Evidence of meeting #109 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was company.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Thomas Bigelow
Darren Anthony  Partner, GC Strategies

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

If it passes, it passes and that's that?

1:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

If what passes? Do you mean the amendment?

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

We're going to be requesting—

1:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Are you talking about if Mr. Genuis's amendment passes?

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

Correct.

1:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

If it passes, then we go back. That becomes the amended motion, and we vote on the amended motion.

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

Then can we make amendments to that motion at that point?

Again, my concern is that we're actually now extending the time extensively for the ministers and for others from outside. It's unconventional to have outside members.

2 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Just to be clear, we cannot re-amend the subamendment. For example, we can't go back and have an amendment to remove Ms. O'Gorman. We cannot change that once it has been accepted.

If Mr. Genuis's amendment is accepted as is, we can't go back and change those specific things that Mr. Genuis put in, nor can we change the specific things that Mrs. Vignola put in.

2 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

Right, and our initial engagement was to engage more. Actually, part of the friendly amendment by Mrs. Vignola was to accommodate some of those requests. If this proceeds and it passes, then we cannot go back. This is it. We don't have another opportunity to amend.

2 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

You can amend, but you wouldn't be able to take away, for example, Mrs. Vignola's amendment, which we accepted, of having Ms. O'Gorman here.

If, for example, we did pass it, though, and the ministers are available for only one hour and then perhaps one of them says, “Well, I can only do one hour on a separate day”, and happenstance happens to be what we've normally done for the supplementary estimates, such is life, if you get what I'm saying.

If we pass this amendment, then it includes the CBSA. We cannot change that, nor can we change the items that Mr. Genuis has changed. You could propose something else, such as adding another department or adding more time to a meeting, but you can't change what we've agreed upon.

I see that Mrs. Vignola's hand is up. Go ahead, Mrs. Vignola.

2 p.m.

Bloc

Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Mr. Chair, this is probably a disconcertingly naïve question, but would it be appropriate for the movers to willingly withdraw the amendment and the main motion so that the committee can proceed as usual? Is that an option? Is it possible to get a consensus on that, or are we caught in a bind?

2 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

We can, with unanimous consent. For example, if Mr. Sousa wishes to withdraw this motion entirely and leave it to the chair to book one hour with one minister and a second hour with the second minister and the minister's officials for the supplementary estimates, as we've done in the past, we could do it on UC.

I see no one else on the speaking list, so we'll go to the vote, Mr. Clerk, on Mr. Genuis's amendment.

The vote is tied at five-five. I vote yes as well.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We're now back to Mr. Sousa's motion as amended, as Mr. Genuis's amendment and Madame Vignola's amendment have been accepted.

Go ahead, Mr. Sousa.

2 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

Mr. Chair, I don't know if I can now amend my own motion and reduce it to 60 minutes.

2 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

No.

2 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

Colleagues...?

I'll defer to the vice-chair.

2 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Are you giving up the floor to someone else, Mr. Sousa?

2 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON

I'm giving up the floor to the vice-chair.

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Go ahead, Mr. Jowhari.

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to move an amendment to the motion that will limit the appearance of the ministers to one hour only.

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Are you suggesting one hour side by side, or one hour and then one hour?

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON

At this point, it looks like it will be one hour and one hour. We had offered one and a half hours side by side, but it was not accepted, unless I'm not following this properly.

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

Mr. May, are you speaking on Mr. Jowhari's amendment, which is simply to change it from 90 minutes to 60 minutes?

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON

I actually have a point of order, Mr. Chair. I didn't want to interrupt my colleague.

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley

You should feel free to.

2:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!