Evidence of meeting #58 for Natural Resources in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was witnesses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. McKay, do you want to go to a vote on your proposed amendment or not?
1 p.m.
Liberal
John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON
I'm happy to go to a vote at this point, if need be.
I just want to end by saying that when somebody at Tim Hortons is being paid $15 to $20 an hour, you know that the supply chain providers are doing very well, thank you very much.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
We have one other speaker on the proposed amendment. It is Mr. Calkins. Then we'll go to a vote.
1 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Thank you, Chair.
It's been one hour and 58 minutes since I last had the floor and moved my motion. I just want to comment on my genuine disappointment in the opposition filibuster for what should have been a relatively straightforward motion that we had plenty of time to think about and digest before we came here today.
It's clear to me that the Liberals are absolutely terrified of having the agenda that we know, or I suspect, has been there all along. If the members we've invited.... All experienced parliamentarians at this table understand that an invitation to appear before a committee is simply that: just an invitation to appear. I was somewhat shocked to see the way the former Liberal spokesman on the natural resources file seems to have been thrown under the bus today.
It seems to me that back in the spring, when I chaired the subcommittee on finance, the Liberal Party of Canada had a number of witnesses they could call. One they called to appear to testify before that subcommittee was the member for Ottawa South, David McGuinty himself. It seems to me that in a matter of context, if he had so much expertise at that time, he has fallen so far from grace within his own party that he's not even going to be welcomed back here, to be invited to appear before the committee to speak to his comments and address the concerns I have.
Notwithstanding your excellent chairmanship, I'm the only Albertan sitting around this table as a member of the committee who could bring these kinds of issues forward. I'm happy to do so. I don't think anybody should underestimate my resolve to make sure we get a study from this committee, and afford every opportunity for those who have made comments to come and clarify those. It's an opportunity for them to do so.
I also want to comment on the disingenuous offers presented at the beginning of this committee to deal with this at the end. The fact is that we wouldn't have been able to deal with this any sooner at the end of the committee than at its start. In fact, it's taken the entire two hours, so far, and likely will consume more committee time. Offers made disingenuously shouldn't be taken as a way to discourage me from continuing to have this motion brought forward before this committee until it is dealt with.
In the interest of time, however, Mr. Chair, I think we have to move on. Members have responsibilities they have to attend to.
I move that the committee adjourn.
1:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
We have a motion that the committee adjourn.
I will go directly to a vote.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)