Evidence of meeting #44 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was company.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
To be very, very clear to the members of this committee, my minister and the ministry are trying to be as accommodating as we possibly can be.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I think we understand that. It's the time, it's the week.
Mr. Patry and then Mr. Dewar.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
My understanding about the minister.... I don't want to defend the minister; it's very rare that the opposition defends the minister, but I don't think it's because she cannot accept. I think it's because there is a technicality because the House is closing on Thursday or next Friday and there are a lot of times when you discuss the supplementaries when it needs to be done three days before that time when the House is closing. If the House is closing on Thursday, we don't have the three days, and because we're not sure about that, it's a technicality. I'm not that good on these technicalities, but I remember when I chaired a committee there was something like this. That's the reason why she cannot appear. It's not because she cannot come.
See, I try to help you once in while, you know?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Before I go to Mr. Dewar I'm going to have our clerk just explain that very quickly. It deals with supply days, on the technicality of supply days.
The Clerk of the Committee Mrs. Carmen DePape
If the next supply day--and I don't know when it is--is on Tuesday, like it was this week, then to have the minister on Tuesday would be too late to talk about the supplementary estimates because it has to be three days before the last supply day. So it gets technical.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Okay. Mr. Dewar, very quickly, and we do have guests here, so we're going to try to be quick.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I'm going to be quick, but I have a point of order, actually, Mr. Chair, because what you're actually trying to do is move this report. That's actually not in order, because you're wanting to do committee business. Is that correct?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
No. I have been told that we can move to the steering committee report--
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Okay. I have a point of order then, because the steering committee report is part of committee business, is it not?
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Right, you can discuss it. But if you're asking us to vote on this steering committee report, which is what the chair is putting forward, that is committee business, is it not?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Which is exactly what the steering committee knew we were going to be doing--
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I know, and it was also referenced last time. I wasn't here, but I talked to my colleague. We actually have a motion in front of this committee during committee business that we can easily vote on and decide whether we want to pass it or not and get to this report.
Sorry, Chair, but in terms of how this committee works, if we're doing committee business.... We had a motion in front of us that we're waiting to vote on. The government was wanting to filibuster, with all due respect. And in terms of committee business, the first thing we should be dealing with is that motion and then we can get to this. If the government members want to continue to filibuster, that is up to them, but we would like to vote on that motion that's in front of us, then do the steering committee, and get to our guests.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right. We have a point of order.
I was told that we could move and pass the steering committee report before we heard from our witnesses at the steering committee. Was that not what we discussed at the steering committee?
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Sorry, with due respect, Mr. Chair, I'd like to know if this is considered part of committee business or not, when you're moving the steering committee report. Yes or no? It's a very straightforward question.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We spent time questioning whether or not we would have to move back to your motion in regard to it and we were told that we had the ability--
Conservative
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Yes, and you mentioned that I had my motion in front and I asked him after and he said that the motion was in front and we'd go back to committee business before we get to the steering committee report, that we'd have to deal with that motion.
I'm actually asking for a process question. I'm actually, I guess, looking to the clerk. Is it not the case that if we're doing committee business, we deal with what was in front of the committee at that time before we get to this? The motion was still alive on the floor, right? It was committee business. This is committee business.
The Clerk
Even if we did it under committee business, to me this is an item similar to adopting a budget to travel. It's a process kind of motion. It's an internal administrative document.
The Clerk
There is nothing in the procedure that says that we can't first do this under committee business, before we go to your motion. I don't have anything to base that on.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
It was a topic at the steering committee. I did not want to jump this in front of your motion. The question was clearly laid out: are we able to do this at the beginning of the meeting, listen to our guests, pass the steering committee report, move into committee business, and then go back to your motion? I was under the impression that we could. So on that basis, I proceeded.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
The committee is the master of its own business. We can deal with this question, and we can move on to this thing right now.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Chair, I'm protesting that we're not able to get things done in a sequential manner. Normally, when you have committee business, it would mean that you were dealing with whatever the committee was dealing with before. Then, after that, you would get to the next thing. You're asking us to pass the steering committee report ahead of what we were doing before, and I find that unfortunate. I'll leave it at that.