Evidence of meeting #41 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was request.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Nancy Vohl
Colonel  Retired) Michel Drapeau (Adjunct Professor, As an Individual
Alexandra Savoie  Committee Researcher

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

We're back, Mr. Fergus. You've had a couple of minutes to think about this. You have the floor, sir.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

To make Mr. Villemure's motion clear to everyone, I move to amend it by adding “(Mr. Guay)” at the end of the sentence in item (1); by adding “(PSPC)” at the end of the sentence in item (2); and, finally, by adding “(the RCMP and/or IRCC)” at the end of the sentence in item (3).

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Thank you for the amendments.

The only thing I would suggest that you haven't included on number 3 would be the potential to have Canada Border Services Agency as well, not just the RCMP.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

You're right. Thank you for that.

I would take out RCMP and I would replace it with—

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

I would do both, perhaps.

Mr. Villemure, I saw your hand up there. I don't know whether or not you're addressing the same issue.

5:20 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Indeed, I would add the Canada Border Services Agency.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Okay.

Mr. Fergus, just to be clear, in your amendment you have Mr. Guay as number 1 and PSPC as number 2. The third one would be the RCMP. My suggestion is that you add Canada Border Services Agency in there as well.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Actually, sir, I would suggest that we take out the RCMP and replace it with the CBSA. That's just based on the testimony that it was CBSA and IRCC that interacted with Mr. Guay. It was through them. They were the clients through which PSPC had spoken to them, but they established what Mr. Villemure was looking for in number three.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Give me a second so that I can ask the clerk a question. Thank you.

Just so I'm clear, Mr. Fergus, in your proposal—this might have gotten lost in translation—was it the RCMP or IRCC that you were looking for initially?

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

For number 3, it was the RCMP and/or IRCC, but I would like to change that, if possible, to CBSA and/or IRCC.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Thank you.

The committee heard Mr. Fergus propose an amendment to Mr. Villemure's motion.

5:20 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Chair, I want to add something that I think is important. I agree with the items to be added in (1) and (2), but in (3) we should also add the Canada Border Services Agency, as Public Services and Procurement Canada has acted under the direction of the agency to meet its demands and needs.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Just for clarity, Mr. Villemure, Canada Border Services Agency was there. Are you saying that you want PSPC to be included in number 3 as well?

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

According to Mr. Fergus, this department was included as he proposed that “PSPC” be added to item (3). For my part...

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

No, that wasn't my understanding. It was IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency. Those were the two that he wanted there.

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

What was the third one?

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

We only have Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

So, in point 3, it's IRCC and CBSA. That's fine with me, Mr. Chair.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

The other problem that we have, just so that we're clear, is that in the preamble, we have Mr. Guay, the Department of Public Works and the Canada Border Services Agency, but there's no inclusion of the IRCC there.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON

Mr. Chair, if we're adding witnesses to each of the three points, wouldn't it make sense that we just take out the list from the top and just say that “the Committee requires to receive:” and then have items 1, 2 and3?

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

That actually makes sense to me. Okay.

Mr. Villemure, if we remove the name of Mr. Guay, remove the Department of Public Works and Government Services and then the Canada Border Services Agency, if they are reflected in items 1, 2 and 3, that should be enough to indicate to the government and Mr. Guay what we are asking for in terms of these documents.

If you're okay with that, and we've included the IRCC in number 3, so....

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

That sounds very good, but Mr. Barrett wanted to make a point and I would like to hear it before we go any further.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative John Brassard

Okay. Sure. Go ahead, Mr. Barrett.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

For number 1, the proposal from Mr. Fergus is to have Mr. Guay respond. Mr. Villemure commented earlier that he didn't want to be too restrictive. Now that we are prescribing who is providing which documents, I would be very interested to see on number 1.... This is a point of contention: We heard during our last meeting that there was disagreement on when the hotel was being used and what it was being used for. The government offered that the hotel was.... Excuse me; Mr. Guay offered that the hotel was being used.

For number 1, where in parentheses Mr. Fergus had proposed Mr. Guay, I would propose that it say Mr. Guay.... Were we using commas or ands in between?

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON

We were using “and/or”, I think.