Inside Politics

DerekLeeWatch: The motion

by Kady O'Malley Posted: May 11, 2010 10:39 AM Last Updated: May 11, 2010 10:40 AM
Slightly belated, but still worth reading, here's the full text of the motion on Derek Lee that will be introduced at Government Operations later this week. (Note: Capitalization and punctuation is transcribed as it appears in the original):
 
That the standing committee on government operations and estimates investigate the claim that the Member from Scarborough-Rouge River was actively lobbying the Government of Canada, "include acting foreign and offshore organizations in obtaining operating licenses, securing regulatory and governmental approvals for mergers and acquisitions ... advising government bodies on dumping issues, and lobbying government on policy issues as well as facilitating inter-governmental relationships" while sitting as a current Member of Parliament; and that the committee invite as witnesses: Derek Lee, MP (Scarborough-Rouge River), and representatives of sun and partners law firm, and that the committee request: from the Government of Canada all forms of communications including correspondence from Mr. Derek Lee; and from Sun & Partners a copy of the contractual agreement and any related documents of employment between the Sun & Partners and Mr. Derek Lee and that all documents be provided to the committee within 5 business days.
Now, off the top, I can see a few problems with the wording that could lead to it being ruled out of order, although ultimately, that won't stop it from going through; it takes six votes to overturn the chair, and I'm assuming that the NDP will vote with the Conservatives. 

That said, it's not clear that Government Operations would be the most appropriate committee to deal with this particular question -- it would seem to fall more within the mandate of Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, which normally deals with lobby-related issues, or possibly Procedure and House Affairs, which handles claims against members under the Code of Conduct. 

Also, the request for "all forms of communication" is overly broad -- surely the committee isn't asking for copies of all correspondence between the government and Lee, since that would include personal and constituent-related material as well, which would almost certainly be protected by parliamentary privilege.

All in all, it's a pretty slapdash drafting job, but luckily for the Conservatives, procedure doesn't dock points for style, and even if it did, with the NDP on side, they'll have the numbers to force -- and win -- a vote, which could happen as early as tomorrow afternoon, depending on how much time is left after Snowdy testifies.

Tags: blackberry jungle, derek lee, privilegewatch