Evidence of meeting #44 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.

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On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Caroline Bosc

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Go ahead, Peter.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON

To Mr. McLeod's point, we have a slot open that would allow for significant time with Mr. Li. Why is it that Mr. Poilievre doesn't want to entertain that? It's not as though Mr. Li would be coming for 10 or 15 minutes. It would be significant time with the witness, not during the time with Craig and Marc Kielburger.

I have never been opposed to this committee looking at issues around WE Charity. I think the matters that have arisen in the past few weeks do merit examination, but the more we call for more and more meetings, the more we are away from our constituents. It means we are away, as MPs, from dealing with the central issue of the day, which is COVID-19 and the economic response on the part of the federal government.

Why we would continue to schedule more meetings when we have an opportunity tomorrow to put in a witness and ask questions of that witness and be effective in our role is really beyond me. I'm surprised, because I think you've heard Liberal members throughout make it clear that we are willing to entertain the ideas of the opposition, and when we've put forward reasonable questions and ideas, they've time and time again been cast aside.

There's an opening tomorrow. I think Mr. Li can be fit into that opening, with all due respect to Mr. Poilievre.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

I'll take Mr. Cooper on this point and then go back to Mr. Poilievre.

Go ahead, Mr. Cooper.

July 27th, 2020 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Very simply, in response to Mr. Fragiskatos, there is insufficient time. Mr. Li is a key player. He is the CFO of a number of WE-controlled organizations. It's imperative that we have sufficient time to ask him questions. We have the Kielburgers, hopefully tomorrow for four hours, and I anticipate that there will be issues arising from their testimony that will be relevant in the case of Mr. Li.

I really don't understand why this is difficult. I think the manner in which we're proceeding to have him on another day so that we can have a full examination of him and sufficient time to ask him questions is important. Again, he is a key player.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

I'll go back to Mr. Fragiskatos. Then we'll try to move ahead, I believe.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON

Mr. Chair, we pretend, or some of us pretend, that finance is the only committee looking at this matter. It is also being examined by the ethics committee. I know that the government operations committee will also begin looking at this in short order. If the opposition is looking to bring witnesses forward, and if they're upset about what we on the Liberal side have suggested in terms of possible times when witnesses could speak, I remind my colleagues very respectfully that other committees are examining these issues and can call whichever witnesses they want.

Again, I'm not opposed to our continuing to spend some time here looking at issues around WE. Obviously, we're going to be doing that this week. However, it makes no sense not to invite Mr. Li tomorrow for an hour in place of the students who have pulled out.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Mr. Julian is next.

4:30 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Fragiskatos mentioned the ethics committee. We know that the ethics committee has been filibustered now for the last few days. They've been unable to move forward. Liberals on the committee are blocking the committee's work, which is really unfortunate. We saw the same thing in SNC-Lavalin. In a minority Parliament, all parties do have to work together. I think we've done that by having the four-hour request to the Kielburgers; that's important. I think Mr. Li will probably have a lot of substantive questions coming his way. It would seem to me most appropriate to have the Kielburgers tomorrow and then have Mr. Li subsequently.

As this information comes out—there have been so many contradictions that it's hard to keep up—I think that the measured in-depth questioning tomorrow will help form the questions that we may want to ask eventually of Mr. Li.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

I will take it that there is agreement that we hear from Mr. Li separately for two hours on Wednesday. I do think it's probably important to have the WE Charity testimony completed before we hear from the Prime Minister. We know that the Prime Minister is appearing on Thursday.

All right. That's—

4:35 p.m.

The Clerk

Can I just interject?

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Go ahead.

4:35 p.m.

The Clerk

Mr. Li's lawyer did contact the committee and stated that he was only available on Tuesday at the time indicated that the committee scheduled him for. I will let him know, but I just want the committee to be aware that if he is unable to make it on Wednesday, that's what was communicated to me in that letter by the lawyer. That's just so you're aware.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you for that, Caroline.

Mr. Poilievre—

4:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC

I'd like to comment, as well, Mr. Chair.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

We'll go to Mr. Poilievre and then Mr. Ste-Marie.

4:35 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and Madam Clerk.

I think if Mr. Li cannot attend on Wednesday, then we can just bump him to the next week and continue the hearings at that time or at a future date for the allotted period of time. I don't know if Peter Julian or a member of the Bloc has views on the exact timing that Mr. Li would appear, but if he doesn't want to do Wednesday, then we'll just bring him in another time.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

We will go to Mr. Ste-Marie.

4:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC

First of all, I agree with what Mr. Poilievre just said.

Second, I just want to remind everyone that the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics is meeting on Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

I don't think the Standing Committee on Finance should meet at the same time as the ethics committee. That's directed at you, Mr. Chair, and the clerk.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Would you give me those times again, Gabriel?

4:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC

Yes. The finance committee is meeting on Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Okay. We'll have to work around those times.

Go ahead, Ms. Dzerowicz.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

With regard to the Prime Minister, didn't they already put out a statement to indicate that he's coming in from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and she's from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.? That's already happening. There's already a public statement. As much as I think everybody's trying to coordinate, that's been scheduled.

That's it. I just wanted to point that out. Thanks.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you.

Coming back to the clerk for a minute, with regard to Mr. Li, did his lawyer say that the only time he was available was tomorrow between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., the time we had him listed for?

4:35 p.m.

The Clerk

Yes.

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Okay. I guess we'll have to see where discussions—