That's what I'm doing now.
Evidence of meeting #4 for Public Accounts in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was reports.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #4 for Public Accounts in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was reports.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
The motion is moved. Is there any debate?
I'll give Monsieur Caron a chance to speak on his own motion and then I'll come to you.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
I'd like to discuss something very quickly ahead of time.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Since we are now going into committee business, I would like to move that we go in camera, as we normally do.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Chair, you just gave me the floor, and I'd like to move that we go in camera, since we are now dealing with--
3:35 p.m.
NDP
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Since we are now dealing with committee business, I propose that we go in camera, Mr. Chair, and we should take that to a vote at this time.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I know you should, but I gave the floor to Mr. Caron and he has the floor to move his motion.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Chair, my microphone is on, which I assume means that I have the floor.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
That's right, and you have the right, as a majority, to overrule me at any time.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I gave you the right to say something to me. I didn't give you the right to move a motion. There is a difference. I told Mr. Caron that I would give him the floor, that his notice of motion was in order and he could move it. When you have the floor, sir, you can move whatever motion is in order.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
Okay.
He's going to make that a point of order, and then I'll come right over to you.
Go ahead.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Chair, I move that because we are now dealing with committee business we go in camera.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
You are entitled to put your motion when you get the floor.
Yes, Ms. Bateman.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Sir, as you know, I'm a new MP, and I understood—and perhaps somebody like the clerk could clarify this for us—that when somebody interjected and said “a point of order” and then presented a motion, that would take precedence over the existing conversation. Certainly that was the way we always did it at the board I served on in my community.
Could you just verify that?
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
Sure. A point of order does not give you the floor to take action. A point of order gives you an opportunity to tell the chair that something is out of order here, that we're dealing with something and we should be doing other business first, that there was some kind of mistake in the speaking order. A point of order is that something in the business of order of the meeting has gone wrong and you wish to raise that. You have that, but you can't just interrupt somebody by saying “a point of order” and then move a motion and redirect the debate. There are ways to do that, but a point of order is not one of them.
Monsieur Caron, you have the floor.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
The notice of motion that we provided indicates that there are 14 reports, or report follow-ups, that have not yet been reviewed by the committee, or that have been reviewed but not tabled, or else they have been tabled but we have not received a response from the government.
Work was done by the previous committee on seven of these 14 reports. These reports were prepared and tabled during the previous Parliament. Unfortunately, Parliament was dissolved before the government gave a response. So this motion involves ensuring that these seven reports, which deal mainly with reports presented in the fall and in spring 2010 by the Auditor General and on a report concerning the 2010-2011 Main Estimates, are tabled again, in order to obtain a response from the government on the recommendations.
Three of the following chapters deal with aspects of the Auditor General's report that were worked on, but the committee has not yet discussed the report. Three other chapters of the Auditor General's past report deal with aspects that the committee still needs to study, and the work for that still needs to be done; mainly more witnesses need to be heard.
The last report that needs to be done deals with the report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled in 2010. So the notice of motion that is being presented is very simple. In October 2011, this committee should be able to start studying these reports so that we can do the work that was started by the Auditor General and the previous Standing Committee on Public Accounts. We need to make sure that this is done in a way that blends normally with the study of the report tabled in May by the Auditor General. We must proceed in a way that is consistent with the committee's traditions, meaning that we alternate between the previous reports that still need to be looked at and the report that was tabled more recently.
So we are asking that the work start in October, without setting a specific date. This will depend on where the committee is at then, but the work must be done. That's why this motion is being presented.
3:40 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The motion was originally introduced to us within the steering committee. There seemed to be good uptake for it at that point in time. I didn't hear any objections. I'm hoping we can adopt this particular motion, the work of the Auditor General and the previous reports. Because of the circumstance of the election and other things, we weren't able to get to a lot of business. This is very important business. I'm hoping we'll be able to adopt this motion.
I certainly hope, Mr. Chair, that as a public oversight committee, given that we've already had an initial review of this particular motion in an in camera session in the steering committee, we don't adopt any motion at any point in time today to move in camera. We're a very public body, and I hope we stay very open and visible to those who are following our actions and deliberations. Given the fact that as a public oversight body we have a very important role in the function of accountability within the parliamentary system, I'm hoping we stay on the public record for the rest of the afternoon at the very least.