Canada-China Relations Committee on March 26th, 2024

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

I just want to—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

All right. Yes. Please go ahead.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

I'm sorry. I apologize.

My point is that throughout the motion we are limiting it to within seven days of this motion. I agree with you, Mr. Chair, but this motion is saying.... Mr. Chong just said that as we go along we can add names. I don't want to paraphrase or quote him, but that's my understanding of what he said. This motion, as you said, would limit us to seven days, which I know you appreciate.

The reason we're amending this is that you cannot add more names throughout the study, Mr. Chong.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

Mr. Chong.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think Madame Lalonde has raised a good point. If this amendment that's in front of us is defeated, then I'll move an amendment to strike “within one week of the adoption of this motion”.

I'm going to wait until we dispose of the amendment in front of the committee right now.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

Mrs. Lalonde, please, if you want to put something in, then turn on your mic, and we'll do that.

Again, I don't want to aim the discussion in a particular direction, but I would suggest that if we remove the “one week”, then that will leave things wide open indefinitely.

There again, the committee is the master of its own course of action and certainly in the interest of doing a thorough job, it will be up to the committee to really monitor how things progress. If, for instance, the other things that have already been approved on our docket seem to be important to the committee, and we know we have a limited horizon in terms of the amount of work that we can potentially get done, it will take a smackerel of self-discipline here collectively to make sure that the important things get done. I will just leave that with you.

Let's deal with the amendment first. Then, if Mr. Chong wants an amendment, we'll consider that after. Is that all right?

Let's deal with this amendment first. The amendment is basically to remove subsection (iii) under section (e).

(Amendment negatived: nays 7; yeas 4)

We don't need the suspense. I think the amendment has been defeated.

Mr. Chong, go ahead.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Chair, I move, based on the correct analysis by Madame Lalonde, that we strike from clause (e)(iii) the words “within one week of the adoption of this motion”. That amendment will allow members a bit more time to submit witnesses if we hear testimony that may lead us to other witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

Is there any comment on this?

Do you need a minute?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Can Mr. Chong repeat the change again?

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Chair, I move that in clause (e)(iii), we strike the following words: “within one week of the adoption of this motion”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

Is there any further comment?

We're all on the same page, then. I see thumbs up on the screen. We're all good. I think we have what we need.

(Amendment agreed to)

We now need to go to the main motion as amended, because we accepted the first amendment of “at least two meetings”. We've all agreed that this one is okay as well.

At the start, the lead-in is the study “of at least two meetings”, and at the end we have removed “within one week of the adoption of this motion”. Those are the two amendments that we have agreed to.

We should now vote on the main motion. Are we ready to do that? How do you want to do it? Do you want the roll call, or do you want to just do thumbs up and thumbs down?

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

It will be unanimous, so why don't we just do thumbs up?

(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken Hardie]

The chair very much appreciates the clarity and collegiality here as we work through the mechanics. This will be a fascinating study, to be sure.

Is there any other business?

I would suggest.... This goes back to something that I've mentioned a couple of times. We have had the notion of committee travel with regard to the Indo-Pacific strategy. The opportunity to speak to some of the nations that would be, hopefully, positively affected by Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy would be instructive, particularly as we action the elements of the Indo-Pacific strategy. I want to leave that with you because at some point we need to really tackle that and get deliberate as to what we intend to do in that regard.

Mr. Chong, do you want to add something? Okay, you're good.

Is there anything else? No.

We are adjourned. Thank you.