Finance Committee on July 29th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

You too, Mr. Julian? Okay.

Mr. Fragiskatos.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Are we really going to descend to a level where we're questioning the objectivity of public servants? The clerk was quite clear in his reasoning. For Mr. Poilievre, who is a seasoned parliamentarian, to now go after the clerk and question his judgment is beyond disappointing. It's something I have not seen, even from him, after five years of being an MP myself.

I am extremely puzzled by that. It just should not happen at a committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Julian, I'll go to your point, but we are in a dilemma here—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

No, we're not.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, no, we are.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

It's pretty simple.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, it's not—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Keep working.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

It's not—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Do your job.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Will you stop interrupting for a minute, please? Could you do that, Pierre, just for a minute?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Get yourself under control.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Julian, your point of order, please.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I've just confirmed with the NDP whip's office; there is no agreement on limiting a committee meeting like this one. So that's at least two parties that say there is no agreement around that. In fact, the whip's office has said, very clearly, that if the committee believes it should be extending its time, it's free to do so.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Okay.

Perhaps I can speak on this point of order....

Mr. Fortin, come in. Then I want to make a point.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I just checked with our party whip's office. I was told that no agreement has ever been made to limit the length of time and that, on the contrary, committee meetings have frequently lasted longer than scheduled. Our only caveat is that interpretation must be provided until the end of the meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Three.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Yes, and that's what we needed to clear up. I had a message come in here earlier that the agreement with various services was that it be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. We have to make sure that they can go beyond 7 p.m.

Would it be okay if we suspend for five minutes while we clear this up and make sure we have translation services, multimedia services, and the services of the Library of Parliament? I'll ask each party to clear it up with their whips and report back. I've heard from three. I haven't heard from the Liberals.

Mr. Sorbara.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Can we get clarification from the clerk, please, on the procedural manner for committees—in this extremely extraordinary period of time that is happening in our country, when we are meeting virtually—in terms of what the virtual sitting times, if I can use those words, are for committees to meet?

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I don't want to put the clerk on the spot. I don't know if you can answer that, Mr. Clerk.

What I would like to do is suspend for five minutes and make sure we're all on the same wavelength. I would ask, with apologies to translators and multiservice people, if they could stay with us, at least for the moment, while we sort this out.

It is now exactly seven o'clock—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

—eastern time.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Yes, we'll go to that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Point of order.