Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Jan. 27th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

There was a speakers list, so—

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

There's no such thing as “move to vote”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Sorry, Ms. Dancho, while we have a speakers list, we cannot go to the vote. As long as we have a list of people who have raised their hands and want to add to that debate, we cannot move to the vote.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Can you move to adjourn, then? Is that okay?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

It's a non-debatable motion.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Okay. Please add me to the speakers list again.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Ms. Martinez Ferrada has moved the motion to adjourn the debate. This is not a debatable motion, so we will have to vote on this.

Mr. Clerk, can you please call for the vote on Madame Martinez Ferrada's motion to adjourn the debate?

[The Clerk]

The question is on the motion to adjourn the debate.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

The debate on this motion is adjourned until Monday.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

The nature of a motion to adjourn, according to the rules, is that you can't adjourn it until Monday. From what I understand, you adjourn until a member brings it back, which could be sooner than that. I'm not saying it will be, but.... Maybe the clerk can clarify that, but my understanding is that once debate has been adjourned, it can be reopened as long as something has happened in the meantime.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

We will now have to move to the adoption of report number two of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, the one that was distributed. I hope everyone has a copy.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, I have another point of order.

I don't think you can proceed to a vote on the main motion when we have adjourned debate on the amendment, because the amendment is an amendment to the report.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Clerk, can you please clarify this?

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Genuis is right.

[The Clerk]

I understood that the committee was debating the amendment, and Ms. Martinez Ferrada moved to adjourn the debate. If you'll allow me to get the exact language, I'll come back to you in just one moment, if that would be acceptable.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'll suspend the meeting for a few minutes until we have the clerk back with the line on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call the meeting back to order.

I will ask the clerk to please clarify the procedure.

[The Clerk]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Members of the committee, I am researching precisely whether adjourning the debate on Ms. Dancho's amendment means that the committee resumes debate on the main motion, or if the committee must proceed to a different item of business. I want to make sure that I provide thoroughly researched advice.

If the committee proceeds to witness testimony on the Hong Kong study, which was adopted by the committee on October 20, then before the end of the meeting, I will provide specific language to the chair. The committee should have time to dispose of this issue if it wishes.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Clerk, I have a procedural question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Just one second. We will maintain a list. If there is something you want to say on this....

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

I'm thinking that it was out of order, the way you ruled. My understanding is if you put a condition on an adjournment motion, it is open to debate. Could you please confirm that?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Ms. Dancho, please raise your hand, and we will come to you. Please raise your question through the chair and not to anyone else. Please raise your hand and I will keep a list, and we will provide you the opportunity to speak.

Let me first ask the clerk to clarify, and then we can go on.

[The Clerk]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My understanding was that the motion was to adjourn the debate. I didn't hear any condition placed on it. As a result, it's a superseding motion and not a substantive one.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Pardon me. It was to Monday. That was the condition.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Ms. Dancho, I will provide you the opportunity to speak. I want the clerk to clarify the situation, so please wait for your turn.

Mr. Clerk, please continue.