Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is on the floor. The Motion is being distributed. The motion has been distributed. To the motion.

Question has been called.

---Carried

Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that all standing or special committees of the Assembly consider allowing the use of BlackBerries in a manner similar to cell phones; that is, disruption of Members’ activities is not allowed;

And further, that the use of laptops be permitted by committee members and staff.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is on the floor and has been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think there is an issue in some of our committee rooms with technology and there is going to be a cost

associated with getting committee rooms up to speed with Internet connections and whatnot. I am not sure if this motion speaks to Members using laptops without Internet connections or with Internet connections, because the two are very different things.

I know committee rooms may only have one live Internet connection, so is it the first Member through the door that gets to plug their computer into that live Internet connection or are we going to do any further work on trying to find out what it costs?

Again, I think BlackBerries and the usage of BlackBerries and what they bring to a Member’s ability to check their e-mail and receive e-mails or answer back in a moment’s notice, I think that, to me, answers what we are trying to look at. I don’t know why we need to go to laptops in committee meetings. I don’t agree with laptops in committee meetings, personally.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Next on my list is Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I would like some clarification on the motion. If Mr. Ramsay’s understanding is that this is referencing laptops, that is not my understanding. It is talking only about the use of BlackBerries in standing and special committees. Laptops would only be…Oh, it does say laptops. I beg your pardon. I was thinking it was only for staff.

I do have a problem with laptops in committees, because I think committee work requires our minds even more, perhaps, than the House. There is not as much…I don’t think we have as much room for laptops and so on. At this point, I am willing to see. If I read the motion right, it simply recommends that committees consider it, so I think this is leaving it up to each committee to determine. I think that individual committees may determine that, yes, they want laptops or, no, they don’t. We can have that debate within each committee. I guess having said all that and round and round and round and round, I am in support of this motion because it allows each committee to make their own decision. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also disagree with the use of laptops in committees and I will be voting against this motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The issue, really, the key word here, is to “consider” and what this does is facilitate that type of discussion in a committee. Although laptops and BlackBerries were broken out into two separate, distinct paragraphs here, the intent, as I recall the Rules committee, was to allow us to facilitate this opportunity to have them within that type of committee. Ultimately, the committee itself will have the overbearing position of being able to say, look, this is going to be an allowable device or not. By the Assembly here approving this doesn’t mean that a committee can’t rule and say it is not.

The last point I want to emphasize on this is this allows the facilitation of any further investigation. As we know now, not every committee room such as committee room ‘B’ has Internet connection, but this allows this type of discussion to move on to the next phase. Is this considered reasonable? What are the costs? Does it really work? Those types of things.

Mr. Chairman, if I am to underscore one point it is to say that the independence of each committee is still allowed to govern itself. Just by now passing a rule that this is now an acceptable item, committee can say that they didn’t want this. They could strike it down if that is what they want. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My reading of the motion isn’t that something different. I would like to propose an amendment. I think after the use of BlackBerries, maybe we could include “and laptops” and take out that last paragraph. Thank you.

He did speak to the motion twice. That is my fault. Did he just say he wanted to amend the motion? Amending the motion. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to move an amendment to the motion. I would like to strike out the last paragraph and include the word “laptop” after BlackBerries in the first paragraph.

We just need to take a quick break in order to make an amendment to the motion and we will come back and follow through on that motion.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We’ll go to Mr. Ramsay, to the amendment to the motion.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The motion is on the floor. The motion is being distributed.

The motion has now been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick question. I’d like to know whether or not this motion is going to inhibit the use of laptops by committee staff since we’ve taken out that second paragraph.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’re actually in the process of debating the motion and we can’t ask questions. To the motion.

Question has been called.

---Carried

To the motion as amended.