Evidence of meeting #12 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
8:45 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Jean Crowder
Good morning.
We have a number of pieces of business before us today, so I'm going to suggest we get started. For the committee's and for the chair's benefit, I have invited parliamentary counsel here today to provide any advice the committee members or the chair might want.
Is this a point of order, Mr. Del Mastro?
8:45 a.m.
Conservative
8:45 a.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
For the consideration of motions this morning, I move that the committee move in camera, Madam Chair.
8:45 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Jean Crowder
Okay. That's not a debatable motion. We have a motion before us by Mr. Del Mastro that we move in camera.
Can you just give us a second?
Apparently it is debatable.
Mr. Angus.
8:45 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm actually rather surprised, with the offer you just made of having legal advice come, that my colleague didn't simply agree to that. I think the importance of being able to have legal advice given to this committee to ensure that we are within the confines of the committee process is crucial. It's also a fundamental right as parliamentarians, before we move anywhere, to ensure that we are within the legal parameters of this committee. I think you'll find, Madam Chair, that if we do seek legal advice, we're going to find out that Mr. Del Mastro's motion demanding that CBC produce hundreds of pages of unredacted documents would place our committee in direct interference in a court case that's already under way at the Federal Court. These documents are at the heart of the case where the court has been asked--
8:45 a.m.
NDP
8:45 a.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
The motion is that the committee move in camera, Madam Chair.
I actually believe I should challenge the chair on this, as a matter of fact, because I think the chair's ruling is in fact wrong in this case. Mr. Angus is clearly not speaking to moving the committee in camera.
8:45 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Jean Crowder
Mr. Del Mastro, we're just going to suspend for one moment while the clerk checks.
8:50 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Jean Crowder
Apparently, according to O'Brien and Bosc, on page 1077, “The motion is decided immediately without debate or amendment.” So we will move to a vote on Mr. Del Mastro's motion to move in camera.
(Motion agreed to)
[Proceedings continue in camera]