Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Nov. 15th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Yes, they were given to us over the summer in the form of two CDs.

Did you get the CDs?

In the meantime, the motion is on the floor, and the call for discussion of the motion.

Ms. Chow, you are next.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

I have a separate motion on a separate matter. I want to speak on this motion in front of us.

Wouldn't it make more sense for us to say yes, we adopt the rules of this committee? Then we establish a subcommittee where we would determine the upcoming agendas and the timing of all studies of all motions. I would think that the subcommittee would need to be established. Thirdly, we would then take all the items in front of us—because there are many—and set a timeline as to when we will deal with which issues. Some we have to discuss; others are just in the form of motions. And then let's do it systematically.

If we just say yes to all the things in the past, I am not sure if we are putting the horse before the cart, or vice versa.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I think the motion that we're discussing right now.... Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Karygiannis, but the motion you put was to continue on with the agenda that we started just prior to leaving here. Right?

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Chair, I believe the committee should bring back all the motions that we had at the end and have the steering committee set a new plan on the aggressive travelling plan we had, in order to hear these motions. If I may add, Mr. Chair, to leave any motion or to drop anything of the work that we had done I think will be a slap in the face to the people we were working with, and a travesty.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Yes.

Okay, I think Mr. Komarnicki is next on the list.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, I think it's fair to say we didn't complete the report on the lost Canadians, which is something we probably ought to do as a priority, but I do agree that it probably should go to the subcommittee to have a look at where we've gotten to. There has been some time intervening and some changes that have taken place. I know on the Joe Taylor one, for instance, a court decision has been rendered and it has come back.

We may, in light of the items we have here, want to have the committee look at the big picture to decide what would be feasible to do before the end of this term, before Christmas, and what should be moved over to the new year because it may involve a more extensive agenda.

Also, in terms of the rules of the last committee that we had, I think they worked quite well. We had a speaking order there that we finally settled on that I think was okay. But I know I had asked to be on the subcommittee setting the agenda, for a variety of reasons, and one of the motions we had proposed included that. So I would like the members opposite to consider that the parliamentary secretary be one of the parties to sit on the subcommittee in setting the agenda.

My view would be that today would not be the day to deal with bringing back the rules as we had them before or to talk about the agenda, except to say that we take today as being notice that we would deal with those issues on Tuesday. It would give us an opportunity to discuss these issues as between us and make a couple of amendments to our rules or not, and also strike a subcommittee that could deal with the variety of matters and that Tuesday be dedicated to that. And I would suggest that at that point we can start with the report we haven't completed but have put together on the lost Canadians.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I think what we're dealing with—and again, correct me if I'm wrong—is not the routine motions that we will be discussing next week. We're dealing with the motion that came to us from Mr. Karygiannis that we continue on with the various studies and motions that have been adopted from the last session.

I would imagine that we'll deal with the routine motions at Tuesday's committee meeting, but I think it would require unanimous consent to go ahead with this particular motion that we have on the floor right now, the one that Mr. Karygiannis—

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, we need to get the routine motions set in place first before we deal with other motions, because that sort of sets the framework within which you—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I see your point.

Mr. Karygiannis.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

If I may, I believe I started as saying that on routine proceedings we should continue as we have, and if there are any difficulties, we can bring them up at the next meeting. That was part of my motion. I did say those words.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

That's what I thought you were saying, that we have the rules as they were—

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

And if there are any difficulties, that we discuss them at the next one—you can give us enough notice—but that we set the agenda to take it to the subcommittee in order for the steering committee to have the aggressive plan that we did. There are people out there waiting.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

I appreciate that, but I think we should settle the routine proceedings and strike the subcommittee on Tuesday and have them bring back what we should be looking at on a priority basis after we've had an opportunity to study what's there.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Komarnicki, I hope it's the signal from the department that the department is serious about the work we were doing, and the steering committee certainly could be something we could discuss today, who's going to be on it, and should you be on it or not as the parliamentary secretary. But there are people out there who are looking at us, and this is the first meeting we've had, and we have to send a signal to these folks that we are serious about the work we did and we want to continue in that fashion.

If we were to say that we're going to look at it at another time, I think we'd be sending a signal that certainly the ministry is not supporting the work we did and the government is not honouring the commitment from before the House prorogued.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

We're going to hear from Mr. Telegdi on this.

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

I think the clerk's office has probably phoned and made arrangements for the tour we're going to undertake.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I think we should.

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

And I would imagine that would have been done.

I know I have received a number of calls, and I have suggested to a number of people the process that they undertake so that they can attend the tour that was going to take place across Canada. I'm sure members of the Conservative Party that were on the committee also let people know that the tour was coming. I know we tried to accommodate members of the committee as to what locales we were going to attend.

I think it's fairly important that we fulfill the expectations that we raised through this committee across the country, so I think we have to move expeditiously, given that we don't have a whole lot of time left. We've got a month, and then we go on break. Perhaps we can take the tour in January, as well, but I think it's important that we not disappoint the folks that were told we were going to do a fall tour.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Okay.

Could you restate your motion, Mr. Karygiannis, so the clerk can get it on the record at least?

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

If I can paraphrase, Mr. Chairman, the way we went about it was that should there be any changes to our rules and regulations, the committee would take care of that in our next meeting, and people can give notice of what changes they want to make; that the committee immediately bring back to the agenda what we had before we prorogued, the items that we had; and that the steering committee engage and put an agenda in for us to fulfill those commitments we had before we left and the House prorogued.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Okay, you have heard the motion. I won't dare try to repeat it.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

A point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Is it to the motion?

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Yes. So is this routine proceedings?

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Yes.