Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 13th, 2013

[An hon. member]

We all had our hands up at the same time.

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Actually, I have a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Okay. I'm seeking some clarification and I will get back to all of you, so hold on to your points of order.

The chair now has the clarification. We don't actually have that dilemma to try to resolve because Mr. Dykstra has joined us.

I saw two hands for points of order, maybe three. I'm going to go to them in the order that I saw them.

I'm going to start with Ms. James.

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I know it's early. I know we had a late night and the meeting was adjourned abruptly, but I distinctly remember—I was wide awake. I saw Rathika's hand go up, my hand went up, and then you actually made a point of saying that we hadn't even started the meeting yet. But I kept my hand up and I believe Ms. Sitsabaiesan kept her hand up. Then the other hands all came up.

So the fact that you have now indicated that two members of the NDP are in speaking order one and two...I'm a little bit concerned with your judgment and your biased call on the speaking order.

I would just like to reiterate what my colleague, Mr. Menegakis, has said. It seems a little unfair, unjust, and biased when literally within seconds all our hands went up and you looked over on the left side of the table and acknowledged two of your colleagues, the NDP, over and above everyone else on this committee.

I'd ask for a little bit of fairness and respect in this committee, and allow at least one member of the Conservatives to go in the top two positions. I will tell you, my hand was up.

Just to reiterate, whether I go for the Conservative side of this committee or Mr. Dykstra or any of my colleagues, it's irrelevant to me at this point because I know I will get my time to speak, but I think in all fairness, you should allow one of my colleagues to go at least in position one or two today.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

The speakers list I have starts with Madame Groguhé and Madame Sitsabaiesan. Then I have Mr. Dykstra, when I saw that the hands were like this. Then I have Mylène, and then I went to Mr. Leung.

I noticed, Mr. Menegakis, you got left off the list. I put Mr. Menegakis on the list.

Is Mr. Shory still a committee member, or has he left?

He's still here, and I saw his hand up. I presume it was to speak now, so his name is on the list. That's the way it is.

Mr. Weston, I'm hoping it's a different point of order because the speakers list is—

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

It is. When Parliament begins early in the morning, there's this moment of silence when all members are asked to consider the guidance for the country—

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Excuse me—

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

I just thought it might be a good way to frame a fractious meeting, to do the same thing.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Yes. Thank you very much. I take that.

I do want to remind the colleagues sitting to the left of me that if you do want to chatter and carry on conversations, please do so away from the table. When chatter builds up, it starts interfering with committee business. Let's try today to have a meeting that actually deals with the issues, and we will move forward that way. Thank you very much.

I will be going over a few other procedural things before we actually go to Madame Groguhé to speak.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Before we open, and we're sort of opening, we should stop, pause, and ask for that moment of guidance for the country and for the committee.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Okay, sorry. I do apologize. Just hold on a second.

I have to see if I have unanimous consent for that. Do we have unanimous consent for Mr. Weston's request to reflect and take...?

Maybe I'll have you say it because I don't want to put words in your mouth.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Following the model of Parliament that we have,

…we should observe a moment of silence before the debate begins.

for guidance for our country and for our committee.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Are—

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Excuse me.

Having heard that, we're not going to debate this. The only thing I'm going to ask is if we have unanimous consent.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Chair, I didn't hear what was said. He started in French. Not to be disrespectful, but I didn't have the translation on.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Out of respect for Mr. Lamoureux, I think he has the right to hear.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Sorry. I just suggested that we begin with a moment of silence for guidance for the committee and the country, just like we do in Parliament.

It would need unanimous consent...[Inaudible—Editor].

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Do we have unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Yes, Madam Chair. Then everyone will be in a much more tranquil frame of mind.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

You have consent.

I would suggest that each and every member take a minute to reflect.

[A moment of silence observed]

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

Thank you very much.

Now I have Mr. Lamoureux on a point of order.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm not quite following exactly where we are. When I came in and put up my hand, it was in the hopes of being able to address the committee with my remarks on the motion that has been put forward by Mr. Dykstra related to the 30-day extension request. That was actually what my intent was. Then we got into a bit of an ordeal or question as to who's where on the speaking list and so forth.

I didn't necessarily hear my name being announced. I went over to ask the clerk where my name was, and I could see the list. Madam Chair, the list that I saw there is a different list from what I would have seen yesterday. What I would humbly request is that we restart the list. I'm prepared to make a suggestion that we might want to consider. Given that I had the floor, I would suggest that it start with me, followed by a representative from the Democrats, then followed by a representative from the Conservatives, as a possible way out. My primary concern is that my name appear on the list.

Yesterday I had talked about being ahead of Ms. Freeman. Ms. Freeman had generously agreed to allow me to speak before her, so at the very least I should be able to speak before her. I think Hansard would show that this did take place yesterday.

[The Vice-Chair (Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims), NDP, Jinny Sims]

I just want to remind my colleagues of what happened last night.

What happened was that we came back to a meeting that had been suspended, and during the period that the meeting was suspended some conversations occurred between the government side and the official opposition. When those discussions ceased, the meeting reconvened at 11 o'clock; it was the suspended meeting.

So Mr. Lamoureux is absolutely right. At that stage we had a speakers list, and Ms. Freeman did agree, and so did the rest of the meeting, to switch Mr. Lamoureux to go ahead of Ms. Freeman. That was so.

I want to remind people that what happened when we came back is that there was a time—and I don't know exactly when, but I would say closer to 1:30 or 2—when the chair, because of the unruly behaviour, had warned people that if the behaviours did not settle down and we got out of decorum again, the chair would adjourn the meeting.

Based on the decorum at the table, the chair adjourned the meeting. The speakers list and everything died at that stage, with the adjournment of the meeting. Then the clerk received instructions from a chair in absentia, and the chair gave directions for a meeting to be called. A meeting was called, I came back to the chair, and we took a new speakers list.

This is the list, and you are on it, and we will proceed from there.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

If I may, let me follow up on the same point.

Madam Chair, I won't challenge.... I respect what it is you're saying. If by chance we adjourn, what I would ask is that at the next meeting it be recognized that I would like to speak, and I promise to have my hand up before the meeting even gets under way, and it will stay up, just so that everyone is aware that my desire is to speak.

But thank you very much for entertaining my point.