Government Operations Committee on Nov. 19th, 2024

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Yes. Thank you.

With regard to the PBO meeting, we had him on for next week. The supplementary estimates have just come out, so we're going to move him back, because I don't think his report will come out in time.

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We'll move it back. That's $750.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Thank you.

The last one is for the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner and the procurement ombudsman. If you recall, we said we'd do one hour of each, but we have not scheduled a time yet.

Can we can have approval for that as well?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Wonderful. Thank you very much. I appreciate that, because I've already signed them in advance.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Go ahead, Mr. Genuis. Please be quick, if you don't mind, so we can get out of here.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Sure. Thank you, Chair.

I think we're into committee business now. I'd like to move a quick motion that relates to what was discussed in the first hour.

I move:

That the committee call on Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, to immediately resign from cabinet and that this call be reported to the House.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

On a point of order, Chair, are we in committee business?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Yes—for the budget.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

I thought we concluded that already.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We haven't concluded the meeting yet. I'm sorry.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Colleagues, I think it's obvious why this is being put forward and why this is important. We have a minister of the Crown who pretended to be indigenous. He was described repeatedly by the Liberal Party as being indigenous. He described himself as having a Cree great-grandmother in the House of Commons, which turned out to be false. He misrepresented his identity. We have heard repeatedly how serious indigenous identity fraud is.

This minister did it for perhaps a variety of reasons, but clearly, one of the reasons—

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

I have a point of order, Chair.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—is that he was able to—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

I'm sorry, Mr. Genuis.

Go ahead, Mr. Sousa.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

I'm having some misunderstanding here. Can the clerk define whether or not we are in committee business with the budgets? I'm being told that this is not committee business.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We were in committee business for the budgets. We hadn't adjourned. It's committee business until it's adjourned or it's not committee business.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

I understand, but moving budgets is not the same as committee business.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Go ahead.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard]

Yes, Mr. Chair, it's true that, for instance, when a committee does pass some budgets, for the purpose of writing the minutes we will say that the committee indeed proceeded with committee business.

Also, I did notice that the chair I think mentioned that he wanted to do some committee business.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

I think you've ruled the opposite in the past, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We are in committee business, and Mr. Genuis has the floor. I understand what you're saying, but we are in committee business. Mr. Genuis has the floor, so I'll put you on the speaking list after Ms. Blaney, if you wish.

Go ahead, Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, this may be an uncomfortable subject for the Liberals, but the fact is that we just had before this committee the Minister of Indigenous Services, who affirmed that indigenous identity fraud is a very serious matter and pointedly refused to defend the employment minister at all.

We have a situation where, unbelievably, you have a minister of the Crown who sits in the government whose company pretended to be indigenous in order to try to access government contracts. His company, GHI, did get government contracts—

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

I have a point of order, Chair.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—and it's still eligible for government contracts.