Government Operations Committee on April 1st, 2008

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

I am pretty fast. I said it, but the chair apparently has blinders on when it comes to this side of the room.

I would just say that the committee can pass the motion all it wants, but there are cabinet confidences and confidentialities here that need to be taken into consideration. I don't want to have this motion pass when in the end the answers can't be given. Of course, then we'll have questions in question period--that John Baird is in contempt of Parliament, that he's in contempt of committee--when in fact the information that may be sought out here may be part of cabinet confidentiality and therefore can't be rendered public.

I just want to make that point. You can move the motion, but the reality is that this is just another game, in my judgment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Thank you, Mr. Moore.

Madame Folco.

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

I quite understand Mr. Moore's preoccupation. My answer is the same one I gave to the minister when he brought up that point, that I am not asking for the contents of the discussion, except that it was a discussion about light rail, which we know must have taken place somewhere, with somebody. If the minister feels that any of the things the committee is asking for go into the confidentiality problem, I'm sure he will get someone to write us a letter to tell us why he cannot answer us.

I feel quite at ease with the motion as is, including the friendly amendment from my colleague Mark Holland.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Is there any further debate?

Hearing none, I'll call the question.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Mr. Holland, I will go to Mr. Moore now, because he gave notice.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I don't have a motion or anything; I just want to table a document, if that's okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

You can table the document.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

It's the document from Siemens regarding the meeting they had on October 3.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Thank you.

Mr. Moore.

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

My motion is very simple. Members of this committee have had the motion since February 26, when I gave notice, that the committee dismiss any further consideration of the Ottawa light rail issue.

That the committee dismiss any further consideration of the Ottawa light rail issue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Is there any debate on the motion?

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I don't know how much further we have on this, but I do think it's fair to get the information that Madame Folco has just requested. Once we have that, we'll probably be moving toward our final stages on this.

I would request that we actually just sit on this. We've already agreed that we're going to be getting these documents. I'm not keen to vote it down at this point, but I think we're not quite there yet. If Mr. Moore wants to wait on it, I'd be more than willing to entertain it once we've seen what these documents are.

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Any documents will be forthcoming with the caveat that I just mentioned--his responsibility to his obligations in terms of cabinet confidences--but any other documents the committee has requested in the past, or will in the future, would be forthcoming.

What I'm suggesting here is that we now go forward with all of the other things this committee has talked about, such as your motion with regard to Justice Gomery, and other things that Meili and Diane wanted to discuss, that we not....

You know, come on; we know what's going on here. Let's actually do some committee business rather than just the obvious immediate politics of it and let's get on with committee business. This will continue on in question period. You know that. This will continue on in the papers. Mark will do that. That's what he does. That's fine. But let's actually have some definitive certainty of what this committee is going to be doing going forward.

We committed to one meeting on this issue. We've had John Baird come before the committee as an extension of the original first meeting. We've had Wayne Wouters. We've had the officials. We've had everybody here well beyond what the original motion was. They've had their moment in the sun. Let's get on with committee business. That's all I'm suggesting in the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Mr. Holland.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Have you a motion to table it, because that way it could be brought back at a later date?

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

You're tabling the motion, so we won't vote on it now. And then we will come back to it at another time. Are you in accordance...?

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

No, I'd like a vote on my motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

You'd like to vote on the motion now?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I understand, but I'm putting forward a tabling motion.

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

You're moving a motion to table my motion?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Correct.

[James Moore, Conservative, Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC]

No thanks.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

He doesn't want to do that.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

No, no, I understand that, but don't I have the ability to move a tabling motion?

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Does he have the ability?