Foreign Affairs Committee on Jan. 30th, 2007

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

I just want to say this. Again we come back to this.

I have a very short question in rebuttal to Albina when she says that. The prerogative is the Prime Minister's. Your prime ministers had all these things over here, so suddenly you can't tie and close that chapter back and suddenly bring this, now that it is an accountability for us, but it wasn't accountability for you guys when you were in the government and everything.

No, no, let me just finish; it's my turn to say it.

You did mention that there was public funding. That applies to your advisers as well when they did it under public funding, for the simple reason that they were advising the Prime Minister, and it is the Prime Minister's prerogative. That is the same thing applying here. There are no double standards being applied here.

Our position is that the advice has been given to the Prime Minister, and that is why the Prime Minister appointed him.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Madam McDonough is next.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I don't want to get embroiled in a battle between what the Liberals did and what the Conservatives think they don't have to do because the Liberals didn't do it, although I have to note that I remember very well Mobina Jaffer's reporting to this committee very capably and very thoroughly on her work as a special envoy to Sudan, and I don't know if anybody has spoken as many times publicly in detail around his involvement as Roméo Dallaire, so I'm a bit skeptical about the suggestion that both of them were gagged and didn't want to speak. I think they both were very forthcoming and actually very generous about sharing their observations.

I have one regret about the wording of the motions before us. Frankly, I would have felt more comfortable to support Francine Lalonde's motion in the first place, because I don't think the issue is so much the actual report to the Prime Minister if the Prime Minister is absolutely adamant that he will not allow the report to be shared. It may well be that Wajid Khan, who is a member of this committee, would favour sharing it, but the Prime Minister won't let him; I guess he'll have to speak to that.

I think the point is that at public expense and with a public mission, Mr. Khan went to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This committee has been very much seized with these issues, and we would like to hear from him his observations, his conclusions, and his findings.

I don't know whether, in the spirit of trying to get what we want, which is to have an accounting and sharing of experiences, there could be a further friendly amendment, or whether Madam Guarnieri would agree that the point is not the sharing of the report per se to the Prime Minister, but rather to ask for Mr. Khan to appear before the committee and to share his observations and conclusions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

Madame Barbot and then Madame Lalonde.

[Vivian Barbot, Bloc, Papineau, QC]

I would just add that this is a unique opportunity for committee members to obtain first-hand information from a member who admittedly has played a key role. And, given the current situation, it's important to ask this question as a committee and to hear Mr. Khan's comments and views. I think this is entirely appropriate.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you, Madame Barbot.

Madame Lalonde.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

I'll keep it short and make one additional comment. Mr. Khan is a Member of Parliament. If he were an expert, or someone who had been asked by the Prime MInister to go and observe the situation first-hand, I could understand him saying that he was acting for the Prime Minister.

Mr. Chairman, both motions say that the committee “invites“ Mr. Wajid Khan. We're inviting him to appear. If he wishes to decline our invitation, then so be it, but it is our responsibility to invite him, given all of the efforts we have made and the importance we attach to resolving the Middle East problem. We're saying to the Prime Minister that we would like to get the report and that we are inviting Mr. Khan to appear before us. If the Prime Minister doesn't wish to share the report with us, then ultimately, I'd like Mr. Khan to come and talk to us about his experiences. He is an MP and if I was one of his constituents, I could impress upon him the importance of sharing his experiences in the Middle East with the committee.

Inviting him here in connection with the report is a matter of principle. I also believe the same holds true for—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

Are you calling for the question?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right, we have a choice here. There is another committee waiting to convene in this room. On motions like this we have unlimited debate, so we have the opportunity to stand the motion to the next meeting or call for the question today. If I hear no more debate, then we'll call the question.

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

This is a friendly amendment, so as I understand it we don't have to pass the amendment first. We will vote on the motion as amended.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

Madame Lalonde, we'll have to stand your motion over to the next meeting.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Yes, but I heard the government doesn't have a problem with this. Nor does anyone else for that matter. Therefore, we can start making arrangements.

[Some hon. members]

Oh! Oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right, we'll be dealing with that at a later date.

We are adjourned.