Public Accounts Committee on June 18th, 2007

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, that's outrageous. We have work to do. I can't understand why the Bloc would want to shut down the work of this committee.

We have work to do. They are cancelling the work we are suppose to do.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Order.

There's no debate on this matter. We're going to have a vote on it. So let's have the vote. Is this a recorded vote? It's called a motion to adjourn. It's not debatable. We vote on it.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

But it was on a point of order. You can't move a motion on a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

He's made a motion to adjourn.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Chairman, I will go about it differently. I am tabling a motion to adjourn.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Do we have support to adjourn this meeting?

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

A point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Yes.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

You do not need unanimous consent.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

I believe twenty minutes ago this committee voted, by majority, to go back to the orders of the day and continue with our witnesses, and I have no idea, when we all sustained the chair, why we're not doing that. It's very simple. We all sustained that. We're ready to go. Let's do the work of the committee. The Auditor General is here, and we've tied up these hard-working public servants all this time, and an officer of Parliament.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order. This is a motion.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Mr. Sweet, you have a perfectly valid point, but I guess if there are individual members who insist on raising these matters, I'm at the mercy of the committee.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

No, Mr. Chairman. The motion has been tabled, and it is a votable motion which is not to be debated.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

The chair advises me that Mr. Roy has made a motion to adjourn the meeting and you can always do that and it's up to the committee whether we adjourn or not. So let's have a vote on this and make a decision on it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

So they want to go home early now.

[Jean-Yves Roy, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Poilievre, there is no debate on this motion.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

It's a recorded vote. Let's get going here. He's making a motion to adjourn right now. It's about as simple as you can make it.

(Motion negatived: nays 9; yeas 2)

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

The motion has been defeated.

Now let's get back to the business at hand that we've agreed to do—opening statements from the witnesses—or we might get a bit past that.

I apologize to the witnesses for all these procedural things that have occurred here and thank you very much for your patience and your endurance.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Chairman, the orders of the day say that we would hear from the Auditor General first, have the motions last, and if we had followed the orders of the day we would have been a lot better off.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

We went through there already, Mr. Williams.

Madam Fraser, perhaps you could begin with your opening statement.

[Sheila Fraser, Auditor General of Canada, Office of the Auditor General of Canada]

Mr. Chair, before I go to my opening statement, I realize you have voted to continue, but we have 25 minutes scheduled, which means that we will read in opening statements and we will really not have any discussion.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

My suggestion would be, and if the committee is agreeable, we could maybe get the opening statements in, and then proceed with this matter on Wednesday, if that's agreeable.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Chair, do you know what? Let's skip dinner and let's go until 6:30. That's when the votes are.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

That would be agreeable.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

There you go. We have work to do.