Finance Committee on Feb. 27th, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I'll call the meeting to order.

We want to thank the witness for coming forward.

We're going to be dealing with a private member's bill, but prior to doing that there are a couple of quick things we have to do, housekeeping issues. One is we are about to vault ourselves into a study on taxation, and there's a budget here. Has it been passed around?

[A voice]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

It's been passed around.

We'll entertain a motion to move it.

Mr. Wallace has moved to put it on the floor and open debate on the budget.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

What is the motion, Mr. Chairman?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

The motion is to move the budget that you have in front of you. I think it's $37,350.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

What is it for, Mr. Chairman?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

To bring forward the witnesses to vault us into the study on taxation.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Is this standard procedure?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Yes, it is. We don't have to go to the liaison committee as long as it's under $40,000, so it's a housekeeping issue.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

No, but is this to have the witnesses come from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Moncton?

[A voice]

Yes. We need money to pay expenses.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Okay.

I'm okay with it, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Now you're okay. Does that mean you're ready for the vote?

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I am ready for the vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

All right.

We'll entertain the vote on the motion. Is everybody clear about it?

(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I know it's easy for some of the Conservatives to spend money.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

We have one other motion we would like to present.

If you two have anything further to discuss you need to do it outside, but if you're at the table I wish you'd pay attention to the business of the committee.

This is a motion with regard to a private member's bill. I talked to the mover, and he wanted to examine whether he can bring forward another amendment, one he didn't want us to look at at this time. We have the option to ask for a 30-day extension. So it's a 30-day extension on the private member's bill, Bill C-305.

We have the motion. Mike moves it.

Now we'll open debate on that motion with Mr. Pacetti.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I think we're going to be opposed to this bill. We're ready to vote on it and just refuse it and we can save some time at the committee level also.

I say I'm ready to vote it down. We can either debate it or we can go directly to the vote. I'm ready to vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay. That's very good consideration.

The mover.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

My reason for moving it—based on your explanation, and I want it again, if I can have it—is the mover of the motion wants more time to look at an amendment or who wants to do the amendment.

This bill came in front of us months and months ago, I believe. Did it not?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I agree. This was before my time in the chair, but I understand you have had the mover in front of you. We are prepared to go to clause-by-clause on that. I don't think we need the mover of this here.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

I want to move my motion, Mr. Pacetti, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Just a second.

This is a motion we have put here to give us more time if we want it, but it's certainly the prerogative of the committee to do what it would like. With that, it's up to the mover.

Mr. Pacetti.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

We don't have a choice. We have to vote on this. It's either up or down. We've already seen witnesses. We even had this bill in front of committee in the previous Parliament, so it's not something new. If there is an amendment, he should have brought it forward before we had witnesses. I don't think anybody on either side of the table was in favour of this. We're just wasting our time. We can just vote on it on division and refuse it. It's up to the committee, but I don't think we have to debate it. I think we've already addressed this in the past.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay.

We have a motion on the floor. We will either vote for or against the motion, and that's what we're doing, just to clarify.

Mr. Laforest.