Information & Ethics Committee on May 25th, 2010

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'll add my welcome to our charming minister here this morning.

I would like to add that we need to remember what Madam Freeman has said: that we must respect the parliamentary institution. Part of that parliamentary institution is ministerial responsibility and accountability, and what we have here before us is a minister who is going to answer, who will give the accountable answers, because under our government system ministers are responsible. They're responsible for their departments. They're responsible and accountable to Parliament, and they are also responsible for staff members who are under them.

I think what we have here is a minister who is showing great responsibility. We had that at our last meeting when the minister showed up as well. For this committee to deny the minister the opportunity to speak is not right. We need to uphold our parliamentary system, and I agree with Madam Freeman that we need to do that. So I certainly support the minister being here. The accountability lies with the ministers, and that's what we are seeing here today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

I think there's a consensus, and if the committee is prepared I'll accept the committee's consensus that it wants to move on and deal with the absence of Mr. Soudas and not with the minister at this time. If that's agreed....

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

No. No, it's not agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Could somebody make a motion to that effect?

Mr. Siksay?

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

So moved.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Okay. Would you call the question, please?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

This would be a motion that we....

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

That we move on to dealing with the failure to show of Mr. Soudas and not hear the--

[An hon. member]

Point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

I'm in the middle of a vote call.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I haven't even heard a motion brought from the floor, so are you creating a motion yourself?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

No, it was Mr. Siksay. I had asked for someone to move it.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Who created the motion?

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

So the chair asked for a motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

I asked if there was a member, and Mr. Siksay agreed to move that motion.

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

I was the first one to raise that point at the beginning.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Would you like it in your name, Madam?

I asked for a motion that we--

[Carole Freeman, Bloc, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Yes, I move that we hear—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

That's fair. I think everyone understands that the question is whether we should proceed--

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Is the chair going to create the motion?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

No, Madam Freeman will.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

So she'll word it, or are you going to word it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Chairs don't make motions. You know that. That's why I've asked for an individual member--

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.