Information & Ethics Committee on Aug. 11th, 2008

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Please stop being partisan. At least for a moment pretend that this is a parliamentary committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order, please. Order.

Thank you for that.

I'm sorry you did not hear what I said earlier.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

I called my point before you said that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Excuse me, sir. I gave a decision that we would hear—

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

I called the point before your decision, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order.

Mr. Goodyear, you don't have the floor, sir. Please let me finish my statement.

As I indicated in my opening statement today, we did receive confirmation of the witnesses who are before you. It's a two-hour session. It's going to take some time. I did indicate that we would hear from Mr. Finley after these witnesses. That's not denying to hear.

[An hon. member]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Just a moment.

[An hon. member]

You have to recognize his point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Yes, when the chair finishes his statement.

[An hon. member]

No, immediately.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

No, that's not true.

That is what I had indicated. I know that Mr. Finley has a busy schedule and he indicated that this was the only time he could be here. We're trying to accommodate him, but because we had—

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

I have another point of order on procedure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Because we have other scheduled witnesses who also have travel arrangements, I want to deal with these witnesses who are on the notice paper.

Okay, Mr. Del Mastro, you said you had a point of order.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Yes, I do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Could you state the basis first?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Yes, it's pertaining to relevance, Your Honour.

The relevance of Mr. Finley is that since this is pertaining to the Conservative Party of Canada 2006 election campaign, contrary to the Standing Orders that govern this committee, it would seem to me that it's relevant that we hear from Mr. Finley ahead of any of the other witnesses you have scheduled for this morning.

You indicated, to begin with, that you had such a difficult time finding witnesses, such a difficult time, that you went to the extraordinary measure of sending out summons. We have a witness you should very much want to hear from, as should the members of the jury on the other side, and I encourage them to allow Mr. Finley to be the first speaker on this matter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Please be aware that Mr. Finley was summoned to be here because he did not respond to our request.

[An hon. member]

I have another point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

We have witnesses and we have work to do. The witnesses have now been sworn in--

[Some hon. members]

Point of order.

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Chairman, the rules are very clear. You have to recognize points of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Mr. Goodyear, the chair can certainly hear points of order, but--

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

It's not “can”, but “has to”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Yes, but not precisely when someone--