Evidence of meeting #53 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 work.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
—understand your concern. If we do it for one, we'll get a barrage of everyone asking the same.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
It was a $9-million contract, so I'm quite surprised to hear this information. That just further encourages me to encourage them to stick to the deadline.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Sensing the will of the committee, I'll ask our clerk to write back and ask them to respect the deadline.
That's great. Thanks, everyone.
The other one is this: I've sent an email out, but we haven't received anything yet. The Governor General's study is ongoing. We require the recommendations. I want to request, considering the public interest in the cost but also the recent issue that's come up with its being reported that political staff are not to answer questions about a different recent government trip, that we please take this seriously and get our recommendations in regarding the Governor General's travel by the 28th.
Go ahead, Mrs. Kusie.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Yes, Mr. Chair. I have a motion that might address this. That motion is—
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
I move that the committee request, one, the production of all unredacted receipts and invoices associated with the September 2022 trip to the United Kingdom by the Prime Minister of Canada, including for all individuals accompanying the Prime Minister; two, that a report be included breaking down the receipts by individual and by item of expenditure, including in particular accommodation costs, travel costs, security costs and costs for food, alcohol and drinks; three, that the documents requested be submitted to the clerk no later than Monday, March 6, 2023, at 12 p.m., and that the clerk forward them to members of the committee as soon as they are available in both official languages; and, four, that all documents be published on the OGGO website.
Mr. Chair, that concludes the motion I'm presenting here, today.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
6:05 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
I have a comment. You have already ruled that the tabling of this motion is in order.
6:05 p.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
May I ask a question, Mr. Chair?
I haven't seen this before. I don't think it came to us. The subject of this meeting was McKinsey. I don't believe that this is related to the subject of this meeting and, therefore, shouldn't 48 hours' notice go out? I would like a chance to review it and understand it better. I just got it right now.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
It's my understanding is that it's table-dropped or a matter-in-hand motion in relation to the discussion I was bringing up, not the Canada Post one but of the—
6:05 p.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Mr. Chair, it was not on the notice of meeting. The notice of meeting was McKinsey, and this has nothing to do with McKinsey. Therefore, there should be 48 hours' notice.
I'm not saying I'm against it, but I think we should be following that rule.
6:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Bear with me for two seconds while I consult the clerk.
That was a very intense discussion. It was intense for our clerk, not necessarily for me, because I think I have a higher threshold for stress than our clerk.
I am in disagreement with our clerk, but I will take her advice. She has informed me that it's not a matter-of-hand motion. We can put it on notice for our next meeting, which I guess we will do. Again, I will disagree with my clerk, but she does have a stronger—
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
She is smarter than me, yes. I'm making her blush.
Go ahead, Mr. Barrett.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
I have a question on that, Chair.
The practice of discussing items that are not on the agenda.... I haven't been on this committee for as long as you, but it seems to be the practice that we do this and we arrive at decisions at these meetings that are not on the agenda.
Will it be the practice of the committee that, on a go-forward basis, that's not what happens?
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
I'm going to ask the clerk to explain the rules that she explained to me, all 1,800 in both official languages, please.
6:10 p.m.
The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Aimée Belmore
Pages 1 to 100 are the history of the House of Commons, so you might want to leave those out of the discussion.
If you're referring to the Canada Post letter that was just discussed, that was related to the McKinsey draft anyway, so it is related to the matter under discussion, which is the study of McKinsey and the contracts. That is within the realm of the discussion that was at hand.
The Governor General's study, which is another study that the committee is undertaking, is a completely separate study. It is not related to the matter that was on the notice today that we are currently discussing, and we're not in committee business. If we were in committee business, it would be fine.
6:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
I'm sorry. I'll interrupt. At the very beginning of the meeting, I did announce that we would have committee business before we entered in camera. How does that affect your interpretation? Again, I looked at it as a matter-of-hand motion.
Colleagues, I'm sorry. If you will recall, I did say at the very beginning of the meeting that we would have committee business before we entered in camera in committee business.
6:10 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Honestly, we have the notice of meeting. That notice of the meeting set the agenda.