Finance Committee on Oct. 21st, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number two. We are on the subject of committee business.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. That format is a little different from what we have been used to thus far.

Pursuant to the House order of September 23, proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. As you're aware, the webcast will show only the person who is speaking. I believe that most members know to use the buttons at the bottom to select the language they're using. If you're speaking in English, press “English”. If you're speaking in French, press “French”.

For members participating in person, proceed as you normally would with the in-person committee, but I have been asked to remind folks of the health protocols that are now in place on the Hill regarding masking and distancing. That's what we mean by a hybrid format. A number of us are in our offices or in our ridings, and some are in the committee room.

When speaking, please wait until I recognize you, as usual. If attending virtually, you will turn on your mike. If you're in person, where Gabriel is, your microphone will be controlled as it normally is by the proceedings and verifications officer.

With respect to the speaking list, the clerk and I will do our best—and that's a qualifier—to maintain a consolidated order of speaking for all members, whether they are participating virtually or in person.

At the last meeting, we were dealing with a subamendment by Mr. Gerretsen to an amendment by Mr. Kelly to an original motion by Mr. Poilievre.

I'm just wondering.... We would need unanimous consent to do this. I know that we're all concerned about the pre-budget consultations. I think everyone is. We're all getting calls. It's going to take a lot of prep work to get the pre-budget consultations organized by staff and get the committee lists together and the witnesses coming in. We're not going to be able to do the job we would normally do, I don't think, in any event, when we would normally have probably about 300 witnesses in person. Given the hybrid Parliament, the Zoom calls and the difficulty of getting time and rooms, this isn't normal for us.

I'm wondering if we could get unanimous consent to deal with the motion that Ms. Dzerowicz was going to bring forward on pre-budget consultations so that we could bring forward those 793 briefs and some people could start reading them and get that organized so that the clerks and other staff could organize the pre-budget consultations. Then we could come back to the subamendment to the amendment to the motion—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

—but we would need unanimous consent to do that.

Go ahead, Mr. Poilievre.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I would make a motion in the spirit of what you've suggested. I would move that we immediately vote on the motions with respect to the WE documents and the subamendments to those motions, so that once we've completed those within the next five minutes, we can immediately move on to the next order of business, which is from Ms. Dzerowicz.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

That wasn't the way I was putting it. I know—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Well, that's the way I'm putting it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I'm asking—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

That's my motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I'm asking.... It's not a motion. You can't put a motion right now.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I just did.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, you can't. It's not allowed.

I'm asking if there is—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Now you're obstructing pre-budget consultations on top of it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I'm asking if there is unanimous consent to do what I've suggested.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Well, you haven't moved it. There's no motion before us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, no. I'm asking if there is unanimous consent to go to—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

For what, though? Nobody's moved anything. You can't have unanimous consent for a motion that doesn't exist.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Are you done, Pierre?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Well, it depends on what you have to say.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

If you are, we'll move on, or do you want to keep talking? Go ahead.

I'm asking if there is unanimous consent to bring forward the motion that Ms. Dzerowicz has proposed on pre-budget consultations, deal with that, and then come back to the motion we were dealing with the other day when the committee adjourned.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I just moved that we vote on the existing motions before the committee. Then we can go right to the pre-budget consultation motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I asked if there's unanimous consent to go to Ms. Dzerowicz's motion. If there is or isn't—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Right. I'm the only one who has a motion on the floor at this point.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

No, you're.... I'm asking if there's unanimous consent. I gather there is not. Okay.

Then we will—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Oh, now we can't get to pre-budget consultation, because you're obstructing that too.

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.