Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 28th, 2008

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

The minister was supposed to bring—in two weeks' time, as we were promised—a complete list of where the money for advertising was spent. We had a commitment from the minister and a commitment for the deputy minister. Today being two weeks, we don't have it. They said they will bring it to us within this week—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

By the end of the week.

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

Well, at the end of the week we're going to have main estimates.... So maybe we would like to suspend the meeting until we see those numbers. Those numbers should have been here today. The minister took it upon herself to bring the numbers here today.

I'm just wondering why this wasn't done, so I'm moving, Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

It's not a point of order. I have to first rule on the point of order, and then you can go to a motion if you so wish.

First of all, there is no point of order here. The minister has made the commitment to bring the information to us by the end of the week. There is no point of order.

Now, shall we proceed?

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

Mr. Chair, I'd like to move that we suspend the committee until the minister comes back to us with exact figures as to where the money went and how it was advertised.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

So your motion is that we suspend the committee until—

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

Until such time that the minister can provide us with facts and figures as to—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Hold it, please.

The minister has made the commitment to be here by the end of the week with that information, as we all know. But it is a motion that's in order, so the chair has to take that motion.

Madam Chow, for debate on the motion.

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

I'll move an amendment. I would support that motion if we can invite the minister and other members to be back at this committee on Thursday. If we suspend it, Friday is the deadline. Today is Wednesday. If we suspend this meeting in order to wait for whatever Mr. Karygiannis was asking for, then what could easily happen is that we give up our complete responsibility to debate and vote on the estimates and the supplementary estimates. I do not wish to have that happen, so I'll put a motion in to say that we will have a meeting tomorrow at 3:30. Anyone who wants to come can come, and they can vote in favour of it. For those who cannot come, do not vote in favour of it.

If this amendment is defeated, then I cannot support the main motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

On the amendment to have the minister back again, I don't believe the committee can do that. We can pass a motion to invite the minister back again, but I don't know if we can say to the minister that she has to be back here tomorrow or at any other time. The minister's schedule is hers, so I don't think that amendment would be in order as it's worded right now.

Mr. Petit.

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

When a motion for adjournment is tabled, and it is five o'clock, it is a priority and there is no vote on the motion. It is a vote for adjournment. What do you want us to do? There are no other rules. Let him consult the rules. When there is a motion to adjourn and it is 5:00 p.m., the meeting is adjourned and there is no vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Ms. Chow's amendment is in order. That's what the clerk is saying to me.

[Wajid Khan, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Chair, on a point of order, does the minister have to be here while we're debating this? If she was to be here until five o'clock, time's up—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

No, she doesn't.

[Wajid Khan, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

—and we can debate what we have to debate.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

The minister can leave any time she wants.

The question is on the amendment that Madam Chow put forward, and I'm not really sure what the amendment is.

Could you repeat it again, Madam Chow?

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

The amendment is to the Liberal motion, that on the condition that this committee invites the minister and has quorum at the upcoming meeting, it shall have a special meeting on Thursday, May 29, at 3:30 p.m.

Those of you who vote in favour of this amendment have to be here. I'm willing to come, so I'm putting this as an amendment. For those who are voting against it, you can't come. Then the whole thing is artificial and it wouldn't make sense.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

The amendment is in order. Will we vote on the amendment?

(Amendment negatived)

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

We'll move on to Mr. Karygiannis' main motion.

Do you want to repeat your motion?

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

I move that we suspend this committee meeting until the minister is able to give us the facts and figures on the advertising.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Your motion is to suspend this meeting.

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

I have a quick point to the clerk on a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Is this to Mr. Karygiannis' point of order?

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

It's a point of order to his motion.

Obviously if a motion is introduced, it's a new motion and it would need to go through the appropriate notice provisions and so on. This motion relates--

[An hon. member]

Not any more; we voted on the amendment.