Evidence of meeting #32 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Ryan van den Berg  Committee Researcher
Alexandra Savoie  Committee Researcher

3 p.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Mr. Chair, it was meant to be a motion to suspend, not to adjourn. Sorry if I misspoke.

3 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Oh, okay.

3 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Okay. There is a motion to suspend the meeting—

3 p.m.

Liberal

Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC

Point of order, Chair.

3 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

On a point of order, Ms. Shanahan.

3 p.m.

Liberal

Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC

Don't we need unanimous consent if we're going to be changing the motion?

I call the vote on the motion on the floor.

3 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Madam Shanahan, that's not your role, but I appreciate your intervention.

Mr. Bachrach, I just want clarification as to what exactly you're moving in terms of your motion. I didn't intend to put words in your mouth. I do apologize if I did that. Mr. Bachrach, let's be clear on what you intended.

3 p.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

My apologies. I would just point out that since we convened this public meeting, unless I'm mistaken, we've heard from only one member of the committee, and the goal of this meeting is to move forward with the committee's business—

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, that's actually not accurate.

3:05 p.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

My apologies if I misspoke, Mr. Fergus, but it does seem that we've heard a fair bit from Mr. Fergus, and if we're able to move to a vote on the motion that we were discussing, Mr. Fortin's motion, I think that would be a productive use of our time. However, recognizing that under these unique circumstances when we're meeting together in a virtual format, and I know that the House resources are extremely stretched at this time, and recognizing that the scheduled time for the meeting ended five minutes ago, my intention was simply to suspend the meeting so that we could pick up and discuss Mr. Fortin's motion at the next opportunity when the House resources are available to us.

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Mr. Chair—

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

This is a motion to suspend. We'll move to a motion on suspension. Let's—

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Mr. Chair, I'm sorry.

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

I'm getting some questions.

Madam Lattanzio, is this a point of order?

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

This is a point of clarification.

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Yes.

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

I understood very clearly from my colleague that it was a motion to adjourn. Then I understand that's a non-debatable motion. Can we proceed in that fashion, Mr. Chair? Then, depending on what the vote is, we can—

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Ms. Lattanzio, I will look back in the blues at a later date, but I worry that I put words into my colleague's mouth when I was seeking clarification. I have allowed him to clarify, instead of my clarifying what his position was, and so I will review that. I felt that it would be abundantly clear what his intention was, so—

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Shall we suspend until you have the opportunity to look into the matter, Mr. Chair, before we start voting on something that perhaps we're not supposed to be voting on? We'll give you that opportunity to do so, Mr. Chair.

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

I'm going to allow the member to clarify, once and for all, what his intention was with this motion.

Mr. Bachrach.

3:05 p.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

As I just stated very clearly, my intention was to suspend the meeting. I apologize if the word that I used.... I think I was fairly clear in the lead-up to my remarks that the intention was to recognize the clock and to respect the resources of the House that are made available to us.

Now it seems as though this argument that is occurring is on a fairly pedantic point of procedure and the intention that my intention should be reflected in the motion. That said, if you will give me the floor afterwards, we could vote on a motion to adjourn, as Ms. Lattanzio has suggested. If that motion was defeated, I would make a motion to suspend. I offer that as a compromise.

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Okay. I'm probably more confused than I was to begin with here, but it seems as though there is a desire to move forward with the vote to adjourn the meeting, and if not, then we will continue with the speaking order as we have it laid out.

Madam Clerk, will you now move to the vote on the motion to adjourn the meeting?

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin

Mr. Fergus, I will make this very clear. What we are voting on is the—

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

No, I was going to just suggest this. Mr. Bachrach has offered an option. We don't want to waste anybody's time. I'm sorry he used the wrong word, but he did and so be it. Let's just go straight to his desire to move to suspend.