Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 13th, 2013

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Where am I? Mr. Harris is not here.

We're back to Ms. Sims.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Oh, that is so delightful.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Good old, dependable Ms. Sims.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I shouldn't have said old...good old Ms. Sims.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Age is all in the head, you know. I've discovered that.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I can say that, because I'm older than you are.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

One thing I've discovered, Mr. Chair, is that as I age it has all become very, very relative. When I was 19, 30 was ancient; when I was 21, 40 was in another world; and now that I'm 30, you know, 60 and 70 seem like teenage years. That's simply the way it works.

Getting back to this, I really want to thank my colleague for finding in Hansard what happened on April 23. Mr. Chair, what happened on April 23 and today are inextricably tied and, I believe, very difficult for us to sever. How can you sever the reason for the expansion from the need for an extension? The extension would not be required—

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

A point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

A point of order, Ms. James.

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I have heard this argument....

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

I've never used that word before.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Argument? You're right, I had not used the word “argument” before.

I've heard this argument, though, from the opposition again and again and again. It's repetition. I ask the chair to direct the member to speak directly to the motion with a new point.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, I think Ms. James is correct. We've pointed out in the past, Ms. Sims, that the preamble to the second paragraph, which talks about the reasons that the House be granted the power to expand the scope of the bill, and then something else about awaiting the decision of the House for further consideration of the bill, those are the reasons. That argument has been made a number of times, even since I've been here, since yesterday, all day yesterday. It's been made a number of times.

Ms. James is right. It's true you're phrasing it in a different way. You've used a big word.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

She is a teacher.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, I always respect academics. I will say that the argument has been made a number of times, and you'll have to move on to another issue.

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, it is 2:30.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Actually, what I'm going to do is suspend.