Evidence of meeting #15 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 estimates.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Andrew Chaplin

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON

Mr. Komarnicki, I'm sure you know that we would not want her to appear after the estimates have been reported in Parliament.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Absolutely, but we're not there yet. Hang on to your hat.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

The estimates get reported on Wednesday, so we're saying that 24 hours' notice would be required for the minister to appear before the committee?

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

We're talking about her coming this Monday, I thought.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, when are the estimates supposed to go into the House? This Friday?

4:15 p.m.

The Clerk

That's what I'm told, Friday of this week.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Friday of this week?

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

We had different information last week. It wasn't Friday; it was next week.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Is it Friday of next week that the estimates get reported to the House? No? When is it?

Order, please.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, on a point of clarification, I'm sure the minister has staff as well as a whole department that know fairly well when these things have to go in. Although we might have been under different observations that it might have to go on a Monday, the minister very well knows, as well as their department of thousands of people, that it had to be Friday. Therefore 24 hours' notice should have been given today for her coming tomorrow, which means the minister is in contempt of this committee.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

What direction, given the fact that the minister has got back to us and said she cannot appear before the committee...?

Is that right, Mr. Clerk?

4:15 p.m.

The Clerk

When you put the motion to the committee the other day, I went over the evidence and I could not see that the bit about the 24 hours was agreed to, only Mr. Telegdi's basic motion that the minister appear before March 11. I passed that on to the department, but I also included in my report of the adoption of the motion to the department that I hoped they would bear in mind that some members wished 24 hours' notice of the minister's appearance.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay. That being the case, did you get word back from the minister's office?

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

No, I did not. I never correspond directly with the minster's office, I only correspond with their parliamentary and cabinet affairs office, and they have not been able to get me a response.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay. Given that, we have a motion on the floor. And the motion was from whom?

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

Mr. Karygiannis. He moved the motion that the supplementary estimates be negatived.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Was that your motion, Mr. Karygiannis?

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

As the minister is in contempt of this committee, then either we negative the motion or we ask Parliament to....

4:20 p.m.

An hon. member

I think that all effort should be made.

4:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Negative.

4:20 p.m.

An hon. member

You may get your chance.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay.

Is there discussion on the motion?

4:20 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Yes, I'll amend it to narrow it: that we will strike out, below vote 5, (S), which is the minister's motor car allowance.

4:20 p.m.

The Clerk

The (S) indicates that it's statutory and cannot be negatived.

4:20 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Pardon? I know that as estimates.... I brought the estimates book here, and--