Official Languages Committee on Feb. 14th, 2008

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

We're not used to being muzzled, that's why.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Muzzled? Today you would say I haven't been muzzled. That's your point, I think.

[Raymond Simard, Liberal, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Chair, I'd like him to table the 200-page document they have on disrupting committees, please.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Is that a point of order, Mr. Chair?

[Raymond Simard, Liberal, Saint Boniface, MB]

Absolutely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I don't think the tabling of documents can be the subject of a point of order, Mr. Simard.

[Raymond Simard, Liberal, Saint Boniface, MB]

No?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Back to my point, where debates get interrupted--

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Lemieux, I want to remind you that you have the floor, but that you are not required to respond to what you hear.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I know. I'm trying to be charitable. It's Valentine's Day.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Otherwise, that's a debate, and I don't know—

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I hear a question from my colleagues, and I'm trying to be friendly. I'm trying to respond to their concern, that's all.

I would like to suggest that the motion be more specific, so that the minister knows what the committee is going to be asking her about. Right now it's just a wide-open issue.

But that's not where the motion started. The motion started with wanting to know more about who is responsible for making certain decisions within the government. I have pointed out, I think quite accurately, that the Canada Public Service Agency plays the key role of implementation, and the kinds of questions that were raised would be answered by the Canada Public Service Agency, not by the minister.

How that works is also not necessarily germane to the report we're doing, which is to identify areas that need further development with respect to the action plan.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

My time is already up.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chairman, I have nothing to say. I'll say nothing so that we can continue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

All right.

On the list, we have Messrs. Harvey, Bélanger, Simard and Petit.

[Luc Harvey, Conservative, Louis-Hébert, QC]

I have a question for Mr. Godin. I don't know whether he'll be able to answer me or whether we can proceed this way. Are we summoning the minister so that she talks about the old program or the next program?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

With members' permission, the question will be put to the sponsor of the motion.

[Luc Harvey, Conservative, Louis-Hébert, QC]

I don't know whether it can work that way.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

With unanimous consent, this question is put to the sponsor of the motion.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chairman, I've never given my questions to the public or the minister in advance. I've never done it, and I won't start doing it today. Giving out my questions is certainly not a feature of my political career. We're studying the action plan. All I can tell you is that it concerns the action plan.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Godin.

Mr. Harvey.

[Luc Harvey, Conservative, Louis-Hébert, QC]

As the old plan will come to an end very soon, it would be difficult to go back to it. That's why I asked that question. Considering the new plan and the report that will be presented in a few days, the minister won't be able to make any comments, if she appears before the report comes out.

Mr. Godin, we're talking about the study of the action plan. Sincerely, I'm not trying to make a speech that will take two hours, but to try to clarify the situation. The old plan will come to an end in two or three weeks. A new plan and a report will soon be tabled. If we want to talk about the old plan, I have some questions because there are two weeks left. However, if we want to talk about the next plan, a report will be coming out in the next few days. Do we have to wait for that report to come out?

I've tried in good faith to see with you whether we could find some meaning to the minister's coming. I asked you that question in order to be as efficient as possible. I'm not asking you to reveal your cards; that's not the objective.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

We'll continue with the people on the list.