Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 11th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Karygiannis, I have a document that you have served on the clerk. There are five parts to it. Which parts of those are you suggesting?

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

I would like to have Haiti, sir.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

But Haiti is mentioned in two of them.

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

Fine. Can I take a look, please?

Can I read them into the record?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Young.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

On a point of order, Chair, I thought we were going to go in camera. I would like to know what the agenda of the committee is. We're getting into a motion here when we don't even know what our agenda is.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I tried that and failed. We're discussing business in open session, which is unusual, but the committee can do whatever it wants.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

Okay, but why are we getting involved in a motion when we don't even know what our agenda is for the next three or four meetings?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

As I understand it, Mr. Karygiannis wants the subcommittee to take under consideration his motion or motions.

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

I'd like to read out two motions:

4. That this Committee review the fast-tracking of family class immigration applications from Haiti and call as witnesses officials of the Department of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and stakeholders; and, that pursuant to Standing Order 108(1), any findings and recommendations based thereon be reported to the House. 5. That, in the opinion of the Committee, the government should deport no one to Haiti until a safe environment exists there; that the Committee adopt this recommendation as a report to the House and that, pursuant to Standing order 108(1), the Chair present it to the House.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Can I ask whether everyone agrees that the subcommittee take Mr. Karygiannis's motion under consideration? Is there disagreement on that?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Yes, I did hear--

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I'm trying to keep this informal. If we're going to have to get formal, we're--

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Yes, I know, but we don't support the motion as it stands. I don't want to be unfair to Mr. Karygiannis and say yes, sure, we'll send it to the subcommittee. We're not supporting the motion as it is.

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

Which one? Motion 4 or 5?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

The one you just read.

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

That's motion 5.

There are two parts to this. One is that we call for witnesses and the second is that we don't deport anybody. Which part don't you support?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

We are going to have to start to get formal here. I was trying to get some informality--

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

All I'm saying is--

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Number one, you're going to have to address your comments through me.

Mr. Karygiannis has the floor.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

I thought I did.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

No. Mr. Karygiannis has the floor.

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

Chair, the motions are pretty straightforward. We want to hear from the department. We want to hear from stakeholders on what they are facing.

The second motion is that we don't deport anybody to Haiti--unless they have a criminal record, if you want me to put that in there--because as far as deporting people to Haiti goes, they don't have a place to go. Traditionally, we don't deport anybody when areas are in turmoil. In Haiti right now, that is a foregone conclusion. It is in turmoil.

That's the motion I'm putting forward. I'm seeking consent to send it to the subcommittee in order for it to be considered.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Okay, listen. First of all, I'm going to say on your motion that.... And I'm sorry, but I was trying to keep this informal and we can't. We're getting out of control. The motion on the floor from Mr. Dykstra is that the subcommittee meet on Thursday, and yours, which I assume is an amendment, is out of order.

You can bring in a motion after. We've voted on that. But what we are going to vote on now, what is before the committee now, is whether the subcommittee will or will not meet on Thursday.

Mr. St-Cyr and then Ms. Chow.

[Thierry St-Cyr, Bloc, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

I want to move an amendment to Mr. Dykstra's motion.

Instead of having the subcommittee meet Thursday, I suggest that we meet Tuesday, after the meeting with the minister, that we adjourn immediately afterwards, to let the members of the subcommittee meet informally immediately afterwards and put together an agenda. The agenda could be adopted in five minutes on Tuesday. That would allow us to start our work on Thursday.

In short, the amendment consists of holding the subcommittee meeting Tuesday after the full committee meeting, instead of Thursday, and adjourning immediately afterwards so that the critics could meet informally to prepare Thursday's agenda.