Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 13th, 2013

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

No, I want to know what the process is—

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

We're not here to have a philosophy lecture. We're here to debate the amendment.

Do you have a new point, Ms. James?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Is it a new point of order?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I just want to talk to this point for just one second.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

No, we're not going to talk about that.

Madam Groguhé, go ahead.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Chair, it is clear that Mr. Lamoureux raised a question that has disrupted things completely. This issue was raised following your suggestion that we mention a date in the government motion. So this was directly related to what you said, even if it referred to the amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Dykstra, you have the floor.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I think I have established the first part of my argument on why I'm opposed to this amendment. I also find that the stated purpose of moving this is, in fact, to put a caveat, or an asterisk if you will, beside the motion to say, “You may get it through the House, but if we get this timeframe carried and the House rises on Thursday, you can't introduce the bill anyway”.

I think the amendment is contrary to the motion and should have been ruled out of order, but it wasn't last week. We had a different chair and she didn't approach the issue of whether this is contrary or not.

Chair, with the facts on the table, it's very clear from the government's perspective that having this amendment attached will not only submit the motion to a frivolous timeframe—which as I've indicated makes absolutely no sense—it will also starve the will of the committee. Because if this committee is given the chance to vote on the time extension of Mr. Shory's bill, it's clear that we need the time to be able to have it come back to this committee for further study, and obviously, bring some witnesses back to the table and then get to the clause-by-clause.

Chair, I'm going to indicate to you that the government, and myself, when we get a chance.... I'd love to call the question now, to be able to have a vote on this amendment so that we can move on to the better part of the motion, on which no member on this side of the committee has had a chance to speak—

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Give me a moment, Mr. Dykstra. I'd like to confer with the clerk. I'm going to suspend for just a minute.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Okay, we're back.

Mr. Dykstra, you can't do that in committee, so your request to put the question is out of order.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Okay, perhaps we could seek unanimous consent to vote on the amendment put forward by the opposition. I know they want this amendment to be in. The quicker we vote on it, I'm sure the happier they will be. I'm sure they don't want to be seen filibustering their own amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

No, you’re—

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

If I can get unanimous consent, that would be great.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Is there unanimous consent that we vote on the amendment?

[An hon. member]

No.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

There is a no.

You still have the floor, Mr. Dykstra.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

I think I've made my argument, Chair. This amendment makes absolutely no sense. It should have been ruled out of order because it's actually contrary to the motion to begin with. It's frivolous, and it's really a vexatious argument, in terms of saying that—

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Leung, you have the floor.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

—you're going to present this. Thank you.

[Chungsen Leung, Conservative, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is probably the first opportunity I've had to speak on this amendment.

What I'd like to say is that prior to entering....

Is there a conversation going on?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

You're quite right.

[An hon. member]

My apologies.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Leung, you may continue, sir.

[Chungsen Leung, Conservative, Willowdale, ON]

Prior to entering politics I spent 40 years in private business. I'm just looking at how the procedural things are conducted around here. In private business we deal with things expeditiously. We deal with things with concern for the time-money element. Seeing that we have already spent a copious amount of time in discussing this bill, in discussing its 30-day extension—or whether it's not a 30-day extension—and there's a—