Finance Committee on May 27th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Do you want to table this for now?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes. I'm not talking about a long delay; maybe a few minutes until the copies come back.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay.

Let's table it until the end of part 1 then.

(Clause 31 allowed to stand)

Colleagues, I don't have amendments for clauses 32 to 39.

If there are any clauses that members wish to speak to, could they identify them?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I wouldn't mind breaking up the votes a little bit.

We could do clauses 32 through 34, seek out a vote on 35, and then continue with clauses 36 through 49, if that works for you, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay, perfect.

(Clauses 32 to 34 inclusive agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Do you want a recorded vote on clause 35?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Please.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

We'll have a recorded vote on clause 35.

(Clause 35 agreed to: yeas 6; nays 3)

(Clauses 36 to 39 inclusive agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Do colleagues want a little more time on the issue with the NDP amendment, or are we ready to return to that?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I think we can return to it.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay. We'll go back to NDP-3.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

(On clause 31)

There might be just one more comment to add from me, and I think Mr. Allen as well, before we go to the vote.

Did you want to go ahead, Mike?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Mr. Allen, do you want to speak further on this?

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Yes. I would just like some procedural guidance on this from you, Mr. Chair.

There are a couple of ways this could play out. Number one is the withdrawal of the two amendments, and then we table this one as the amendment. I guess if we're going to go to one of the others and vote on the NDP one, then I think procedurally I would have to table or put it as a subamendment for the second half of that change.

Do we have to do a subamendment, or is it a separate amendment? I defer to your guidance on how we handle that.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

I guess what we need clarity on is whether the NDP and the Liberals still wish to move either one of their amendments.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I think we do, but certainly we don't want to interrupt the larger effort. We see Mr. Allen's amendment as an improvement. We're biased, so it's not as good as the one we wanted, and we wouldn't mind having that vote, if possible, but we don't want to sabotage the larger effort. So if that is what's at stake.... I didn't hear the entire advice that you got, Chair.

Perhaps we could move the NDP amendment, see it moved through, and if it's defeated, so be it. If that still allows Mr. Allen to move his amendment, then we're fine with that process to go ahead.

Does that work? I think that's the way we have to do it. Well, we could do it the other way, but we wouldn't mind seeing a vote on ours.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

The option, too, on the prospective amendment by Mr. Allen, is that he could amend the NDP amendment with (b). That's one option.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

That would work as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Mr. Allen, why don't you move (b); I suspect the committee would be favourable to that.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Yes, I think we will move part (b).

The subamendment to the first one would amend clause 31 by replacing lines 6 to 9 on page 25 with the following:

Exception

(4) The obligation to table does not apply in respect of a particular fiscal year if

(a) there are no specific legislative proposals to be included in the list referred to in subsection (2); or

(b) the fifth day on which the House of Commons is sitting after October 31 of the particular fiscal year is less than 12 months after the last general election.

(Subamendment agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Now we'll vote on amendment NDP-3, as amended.

(Amendment as amended agreed to)

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Are you all right, Andrew? Andrew pulled a muscle there.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay, the NDP has amended a budget bill.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

There's the headline for the finance section of tomorrow's Globe and Mail.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

The vote is on clause 31 as amended.

(Clause 31 as amended agreed to)