Finance Committee on May 29th, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Dusseault, go ahead.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Chair, in the same vein, you could rule the amendment out of order. I don't really see the connection with Bill C-44 and its scope. I don't know where my colleague's comments are coming from. So I would like to see you rule on the admissibility of the amendment.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Chair, we should also check this with the clerk.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, it is not declared out of order. The budget bills are very broad in their nature and this does clear up some of the wording.

Mr. Albas, go ahead.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

I would seek some clarification on that. Maybe I'll ask the officials.

Is this a stand-alone amendment that was not included in the original BIA, or is this actually something that is correcting something in the BIA if there was a drafting error?

I am asking the officials.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Who wants to go?

Mr. Booth.

[Don Booth]

Sorry. Could you repeat the question, sir?

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

When the BIA was originally submitted, was this clause included, or is this a latecomer clause, so to speak, where you're adding something into the budget implementation act?

[Allen Sutherland]

It's a consequential amendment. It's the result of a numbering change.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Okay, but originally was this part of the BIA, and now you are changing the BIA itself, or is this an additional clause which is expanding the nature of the bill?

[Allen Sutherland]

No, it's not expanding the nature of the bill.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Is this clarifying what was in it already or limiting it?

[Allen Sutherland]

It's clarifying.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Clarifying is usually a word we use when someone misspeaks or whatnot. They clarify it.

I just want to know what the original provision was. I'll look it up and maybe you could go through it then.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

If this isn't amended, what are the consequences?

[Allen Sutherland]

The reference is incorrect.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Fergus.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

First of all, I would like to apologize to members for not giving a clear answer to this. To be precise, Mr. Albas, subsection 79.3(1) of the Parliament of Canada Act currently applies, and it makes reference to what the PBO.... This language helps ensure that the PBO has access to information that meets the conditions set out in this subsection and does not fall under the specific exceptions set out in the Parliament of Canada Act.

What we're doing is just renumbering to make sure it corresponds properly. We're discussing this because it makes reference to the PBO and to the RCMP, and we're just making sure the two acts correspond.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Thank you for the clarification.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Okay, the linkage is there.

Is there any further discussion on this point?

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

LIB-12 is carried, creating new clause 173.1.

Let's see if we can finish this section. There are no amendments to clauses 174 to 191. Can we group them?

(Clauses 174 to 191 agreed to on division)

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

That completes that division. We will start tomorrow at 8:45 a.m., in this room, on division 8.

I have one last comment. We should thank one family for their endurance tonight. This is Suzie's anniversary, and this is not quite a candlelit dinner at this meeting tonight, so, Suzie, we thank your family. I didn't know. We should have brought a bottle of wine.

The meeting is adjourned.