Evidence of meeting #49 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was board.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Joseph Allen  Attorney and President, Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association (AQAADI)
Tamra Thomson  Director, Legislation and Law Reform, Canadian Bar Association
Stephen Green  Secretary, National Citizenship and Immigration Law Section, Canadian Bar Association
Janet Dench  Executive Director, Canadian Council for Refugees
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Samy Agha

1:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

I will hear the amendment, and if you don't come to order, Mr. Karygiannis, I will adjourn the meeting.

I will adjourn the meeting if you don't calm down.

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, you do have a vote of confidence in yourself, right on the floor.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

If you don't calm down, Mr. Karygiannis, I will adjourn the meeting, and that will achieve nothing. I am now going to hear the amendment again. We will vote on it, and then we will go to a vote on the motion.

I will ask you to do it very quickly, Mr. Komarnicki.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

It is that one or more of the members from Eglinton, York West, or Bourassa be called before this committee as a witness to indicate to this committee why they either opposed or abstained from supporting Bill C-280.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

You have heard the amendment. All in—?

On a point of order, Mr. Siksay.

1:15 p.m.

NDP

Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC

I would question whether the amendment is in order. The main motion is to proceed immediately to consideration of clause-by-clause. This amendment clearly would delay that, and I think it runs counter to the intention of the original motion.

Mr. Chair, I would also submit that we have already dealt with that issue here at the committee. We have had essentially the same motion. We disposed of it by disagreeing with it. So we have already dealt with that issue; therefore, I would also submit that it's out of order on that basis as well.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

I'm advised by the clerk that the amendment would be out of order because it doesn't deal with the main motion, which is to proceed today.

Is there any more debate on the main motion?

I will call for a vote on the main motion.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Do you want to proceed to clause-by-clause consideration?

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, since there are no amendments to the bill, I move that we adopt the bill and send it forward.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

I guess we'll go clause-by-clause, first of all.

You all have the bill before you, do you?

(Clause 1 agreed to)

Shall the title carry?

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Shall the bill carry?

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Shall I report the bill to the House?

1:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay. We're done.

Mr. Telegdi.

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON

Mr. Chair, I think we should perhaps deal with the whole issue of the way the questioning goes when we have witnesses.

My understanding and my reading of the motion means that until everybody has a chance to speak, we don't start a new round.

One of the things we as a committee always try to do is to make sure that every member on the committee gets to speak at least once. That doesn't happen if we allow other members to speak more than once.

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, I'd like you to deal with the motion you have on the floor. I don't think we dealt with that motion. There's another motion on the floor.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay. The other motion we have on the floor is that the committee summon Jean-Guy Fleury, former chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board, to testify before—

Pardon me?

1:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

I would like to amend that, Mr. Chair. I would like to say that we invite Mr. Fleury, and if he refuses, that automatically becomes a summons. We give him another opportunity to be invited.

1:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

You can't amend your own motion.

1:15 p.m.

Bloc

Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC

I'd like to table an amendment to the motion, for us to reinvite Mr. Fleury. In the event he refuses to appear before the committee, I would like him to be summoned to appear.

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay, could you repeat that, Madame Faille, so the clerk can get the full motion?

1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC

The motion reads as follows:

That the Committee summon Mr. Jean-Guy Fleury, former Chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), to testify on April 24, 2007 in regards to the Committee's study on the IRB appointment process.

1:20 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, I'd like to accept that amendment.

1:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Is there any further discussion on that motion?

We will have to vote on the amendment first.