Government Operations Committee on May 6th, 2008

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Thank you.

Madame Folco.

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

I am in complete agreement with...

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

I'm sorry, Mr. Angus is next. He's so quiet over there.

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

I'm studious. Sister Frances Margaret never said that in grade school, I'll tell you, which is why I have such big ears--they were pulled all time.

I support the need to come back with something on the passport issue. I'm questioning whether we should open it up to witnesses at this point, because I'm not sure who we would ask. We didn't get a lot of answers from Monsieur Cossette. We certainly got a good promotional package, but it didn't answer our questions.

I feel our researchers should take the next step for us. We should empower them to ask. We're going to bring specific questions from each region that we need to have answered. For example, I asked Mr. Cossette about the decision to cut off Service Ontario as a passport service provider. I've now found out that not one community from North Bay to Kenora on Highway 11 has a passport service, yet we were told we had an unprecedented level of passport service. This is a decision they made two weeks ago that is now having a major impact.

I don't know who to bring forward as witnesses on that, but I would like our researchers to ask Passport Canada what their plan is to address this shortfall. I'm sure other regions have similar questions, depending on their jurisdiction.

If we can have those questions asked and then come back and look at them in a preparatory report, we might then decide if there are witnesses we would like to bring forward. But I'm not sure what putting a number of meetings on this will actually give us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Ms. Folco.

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

I think we are all on the same wavelength, in other words, I had asked for a brief study, but given what was said here earlier, we could ask our researcher to prepare not only an executive summary, but go even further and draw on what was said earlier by the witnesses who dealt with the improvements to be made to the regional Passport Canada services, and provide us with a progress report. Once we have an idea of what is happening, then we can decide what direction we would like to take. I think that is the best way to proceed. I would ask for the committee's indulgence to agree to this motion pursuant to what I have just said, which takes into account a number of problems that have been expressed. If we adopt this motion, it will be considered committee business, but we should ask our researcher for advice.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

I think that's a good idea, but I'm going to ask our researcher. I don't think he can have that report ready for Thursday, so we have to give him some time to do that work.

So I will call the question on the motion.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

We will give our researcher time to do his work on that file. We will not have a meeting on Thursday this week, but we will have one on the following Tuesday.

Do you have something else?

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

I have a reply.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Just a second, before we all go. I forgot about that.

We got a reply from Mr. Wouters or Mr. Baird on the motion that was passed. I think it was your motion, Madame Folco?

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

Yes, it was. I have the reply, and I would like to say something about it to this committee. I'll try not to be long—I also have something else. I'll do this in English. if you don't mind.

I got a reply, which I think has been distributed to all members in both official languages. Mr. Wouters tells the president that he can't give us any more information—only that there was a meeting of Treasury Board in which there were deliberations and decisions regarding submissions relating to the Ottawa light rail project. You remember, I asked a question he couldn't answer. I said, “Look, I don't want to know what was decided; I just want to know the dates of the meetings and who was present.” The letter that we have got back still does not give me that information.

I want to put it on the record that the answer from Mr. Wouters, dated April 17, is not satisfactory. I would like our research person to look into what information we can legally have regarding the meetings of cabinet. Then we can draft another letter and get a legal answer from Mr. Wouters regarding those meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Mr. Le Goff.

[Philippe Le Goff]

I will do that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Thank you.

Mr. Kramp.

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

If we're heading down this other road again, I want it in motion form. I want it discussed openly here and with the department before we go down this road.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

She is asking the researcher to find out exactly what they can tell us. If they can't legally tell us anything because it's a cabinet confidence, then we're not going to go down that road. Before we pass a motion or get a letter, I think we should get an opinion on exactly what they can tell us about meetings of Treasury Board. I think that's what her question was.

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Why wouldn't we just call witnesses in and ask them? We could ask our parliamentary justice officials.

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

Okay. Then, depending on what the witnesses tell us, I would be presenting a motion. I'm fine with presenting another motion later on. That's fine with me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Okay, that's it. We're not doing anything else right now. There's nothing other than looking into the legalities.

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.