Information & Ethics Committee on Aug. 11th, 2008

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Could we get going now? You've wasted half an hour on chit-chat on everything amusing that they seem to come up with. You've engaged him back and forth as if it was a one-on-one conversation. We have the entire committee here waiting to get on with the business of the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order. There's one more point of order here, I'm sorry.

Mr. Goodyear.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a couple of points. I find it quite interesting that you accept the legal opinion of the House when in fact the legal opinion of the House was that this motion was not in order, but the tyranny of the majority voted otherwise.

I think it's completely outrageous that you're making allegations against the Conservative Party based on hearsay. It's outrageous.

Here's my point.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order, please.

You are making debate, sir. That's not a point of order, and I'm going to move on.

Mr. Wallace, you have a point of order, sir.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

I have a point of order. I need to clarify, Mr. Chair--

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

You've already dealt with two items without getting to a point of order. Now you're going to do it for real?

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

At what time did you know that the other two witnesses weren't going to be here? Was it before or after you threw Doug Finley out of this room? We have a whole afternoon with a witness here, and you threw out one of the primary witnesses, knowing full well we had time to deal with him.

Did you know that these witnesses were not going to be here before or after you threw out one of the best witnesses we're going to get this week--yes or no?

Don't consult your notes. Don't consult oral.... I want to know if you've prejudiced this committee meeting by tossing out a witness who we clearly would have had time to interview.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Sure.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Is that on your BlackBerry, sir?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Yes, I received the message on my BlackBerry.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Okay, what time?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

It was at 12:26 p.m., from the clerk, to advise me that—

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

That's not this morning, or is that 12:26 a.m.?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

No, that's this afternoon. I wasn't here this—

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

You said you heard it this morning, Mr. Chair. The more you speak, the more confused I get.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

You asked when I found out, because you made an allegation that I somehow used this....

At 12:26 p.m., August 11, Erica Pereira, our clerk, sent me a report on three. One is on Elizabeth Pagtakhan: “Evading husband will not allow Elizabeth to see our process server.”

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

You said “this morning”, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Well, it was this morning's session. We were still going on.

Secondly, with regard to Denny Pagtakhan: “Left business card and voice mail message at his home. No response.”

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Never mind, Mr. Chair. It doesn't matter what you say.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

I'm going to suspend for a little while.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

We're going to resume our business. We do have a witness before us, and I do—

Mr. Wallace, on a point of order, please.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

My point of order relates to my point of order previously, where we had a motion to see Mr. Finley, who was the director of—

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order, please. Order, please.

Mr. Wallace, when the chair asks for order—

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

[Inaudible--Editor]