Finance Committee on Dec. 11th, 2018

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Madam Minister.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I think she's going to agree to stay for an hour.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'd simply like to say this to my colleague Mr. Poilievre: I get up at 4 a.m.; if you had held a meeting at 6 a.m., it would've been a pleasure for me to spend more time with you.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Tomorrow morning—

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I have another meeting at that time.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I'll be here tomorrow at 6 a.m.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Have a nice day.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

We're going to get into a debate here. The minister is going to have to leave. I'll let Mr. Fergus finish his question, and then we'll—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

—turn to the commissioner.

Minister, thank you for—

No, to your point of order request.

Thank you, Minister, for coming, and we're left with the commissioner and deputy commissioner.

Mr. Poilievre, you have about a minute left.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

This report says that individual taxpayers are facing harassment if they can't provide a receipt within 90 days, while wealthy international bankers—

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Poilievre, that is not a point of order. You're getting into the Auditor General's report, which you can question the commissioner on.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

—who have offshore foreign transactions are allowed to go for months without facing any accountability from this minister's department.

That is actually something on which we have a duty under the Standing Orders to ask questions, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Poilievre.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

You might not like that. You might want to prevent tough questions from being asked—

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I have no problem with your questions, Pierre.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

—of witnesses because you want to protect your government.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Could we come to order?

You're in the next round of questions. You'll get an opportunity to have six minutes.

[An hon. member]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Sir, you can come to order whenever you're ready to come to order, but I'm going to continue with my point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

What's your point of order?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

My point of order is that we had half an hour. This committee, even with a Liberal majority, asked for an hour.

That minister did not answer a single question. She was asked pointed questions about this report. Instead, she buried her head in PMO talking points and went on—if I could finish—and continued to burn our clock.

In the five minutes that we had to question her—

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

It was six minutes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Oh, thank you—six minutes.

[An hon. member]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.