Thank you, Mr. Chair.
What you're referring to is, in fact, the deadline for the committee to consider the votes related to the supplementary estimates. It's not a hard and fast deadline such as for the main estimates, which is written in the Standing Orders.
The deadline is determined by when the government chooses the last allotted day will be, and unfortunately, we don't know what that day will be. When that day is designated, the committee will lose its order of reference three sitting days prior to that day. This is why we recommend that committees try to do the supplementary estimates sooner rather than later to ensure that they still have the vote before them.
That being said, if the committee has the opportunity to hear from the minister and wants to, it may still do so if the order of reference has lapsed, because that information falls under the subject matter mandate of the committee. It doesn't prohibit the committee from hearing from the minister; however, if it's after the date, the committee cannot put the question on the actual votes.
Thank you.