

Don't they have to have a day or two between the in camera meeting to decide if they want to hold public meetings and the actual public meeting itself? Or do potential witnesses that feel they might just be requested at the in camera meeting hang around outside just in case the committee decides that they want to invite the into the public meeting held immediately afterwards?
http://intensedebate.com/people/IntenseAlex IntenseAlex

I voted Foreign Affairs, but seriously, who decided to schedule both meetings at the same time?? Don't they know who ITQ is and what she does? It's summer… they could space things out a bit, couldn't they?

Jenn

Oh, they know all right. That's why they did it.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

You mean emergency committee meetings are being deliberately scheduled at the same time just to thwart Kady?

Jenn

What, that surprises you? As soon as they determine they need to call an emergency committee meeting, I'm sure the next thought is, "How do we keep O'Malley away." Why do you think they hardly ever have date squares?
:)

http://intensedebate.com/people/IntenseAlex IntenseAlex

Schedulegate?
KRB

Foreign Affairs … Agriculture will be Easter & Bennett raising points of order while David Anderson speaks, for an hour. That's it. It will totally suck any life left in you, out.
KRB

As an aside, I'm guessing that the revised Standing Orders don't include the addition of the Libs last opposition motion, or the move to make some committees 13 members strong, etc.? I know the Libs motion was only for the Fall 2009 supply period, and I will guess that the motion on the committees was only for the life of the present Parliament?
jkg

Darn, with your coverage, -an effort that borders on the superhuman- I really was hoping that this time Kady, you would finally reveal another one of your hidden Liveblogging superpowers by defying space-time and being in two places simultaneously!
http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

My vote: Foreign Affairs. Thanks.