Information & Ethics Committee on July 12th, 2021

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Thank you, Chair.

I'm just reviewing the subamendment as referred to by Ms. Lattanzio. If it were adopted, the amendment would then read as follows: “That the issue of contracts related to Data Sciences be referred to the BOIE. That the issue of the CIMS system and all providers of services to members of Parliament”—we don't know all the names of the providers, so it's all providers of services to members of Parliament—“which facilitate partisan, election-related actions to be taken from constituency offices and Parliament Hill offices to determine if they are in compliance with the rules set out by the Board also be examined and referred to the BOIE.”

I have a question, Chair. In the overall amended motion—maybe the clerk can read it out to us—do we still have the public meeting in there? I'm just curious.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

No words have been removed. Your amendment simply inserted your full text between the words “that” and “pursuant”. The subamendment didn't remove any words either. All of the words that were there at the beginning are still there. They have simply been added to.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Okay, so that's interesting for all members to know that we're still dealing with a public component of the study as well. I find this subamendment, again, very interesting. To take that study of all the different political parties and the software we use and the practices we have in our constituency offices and on Parliament Hill would, I think, be very useful. There would be one part in public and then part of it at the Board of Internal Economy.

I think, as we know, different committees will work on different aspects of a problem, and it can inform another committee when the work has already been undertaken elsewhere. I'm not always in favour of that. I like everyone to stay in their lane, but we can see there's that flexibility in the parliamentary system, right, and that we are authors of the work we do here, as are other committee members when they are there.

On that note, and in the interests of time, I move that this meeting do hereby be adjourned.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

There is a non-debatable motion with regard to the adjournment of this committee meeting.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Pardon me?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Are we talking about adjourning the meeting or suspending it until later?

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

This is a motion to adjourn the meeting, not to suspend the meeting.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

What's the difference between the two?

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

That would be final, and this meeting would cease to happen. A suspension would allow the committee to come back at a later period of time, but it is an adjournment vote, so we will ask the clerk to read through the roll call with regard to the adjournment.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 3)

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Colleagues, the meeting is adjourned.