party games

Not when it comes to House committees, that’s for sure — not when, as previously –  and exhaustively – documented, a sixth seat at the table would give the Conservatives a de facto majority on at least three committees currently chaired by the opposition: Public Accounts, Government Operations and Estimates, and – perhaps most critically, given the antics of the last session – Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

As expected, the Speaker ruled that the latest report from the Ethics committee – which recommends that the Code of Conduct be amended so that a libel suit against a sitting member would not be considered a conflict of interest – was out of order, as the Code falls under the aegis of Procedure and House Affairs, and as such, cannot be taken up by another committee.