Evidence of meeting #1 for Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was steering.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
You're looking for a time on Monday? How about if we look for available times? We'll talk. By the end of today, or the end of tomorrow for certain, we will get back to each one on the steering committee.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I guess you guys know who is your representative on the steering committee, and your steering committee will meet Monday.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The motion I would propose today is that the committee undertake a study on the transfer of Afghan detainees from Canadian authorities to the Afghan authorities and report its findings and recommendations to the House of Commons; and that pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the evidence and documentation received by the committee during the second session of the 40th Parliament be taken into consideration by the committee in this session.
This is available in both official languages.
I know the steering committee is going to meet to discuss witnesses, etc., on Monday, but given the importance of this and the desire not to lose any time in pursuing this, I would propose that this motion be passed today. If someone needs copies of it, I have others available.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
We'll point out that we already transferred, in a motion on March 3, all the information from previous Parliaments to the current session.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
The important part is that the committee undertake a continuation of its study.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
I would respectfully suggest to Mr. Harris that this motion is probably best discussed at the steering committee. I don't think we're losing any time at all. This motion, along with the other future business that may be discussed at the steering committee, will be coming back to us next Wednesday. So I don't see any reason for haste to pass something that effectively says to the steering committee that it's a done deal. I think we need to leave the steering committee with latitude.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Mr. Abbott.
On a different subject now, I apologize, Mr. Cox and Ms. Kostiuk, for not inviting you sooner.
We are being joined by Mr. James Cox and Christine Kostiuk. They are the analysts for this committee. I think they're the same as last year, so I don't think we need to have a bio read or anything like that. You know these folks.
Welcome to the table, and thank you.
So Mr. Abbott's suggestion is that we move this motion through and just have them take a look at it at the steering committee, but it is very similar to what we've discussed. I don't know if it's going to present any problem.
Mr. Harris.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
I don't know why we need to go to the steering committee with this. I think this is something the general body is probably going to have to deal with anyway, and it's a top-of-the-mind issue. As you suggest, or I guess implied, this is something that we need to undertake, and I don't want to wait until next Wednesday to pass a motion like this.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
At the risk of being repetitive, I think that when we're taking a look at this committee and taking a look at the future business of this committee, clearly this is an issue that is of very high interest to all of us on this committee, and to many Canadians. That isn't the question. The question is would passing this motion end up effectively, if not tying the hands of the steering committee, throwing a weight to this that may or may not be proper in light of the other things the steering committee may be wanting to take a look at.
I remind the committee that the original purpose of this Afghan special committee was to be able to have information come out and be distributed, disseminated to the people of Canada. I don't think that when the committee was originally struck there was ever any idea that it was going to be an inquisition committee. That can be part of it; I'm not suggesting that it can't be part of it. But I think there is more to this committee than this aspect, as important as it may be. Rather than putting all of the weight of this on the steering committee before they even meet, I fail to see what the haste of passing this motion is.
As a consequence, I would move to table this motion.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We have a motion to table.
Just before we go there, we know we're going to continue the study that began here last fall. That's obvious; we're going to continue it. This motion doesn't mean there will not be another study. Sooner or later, there is going to be the withdrawal of our troops, and there are going to be many other issues that may come along. It does not suggest that we could not look at that one as well. But this one basically, as the motion in routine motions suggests, is that we just continue and we pass the information along. So I don't see anything that should be too much of a problem.
But I understand your hesitation in saying that we have a steering committee and let's do all of these motions through the steering committee; let's go through the proper process. I understand what you're saying.
Mr. Hawn.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
A point of order, Mr. Chair. I think I am correct that when there is a motion to table it's non-debatable.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I'm being told that there is no such thing as tabling a motion. We're still in a debatable motion here.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Further to that, I think it is appropriate that this be relayed to the steering committee, because there are other issues of business that this committee should have been doing, should be doing now, and should be doing in the future, and that does centre around 2011. The committee was struck to look at the mission, to look at all aspects of the mission, and this is one. But frankly, what's far more important to Canadians, and what's far more important to the mission and certainly to the CF, is what's happening between now and 2011, what happens in 2011, and what the mission looks like after 2011. That's going to be of far more use, frankly, to the future of the mission and the future of Afghanistan than this is--as important as this is to many people; I acknowledge that. But to pass this motion here without having it go to the steering committee, where all the other aspects of important business of this committee would be raised, would be premature.
