Evidence of meeting #29 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
Yes, the witnesses are still here. We're dealing with a matter of procedural significance here. At some point, we have to let the witnesses go. Otherwise, they'll be stuck here all day.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
They may regard this as mildly entertaining. I don't know. I'm sure they have other work to do. In any event, I made the suggestion and there's no take-up.
I have to check with the clerk on where we are. I want to make sure I handle this properly from a procedural standpoint.
Go ahead, Mr. Anders.
Conservative
Rob Anders Conservative Calgary West, AB
I raised a matter related to this very motion at one of our previous meetings. It was the question of timing. I understand that.
She's now raising a point of order to desperately revisit her motion, which was defeated. A desperate fishing expedition to make a case for an election is what it is. That's exactly what it is. You will have ample opportunity on Friday evening to go to an election if you so wish.
Liberal
Conservative
Conservative
Rob Anders Conservative Calgary West, AB
No. I'll read it into the record so that it's very obvious what's going on. We'll talk about the 300-pound elephant in the room, or whatever it is, that you're not directly addressing, which is that you lost a motion earlier today that you had an opportunity to bring forward at a previous meeting, but chose not to, because you would have lost it then.
Now you are using some sort of procedural mechanism to try to address that issue, which you lost this morning and which you had a chance to put forward and lost previously.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
Mr. Chair, is it possible to actually address my original--
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
You were addressing a point of order before allowing an intervention--
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
Okay, there are just a couple of things. There's no need to get into motive. We'll just deal with the facts and try to keep the remarks coming through the chair to avoid personal confrontation.
Conservative
Rob Anders Conservative Calgary West, AB
Fair enough, Mr. Chair.
I called it the way I see it. Additionally, I think the timeframes are ridiculous. The member will have an opportunity to address this in a very fulsome way if she or her leader has the cojones to do it on Friday.
There we go.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
Mr. Chair, I don't want to even go close to a battle about who, between my honourable colleague and me, has the bigger cojones.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
I'm of the view that Ms. Hall Findlay could propose something related to her view that there has been a default in delivering on an order of the committee to provide information. We discussed it earlier in the meeting, but it's possible that there are differing views on this. It is a fact that what the committee requested was not delivered, even though there may have been reasons why it wasn't and the department provided a purported explanation.
She could move something related to that at this meeting without it being a new issue. But it would have to be a motion that involved the committee taking steps to crystallize the alleged default, or the default. The committee would have to allege a default, reach that conclusion, hopefully give some guidance to the House, and report that to the House as a report from the committee on a matter of privilege. On how it gets into the House, it could come in as a privilege matter. The Speaker prefers these things to come in as reports. So that's one route.
If we're not going to follow the procedural order or privilege route here, the member is entitled to move a motion that we move to new business. That is not debatable or amendable. We would simply put a vote that we move to new business.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
The frame of reference is committee business, so you're moving that we move to committee business.
The clerk believes that to be in order, so we'll put the motion.
There is a request for a roll call vote, Mr. Clerk.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
Thank you all very much. I'm torn here. I want to have a very brief discussion with the clerk.
Ms. Foote is moving that we allow the witnesses to withdraw. There is a consensus.
Thank you very much for your testimony today. It's been very helpful for the public record.
Mr. Roy has the floor on a point of order.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Roy Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Chair, you have not voted yet. As I see it, the vote is 5 to 5.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Derek Lee
No, I'm making a decision on the casting vote.
This isn't going to satisfy all members, but I'm going to cast my vote in favour of the motion. The motion is to go to committee business. In my view, committee business is committee business; it's status quo; it's unshaped. And if we go to committee business, then there's going to have to be a motion that will flow from that. Any motion could flow, but Ms. Hall Findlay has moved it. So I'm going to vote in favour of the motion.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)
I will then turn to Ms. Hall Findlay and say, okay, now we're in committee business. Where do we go from here--recognizing what the time is?
Mr. Warkentin has a point of order, I'm sure.
Conservative
