Foreign Affairs Committee on June 21st, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

First of all, you do have the right to speak to the amended motion if you want, and then again later as we vote on the motion. But the process here is that we will now vote on the amendment to the motion.

Are we all in favour of the amendment?

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Could I have a recorded vote, please?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

On the amendment or on the motion?

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

No, on the amended motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right. So by a show of hands, are we in favour of both amendments?

All right, so that's carried.

[An hon. member]

Which amendment are we voting on?

[An hon. member]

Not Mr. Wilfert's amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Is it clear to everyone that we aren't voting on the motion? We're simply voting on the amendment, because it's not necessarily a friendly amendment.

We know what the amendment is. Are we in favour of the amendment? Let's make it easy here, rather than reading it out.

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Now, Mr. Martin, do you want to speak to the amended motion?

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Let's just vote on the amended motion. Call the question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

First, I'm going to ask our clerk to read the motion as amended.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mrs. Angela Crandall]

Okay, but I'm afraid I still don't have Mr. Wilfert's amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Bryon, do you want to give her a hand here?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

It reads, “That the Committee, noting that the government recognizes the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the Congo, asks its representatives”, etc. It's then all the same.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I'm going to ask our clerk to read the motion as amended.

[The Clerk]

It reads:

That the Committee, noting that the government recognizes the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the Congo, recommends that the government ask its representatives at the United Nations to press for a significant increase in the number of peacekeepers for the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and to double the amount of Canadian funding for aid operations in Eastern Congo as soon as possible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right. We will now have a recorded vote.

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

This time when you read the motion, it said: "double the amount of Canadian funding". The word "Canadian" was not in there before. Is that intentional, or was that an error?

[The Clerk]

I think we took it out of the original because when you have a motion it's usually evident that it's the Canadian government that will do it. We can't recommend to any other government or any other country; it's not within the committee's power to do that.

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

Okay.

(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Mr. Martin, do you want to move to your second motion?

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

It will be the motion on Zimbabwe. Again, there's an original motion and then there's an amended motion. Do you want the amended motion or the original motion?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

It doesn't matter. We can read through the first one first.

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

I'll do the original one. It reads:

That the Committee recommends that the government use existing domestic crimes against humanity legislation to indict Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe for crimes against humanity as well as bringing forward a motion before the Security Council to invoke a Chapter 7 article 41 resolution against President Mugabe.

The amended motion is:

That the Committee recommends that the government work with victims in Canada to ascertain using existing domestic crimes against humanity legislation to indict Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe for crimes against humanity as well as press for resolution at the Security Council to invoke a chapter 7 article 41 resolution against President Mugabe and that the Minister of Justice report back to the Committee by November 15 on his efforts.

Perhaps I could explain a bit about this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Yes, I'd like to see the motion too.