Evidence of meeting #37 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 consultants.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Les Linklater  Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
François Guilbault  Senior General Counsel, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Steve Sloan  Director, Criminal Investigations Division, Enforcement Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
Superintendent Mike Cabana  Chief Superintendent, Director General, Border Integrity, Federal and International Operations, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Denis Meunier  Director General, Enforcement and Disclosures Directorate, Compliance Programs Branch, Canada Revenue Agency
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Andrew Chaplin

5:15 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

There are suggestions that it be as soon as possible, and that could be totally doable.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Let's go to the motion.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Can I make an amendment to the motion?

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Yes, it's legal.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

I'd like to make an amendment in the second paragraph, where it says “meeting immediately following the adoption of this motion”. Schedule it somewhere in there that we find “these joint proceedings on hearing witnesses across Canada, commencing at the most opportune time after we write the preliminary report”.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

You mean after we write our preliminary report on Bill C-50.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

On a point of order.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

On a point of order, Mr. Komarnicki.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

The finance committee was seized with Bill C-50 and this provision. They gave it to this committee conditionally to study it and report back on May 9. The only way it came here was in that fashion. This committee can do what this committee wants to do, but we can't amend what finance wants to do.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

So you are rejecting finance.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Yes, and you can't do that. It came here on that basis.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

Mr. Chair, you already have instructions from this committee on a vote as to what to answer the finance committee. I think any discussion, since we voted, is redundant right now.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

We have a motion on the floor by Ms. Chow. I think we're all aware of what the motion is.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Wajid Khan Conservative Mississauga—Streetsville, ON

No, we're not.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Can you read Ms. Chow's motion, please?

5:15 p.m.

The Clerk

It's a motion to amend the motion of Mr. Khan, as already amended, by adding the following: “and that the Committee meet jointly at its first opportunity with the Standing Committee on Finance...and hear witnesses across Canada, commencing at the scheduled meeting immediately following the adoption of this motion; that the Committee table a copy of the evidence; that pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report; and that the meetings be televised.”

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

What you're doing here is literally a nightmare. I can't see how we can deal with this in this fashion. I don't intend to, because this is just too confusing for me. I don't intend to deal with this in this way.

We had our meetings out in Vancouver, and everyone wanted to study Bill C-50 instead of the three items we had on the agenda. We agreed that when we got back here we would study Bill C-50. It seemed like a fairly simple thing to do. We've been given the authority, if you will. Finance doesn't want to do it. They're putting it off on us to study Bill C-50.

Procedurally, this is a nightmare. The clerk can't keep track of it. I can't keep track of it myself. What's going on here is just terrible. It would have been so much simpler to deal with one motion--Mr. Khan's motion, for instance, mirrored just totally and completely, and we could get on with it. This is something you just have to shake your head at. I can't deal with it.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON

Mr. Chair, I think you can run this amendment by, and it will be defeated, because I don't see us travelling with the finance committee. That's how you deal with it.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Let's do that, and let's just hang up on the amendments here. Let's deal with Ms. Chow's motion. Her motion is clear. We know what her motion is.

All in favour of that motion?

5:20 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Can we have a recorded vote, please?

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Yes.

(Amendment negatived: nays 10; yeas 1 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay, where are we now?

5:20 p.m.

The Clerk

Mr. Khan's motion stands amended by Mr. Siksay's motion. The next question would be on the motion as amended.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON

The motion as amended, or the main motion?

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

That is the main motion. We're putting before the committee the motion as amended, which is Mr. Khan's motion.