Evidence of meeting #73 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
I have Mr. Redekopp and then Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.
Go ahead, Mr. Redekopp.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
I hadn't thought about the subcommittee meeting, but just on the reality of what we have here, first of all, we have the exploitation scheme....
Well, first of all, we have the backlogs report that we have to go through. Then we have the exploitation scheme study, for which we've added a meeting here, and we need to close that up and write a report. Then we have the Afghanistan report, which is partially started. There's potentially a meeting left there, and then we have to write a report on that. Also, then, we have, as you've said, the minister and some of these things like a supplementary estimates (B) meeting, etc., and there will be a few other things.
We have all of that business that's already under way before we even get to Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe's first motion, which we discussed today, so maybe we do need to look at it off-line and schedule it. I think we have potentially several months' worth of work on just what's on the table, regardless of what we talked about today.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you, Mr. Redekopp.
Before I go to Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, can we have a consensus on having a subcommittee meeting on Thursday instead of the full meeting, depending on the Speaker situation? We will not know, so just give some thought to that.
The floor is now open for Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, I would not want to forgo the two-hour meeting scheduled for next Thursday, because we have so much work to do.
The members of the subcommittee can very well talk informally before next Thursday. We could take the first 15 minutes of Thursday's meeting to meet in camera and formally agree on the upcoming schedule. Then we could spend the rest of Thursday's meeting starting the report on backlogs and processing times, for example. Since we will have agreed on the schedule at the beginning of the meeting, we wouldn't waste the full two hours, but I don't know how my colleagues feel about this.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
I would like to know the will of the committee.
Madam Kwan, the floor is yours.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Yes, I was trying to see if we can save it for the subcommittee because time is of the essence. Given that we had agreed on the studies, I thought we could move through them in the order I proposed. In light of the fact that others may have some outstanding items that they want to bring forward, I would agree with Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe's proposal that we do the subcommittee for the first part of the meeting and that we then move forward to entertaining the draft report.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre, ON
As mentioned, a subcommittee meeting for 15 minutes.... Are we proposing a separate subcommittee meeting for 15 minutes, or are we proposing a meeting of the whole committee in camera for the first 15 minutes to go through the calendar and then go...? If we are doing the consideration of a draft report, that will also be in camera.
Liberal
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
I'm fine with that.
What would help is if maybe somebody undertook to make a proposal of what's out there, so that we have it all in front of us and are not speculating about what's to do and what's not to do. I don't know if that's something you can pull together as the chair, or if you guys want to do it—or I can do it. However, I think it would be helpful to know everything that's out there so that we can then.... It'll just make it more efficient.
Keelan, you might be able to do that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
We'll do that. We'll make sure the clerk does that, and you will have it.
It's almost 5:30, and it seems like we have consent for that.
Madam Kwan, do you have some final thoughts?
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Yes, I have a final comment.
In the document from the clerk, it would be very useful to include the actual wording of the motions that were passed and the status of where they're at, so that committee members can consider how best to proceed. In some cases, committee members may even entertain the idea that they may not carry through with what is necessary, but that will be up to the committee to decide.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
I have a question for the clerk. Would it be possible to propose a schedule?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
We'd be surprised. I mean, it's not an easy task, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, because it's going to take a while for the clerk to—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Oh, I know, but we still have to give him some time.
If there's no further discussion....
Go ahead, Mr. Redekopp.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
One thing we neglected to do is to welcome our new parliamentary secretary, Paul Chiang, to this meeting.
Welcome.
Liberal
Paul Chiang Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Thank you, Mr. Redekopp.
Finally, somebody recognized me.