Declaration of Emergency Committee on Sept. 22nd, 2022

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Mr. Green, you have the floor.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

It's important to recognize that not all witnesses are created equal in this situation. I think the witnesses that you have in this motion are quite appropriately foundational witnesses.

I would like to note that we are in an election cycle municipally and we may want, through the clerks, to put a priority on requesting that the mayor be here while he is the sitting mayor of Ottawa. In a month, he won't be and he may be less available, given retirement. If there's the ability to prioritize chief Sloly and the mayor on the front end, that might be helpful in terms of timing.

It's just a suggestion.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Thank you, Mr. Green.

I must apologize, Senator White. I had your name on the list, and I gave the floor to Mr. Green, but I should have given it to you.

Now you have the floor.

[Vernon White]

“Green” comes before “White”, Mr. Chair.

I was looking at the OPP commissioner.

I'm good. Thanks.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Mr. Virani, go ahead.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Could I politely suggest 90 minutes as a compromise? I'm conscious of getting through stuff in a somewhat efficient manner.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Our meetings are two hours long.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

We might get through.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

We might consider a day during a constituency week to get through some witnesses.

[A voice]

That's fine.

[A voice]

I can live with that.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

I'm sorry. I'm doing this off the—

[A voice]

Sometimes that's the way to get things done.

[A voice]

It depends on when.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

I was having too many discussions at the same time and I have lost track. Where are we at? Ms. Bendayan and Mr. Motz, you have talked to each other. I assume you have come to an agreement.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Motz proposed an amendment to my motion.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Do you agree with that amendment?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Yes, we all agree.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Senator White and Mr. Green, are you okay with this, as well? I see that you are.

Ms. Burke, you noted the order and length of testimony. I know that it is a block.

Mr. Motz, can you repeat the name of the witness and the length of his appearance, so that we can understand?

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Thank you.

Thank you, Rachel.

It is: Peter Sloly, two hours; Mayor Watson, two hours; the interim chief and acting chief of the Ottawa Police Service, two hours; the OPP commissioner, two hours; and then the PPS, Sergeant-at-Arms for the House and the corporate security directorate for two hours.

Does that work? Is that what you're thinking? Perfect.

[The Joint Co-Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

That means that we will have 10 hours of testimony altogether: two hours for Mr. Sloly, two hours for Mr. Watson, two hours for the current interim chief of the Ottawa Police Service, two hours for the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and two hours for the witness panel. Those are five two-hour periods, totalling 10 hours. Do we agree? Yes? That's great.

Thank you, everyone. Have a good evening and see you next week.

The meeting is adjourned.