Evidence of meeting #14 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was application.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Chair, when is our deadline for those estimates?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Supplementary estimates have to be reported next Monday, which would be what date?
Conservative
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Let me understand this, Mr. Chair. There is unwillingness from the minister to come in front of this committee and pay respect to this committee with the supplementary estimates.
I wonder whether the clerk and you would examine.... We can certainly move our time schedule to fit the minister between now and Monday, for the minister to come in.
And if the minister does not come in, what does that say to the committee? Having a deputy minister here is fine and dandy, but certainly that's not the political arm; that's not who runs the department. Or if that's so, maybe Mr. Komarnicki can tell us that the minister is run by the deputy minister, and then we should call the deputy minister in here and have that set straight. But I don't think the minister has respect for this committee and what it is all about.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Let's hear from the parliamentary secretary.
Do you have any information as to why the minister cannot make it on these dates? Can you get some information for us on that?
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
It's a proper question for the clerk. He's been communicating back and forth and he might indicate, if there were reasons given, what they were. There obviously must be some other obligations that are interfering, so it would be a question of working out a suitable date, and some effort should be made in that regard. But the clerk, if he's initiated them, should carry them through, and I certainly will pass information on to the minister that the request is there and that the committee would like to see her.
Conservative
Liberal
Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Mr. Chair, it really is the responsibility of the minister to show up to defend her estimates. There's no way that we want the minister starting to set a precedent. I have never had the situation where a minister did not come in to defend the supplementary estimates. I think that would be not just an insult to the committee but an insult to the House.
So I hope Mr. Komarnicki, the parliamentary secretary, will convey the message to the minister that this committee very much would like to have the minister here, and I will make that a motion, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Well, let's make it formal, Mr. Chair.
Just to make sure that the wording is correct, it would be:
That the committee repeat its request to the minister to come to the committee to defend her supplementary estimates prior to the report to the House of Commons on March 11.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Okay, the motion is that the minister appear before the committee before March 11 to defend or discuss supplementary estimates.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Chair, if I could make a friendly amendment, we should also advise the minister that the committee is willing to suit her schedule.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
And that we, the members, be given 24 hours' notice of that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
I don't think we need to discuss it any further. We can just vote on that.
Liberal
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Okay, Mr. Clerk, record the vote.
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I don't appreciate the methodology and I think there are other ways of doing it, so I abstain from this.