Finance Committee on Oct. 28th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

He agrees.

My apologies, Mr. Ste-Marie.

Mr. Clerk, could you let us know when we're in camera?

[The Clerk]

We will have to leave this meeting. Ms. Evelyn Lukyniuk, the clerk of the committee, is going to circulate new links with new passwords. We will have to click on those links and come back in a new Zoom format, so everybody has to leave this Zoom meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

All right. This is our new technology. Oh, dear.

[Proceedings continue in camera]

[Public proceedings resume]

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

We shall reconvene. We're in public. We will start where we left off this morning.

I have Ms. Koutrakis, Ms. Dzerowicz and then Mr. Poilievre.

Ms. Koutrakis, the floor is yours.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm going to attempt to explain how the Access to Information Act was applied to the documents provided to the committee by Employment and Social Development Canada.

Unfortunately, we are now well into October, and almost into November, and the Government of Canada is still working in lockstep to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect Canadians from the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, we're well into the second wave, and I'm pretty sure there's a third one down the road. This has been our priority since the start of the pandemic.

Mr. Chair, when it became obvious—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

What's your point of order, Mr. Poilievre?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Ms. Koutrakis is referencing a statute that is not at stake in this discussion. I have a letter here from the law clerk, who says:

We note that the House's and its committees' power to order the production of records is absolute and unfettered as it constitutes a constitutional parliamentary privilege that supersedes statutory obligations, such as—

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Chair, that's debate.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

—the exemptions found in the Access to Information Act.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Poilievre, I believe that is not a point of order. That is debate. I will let Ms. Koutrakis continue.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

When it became obvious—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

But the act doesn't apply, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Ms. Koutrakis—

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

The act doesn't apply to this debate. The Access to Information Act does not apply.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Mr. Poilievre, we're into debate—

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'm interrupting the discussion.

The interpreters can't do their job when everyone is talking at the same time. I repeat this several times at each meeting. Please be disciplined on Zoom, out of respect for the interpreters.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I'm allowing Mr. Ste-Marie in.

I'm not getting the English translation, Mr. Ste-Marie, but I expect you said that when more than one person is speaking, the translators cannot do their job.

We're back to Ms. Koutrakis, who is starting her remarks.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Can I raise a point of order?

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Yes, you can, Ms. Jensen, if it's a point of order.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Well, it's about relevance.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Okay.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Because that's not what we're discussing right now, it's not relevant, that ATIP information.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

I think it is relevant.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Chair?