Evidence of meeting #15 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
Liberal
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
I'd like to move that we propose going to Washington in September. Maybe the clerk could come back with some costs of attending a meeting in Washington in September for the next meeting.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
But Mr. Eyking, with the process in place.... I've been involved with the liaison committee enough to know that is a totally unrealistic motion. The liaison committee.... It takes more than one meeting to approve these things, first of all.
When does the liaison committee meet again? I don't believe it meets until September, until the House.... It has to be.... That's right, until the House meets.
So this committee has to be very careful not to put forth unrealistic motions. We're going to suffer a reputation loss with this kind of thing if we go ahead with it.
Liberal
Liberal
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
--even if we as parliamentarians decided to go to Washington.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
You'd still need an authorization from the House, Mr. Eyking, and that can't happen until after the House starts sitting.
Yes, Mr. Jaffer.
Conservative
Rahim Jaffer Conservative Edmonton Strathcona, AB
If I may, Mr. Chairman, I think Mark was suggesting.... That's maybe a discussion some members who are interested in going to Washington could have.
You mentioned that we have points to travel, and that's correct. I think if we want to go and avoid going through an official sort of visit by going through the House procedures, we could decide if we wanted to have a group of us go down there to have meetings. That's something we could do independently anyway, under our points. I think you started to suggest that, but maybe that's something we could discuss as members and see if there is the will to do so.
I think the chair is right, it will take a while to get it through that process.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Yes. It's not business of the committee, though. It's something that members of the committee can discuss independently, certainly, and you can reach an agreement.
The meeting is adjourned.