Evidence of meeting #146 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was tree.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Paul Johanis  Chair, Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital
Andre Barnes  Committee Researcher
Lisa MacDonald  Senior Landscape Architect and Arborist, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Robert Wright  Assistant Deputy Minister, Parliamentary Precinct, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Andrew Lauzon
Jennifer Garrett  Director General, Centre Block Program, Department of Public Works and Government Services

1 p.m.

Jennifer Garrett Director General, Centre Block Program, Department of Public Works and Government Services

Contracts worth approximately $11.5 million have been issued to subcontractors via our construction manager to do the planned work for the east pleasure grounds area, so we will have to work with our construction manager to renegotiate those contracts, and if they obviously can imagine with multiple activities occurring.... It's a very integrated and coordinated level of effort and you have multiple contractors in place, so we would have to task our construction manager, to go back and renegotiate those contracts to make sure that we could phase the worker hold-off of the work—

1 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

Could you possibly end up being in default or breach of those contracts?

1 p.m.

Director General, Centre Block Program, Department of Public Works and Government Services

Jennifer Garrett

Not likely in default or breach, but there are definitely increasing costs associated with that work.

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

I'm sorry, but it's past one o'clock and I need the permission of the committee to continue.

1 p.m.

Liberal

David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC

You won't have it, because she has a committee meeting. We all have one.

1 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

We have to go.

1 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Let's see if there's majority support to adjourn.

1 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

Adjourn.

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Adjourn?

1 p.m.

Liberal

David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC

Adjourn the debate or the...?

1 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

If you want to adjourn the meeting, we should have a vote on that.

1 p.m.

Liberal

David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC

We put off the inevitable for this tree if we do that.

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Is there agreement to not adjourn?

1 p.m.

Liberal

David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC

I'm ready to vote on the motion if you want to do that.

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Okay. Is everyone ready to vote on Mr. Garrison's motion?

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

I would like a recorded vote.

1:05 p.m.

The Clerk

Mr. Garrison's motion states:

That the Committee request a moratorium on the removal of the centenary elm and construction activity that would compromise its health until the end of June to allow for a further evaluation of the health of the tree and of alternative plans that would allow for its long term survival.

(Motion negatived: nays 5; yeas 4)

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

Before you move to adjournment, Mr. Chair, I wonder if I could just...?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Yes?

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

I had additional questions. I recognize that we're at the end of our time and we are on the verge of someone moving adjournment, but I have a number of further questions—I suspect that other members do as well—not in relation to the tree, but in relation to the entire visitor welcome centre and what's been approved, what hasn't been approved and the kinds of contracts that have been given out and so on. I wonder if we would be willing to invite the witnesses—in particular, Mr. Wright—to come back.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC

Mr. Chair, it's one o'clock.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

Sorry, I'm not trying to move something. I'm just trying to serve notice of that.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

We're going to have to adjourn.

To follow-up on that, as you know, and Mr. Garrison would know this, we've worked out a procedure with the Board of Internal Economy to work on these larger issues and plans. We'll follow that procedure and sort out something related to that.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON

Okay. Thank you.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

For sure, those things are all on the table.

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.