Veterans Affairs Committee on Oct. 26th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

I understand, Mr. Desilets, but at the same time—

Yes, I'm going to go back to you.

The motion says that “the committee invite representatives from Daoust and from Leger to appear at a subsequent meeting for one hour each”.

It says one hour per witness. Perhaps your third witness is from one of those two organizations.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I totally understand the way you read it, but the purpose of the motion was to have two hours to receive witnesses. Logic dictates that it should be one hour, then another hour.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay. Anything is possible with unanimous consent.

Go ahead, Mr. May.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

I have a friendly amendment to the motion on the floor. I'd like to deal with that and potentially get to a vote here.

I just wanted to reiterate that it's not how the motion reads, sir. It reads as one hour per witness. When I heard about a third witness, I wondered if this was now a third hour that we're talking about.

We're already at three hours for this. We're already at three hours with the ministers. It's one hour for the minister and now two hours with these witnesses. I think one hour for the witnesses would be ideal.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Excuse me, I'd like to understand.

You say you're moving an amendment,

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

I'm suggesting, as a friendly amendment to Monsieur Desilets's motion regarding the two witnesses, that we do this in one hour as opposed to two.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Yes, but I heard Mr. Desilets saying that it was important for him to have two hours.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

He wants two hours, not one.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

It's one with the ministers and one with the witnesses.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

I apologize, if this is the case. This is not what I've been hearing. He says he wants two hours with these witnesses.

No?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

I'm sorry, no. The motion said:

That, after hearing from the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, and Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascal St-Onge, regarding the controversy surrounding the competition and awarding of the contract for the design of the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan, the committee invite representatives from Daoust and from Leger to appear at a subsequent meeting for one hour each.

That's the motion.

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

That's one hour each. We're talking about two more hours. I'm suggesting that we can do this in one. I have faith.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

I think it's in the translation that we're having trouble here. It's one hour for the ministers and one hour for other witnesses. Is that the intent?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

No, because in French, it says “après avoir entendu.”

We're listening, Mr. Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I'm just hoping to give some clarity to it. I'm going to formally move an amendment to delete the word “each” and substitute for it the word “together”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay.

Okay, I'm going to go back to you.

I'd like to say thank you to people from the sexual misconduct support and resource centre from DND who are here with us and the women veteran witnesses who appeared in committee. Thank you so much for coming.

You have an amendment. Could you repeat it again, please?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

It's to change the last word in the motion. Delete the word “each” and replace it with the word “together”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We have an amendment.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I see no problem with that, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay.

There are no objections, so the amendment is carried.

(Amendment agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you very much.

The analyst would like the floor for 30 seconds.

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré, Committee Researcher]

There won't be any briefing notes as such for next Tuesday's meeting, but I have had a media review prepared.

The media review includes articles in English and others in French. Because we won't have time to have the French articles translated into English and vice versa, I suggest that we simply send them to you one by one so that the clerk won't be required to request unanimous consent not to have the documents translated.

Therefore, I want to notify you that you will be receiving individual articles from the media review for next week's meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you.

Mr. Desilets, you have the floor.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I don't mean to be a pest, but I want to make something clear: we allowed the amendment, but we haven't voted or shared our position on the amended motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

All right.

You were right to mention it, Mr. Desilets.

I'd like to thank the interpreters, the technical team, the clerk and the analyst.

The meeting is adjourned.