Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Dec. 14th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Ms. Kwan. I think in the past on this committee, we have worked collaboratively on this. These are the routine motions. At times we have had to reduce the amount of time spent because of votes in the House, or something else, when there is some interruption and we have the witnesses. In the past, what we have done is that after listening to the witnesses, every party has had five minutes. It depends on the time we have. I will work collaboratively with everyone to make sure that we work together, and, based on the time we have, we can figure out the second round.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

All those in favour of the motion proposed by Mr. El-Khoury?

(Motion agreed to)

We'll go to the next ones. We have motions on document distribution; meals; travel and accommodation; and access to in camera meetings.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

There is some ambiguity in this.

The next motion concerns document distribution.

That only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee provided the documents are in both official languages, and that the witnesses be advised accordingly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

On working meals:

That the clerk of the committee, at the discretion of the Chair, be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

The next motion is about travel, accommodation and the living expenses of witnesses.

That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

On access to in camera meetings:

That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff member at an in camera meeting and that one additional person from each House officer's office be allowed to be present.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

The next motion is about transcripts of in camera meetings.

That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the committee clerk’s office for consultation by members of the committee or by their staff; and that the analysts assigned to the committee also have access to the in camera transcripts.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

That completes our adoption of routine motions.

Go ahead, Mr. Seeback.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Madam Chair, we didn't discuss in camera meetings as part of the routine motions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Was access to in camera meetings missed?

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

We did not have that motion put forward.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Would some member like to propose that?

Go ahead, Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I can propose this one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, please.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

On camera meetings:

That any motion to go in camera be debatable and amendable; and that the committee may only meet in camera for the following purposes: (a) to consider a draft report; (b) to attend briefings concerning national security; (c) to consider lists of witnesses; and (d) for any other reason with the unanimous consent of the committee; and, that all votes taken in camera with exception of votes regarding the consideration of draft reports be recorded in the Minutes of Proceedings including how each member voted when the recorded votes are requested.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I see no comments. All those in favour of the motion? All those opposed?

Do we have a tie? We're going to have to take a recorded vote. The clerk will proceed.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)

The motion passes.

[Technical difficulty—Editor]

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

Unfortunately, there is a problem with your microphone again.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. We will look into that. One second, please.

I'll suspend for two minutes to make sure we look at the microphone.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call the meeting back to order.

I hope the translation is working now and the issue with the mike has been fixed. Can everyone hear me properly and is the interpretation working for everyone? Okay. That's good.

Before we go to Ms. Kwan, I just have one concern that I would like to share with the committee. I'd like to see the will of the committee with regard to the motion on in camera meetings that was just passed. I will read part of the motion: “That any motion to go in camera should be debatable and amendable”. The Standing Orders consider a motion to go in public or in camera to be a non-debatable motion. This is in standing orders 67(1) and, specifically, 67(2).

As outlined in Bosc and Gagnon, chapter 20, page 1089, it says:

Any member may move a motion to go from sitting in public to sitting in camera (and vice versa). The motion is decided immediately without debate or amendment. In practice, committees often change from one to the other at the suggestion of the Chair, with the implied consent of the members.

Based on this, the motion seems to be out of order. What would be the will of the committee?

Go ahead, Ms. Falk.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Thank you, Chair, and congratulations on your appointment to chair of this committee.

I'm confused because we received this from the clerk's office. Why would the clerk send something that was out of order to be part of the routine motions?