Evidence of meeting #22 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was siksay.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Mr. Siksay has a brief intervention and Mr. Hoback has a request. There's a quick one from Madam Foote as well.
I'm trying, Minister.
Mr. Siksay.
12:15 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Chair, I'd like to move that, with thanks to the minister, we now move to item 3(b) on the agenda, which is the discussion on the non-appearance of Sébastien Togneri, Jillian Andrews, and Dimitri Soudas.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
All right. Mr. Siksay took the floor, his time slot, and has moved a motion. The motion is in order and it's debatable.
I understand if members say, “Well, we could only take a few more minutes to deal with the minister”. But--
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
If they want to get any questions they may have for me, then perhaps you could move to that, just as a suggestion, Mr. Chairman--
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
It's really up to Mr. Siksay, who has the floor and asked for a motion.
Where are you at, Mr. Siksay, please?
12:15 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
I've proposed a motion with intent, Chair, as much as I'd like to hear from the minister.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Unfortunately, this is going to take a little bit more time than you had offered. Accordingly, I guess we have to move forward with that.
Perhaps I could leave you with just one point, though, if I may, Mr. Siksay, on the idea of consulting widely, etc. I just want everybody to know that in the privacy report, in 12 recommendations, we had 33 witnesses, 4 submissions, and 18 meetings. That, I believe, would constitute a comprehensive consultation. On the access report, we had 22 witnesses, 5 submissions, and 14 meetings.
So I want to assure you, sir, that when we send you a report with recommendations, we've done the best that we can.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Thank you, Minister. You're excused.
Mr. Siksay, on the motion...
Now I've really blown it. No, no, it's not the first...and I'm going to have to apologize because we may have just lost the minister.
But don't go away, Mr. Kratchanov.
That motion is not debatable. It's one of those special motions. The motion is in order. I was correct on that, anyway, but it actually is not debatable. I have to put the question.
Could you repeat your motion just for the edification of everyone, Mr. Siksay?
12:20 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
It was that, with thanks to the minister, we now proceed to item 3(b) on the agenda, discussion on the non-appearance of Sébastien Togneri, Jillian Andrews, and Dimitri Soudas
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
There is a vote because the process is that here's the matter we're voting on, and I asked him to repeat it so that everybody understood, and this is part of the process of the vote.
So please call the roll.
We have a tie. The chair will vote yes.
(Motion agreed to)
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
We'll move to the item referred to in the motion by Mr. Siksay.
Mr. Kratchanov, you are excused, sir. Thank you very kindly. Please extend that to the minister.
I wanted to advise the committee that the reason I was a little tardy getting here—I'm usually here about 10 or 15 minutes before—is that I did run into Mr. Soudas outside the chamber this morning on the way here, and we had a little conversation. I offered him the summons, and he thought I shouldn't be giving that to him, so... It was only a photocopy, though.
In any event, he is well aware and following this. I think I had indicated that his position was that the matter was a matter for disposition by the House. That's a point for debate, I'm sure, either here and/or in the House.
The matter that Mr. Siksay has suggested that we move to has to do with order number 3, the second item. We're skipping over the instructions to the chair concerning information requests. It is the whole question of the discussion of the non-appearance of Mr. Togneri, Ms. Andrews, and Mr. Soudas.
I think when we had Mr. Walsh here we did receive a fair bit of information that is consequential or may have some impact on our decision as to how we proceed now that we have passed the date of Madame Freeman's motion and Mr. Soudas did not appear by the sixteenth. So I think we have all the information that we're going to get, other than the responses to the requests for information from Public Works that were under the Valeriote motion.
I understand that those are still not translated from Public Works.
12:20 p.m.
A voice
No.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Okay. So there's nothing I can circulate to the committee for their information at this point and we are still having some difficulty with the PMO and with Mr. Paradis' office.
This morning Mr. Giorno has written to the committee and indicated to the clerk that he shouldn't be writing to the person he wrote to in order to get the information. I think that—
12:20 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, this is helpful information, but it's not what we're discussing on the agenda. We're supposed to be discussing the situation with regard to the three witnesses who did not appear.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
All right. I will leave it at that. I think we understand the...
Now, just a moment. On this matter, do we have a speaking list?
I guess Mr. Siksay starts off the speaking, right?
Mr. Siksay, please.
