Evidence of meeting #8 for Public Accounts in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was space.
1:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Thank you very much, Mr. Wiersema.
What I'm going to do now is ask Ms. Bloodworth, Mr. Judd, and Mr. Shearer whether they have any closing remarks.
1:55 p.m.
Former Deputy Minister, Public Safety Emergency Preparedness Canada, As an Individual
The only comment I would make, Mr. Chair, is that I have many times over the course of my career, and I suspect over the coming course of my career, given advice to ministers that was not what they wanted to hear. And, frankly, if I didn't do that, I wouldn't be much use to them.
1:55 p.m.
Liberal
1:55 p.m.
Former Secretary, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, As an Individual
No, Mr. Chair.
1:55 p.m.
Liberal
1:55 p.m.
Former Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Integration Branch, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Nothing, Mr. Chair.
1:55 p.m.
Liberal
1:55 p.m.
Deputy Auditor General, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
No, Mr. Chair.
1:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Before we adjourn--the witnesses can be excused--Members, we're going to deal with the ratification of the minutes of the steering committees. I'll ask you to remain around.
I want to thank the witnesses for appearing here today.
2 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Colleagues, the last item we're going to deal with is the ratification of the minutes of the meeting of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, which was on Tuesday. They've been circulated. I'll just go over them very briefly. The first item is basically the agenda for the next two weeks. What the steering committee has decided is to attempt to write reports on chapters 5, 7, 8, and a special chapter on accounting, and that's what we'll start at our meeting next Tuesday.
Also, at the last meeting there was discussion on the chapter regarding Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The deputy minister was not in attendance. He did call me right after the meeting and he said he would be here. I brought this up at the steering committee and it was confirmed at the steering committee that we would invite him to appear. He's been confirmed from 11, but that should be a fairly brief appearance. I wouldn't want to waste a whole lot of time on that issue, but I think it is important that he attend.
On the next item, Members, we had a discussion on the briefings that we've been having over the last couple of weeks and we felt that they did not take the form we intended they should take and we've decided to discontinue them. At present, we may revisit it in a different format. Later on, maybe we'll just call the Auditor General's office--it depends on the topics we're dealing with--but right now we felt that, hey, they are much more formal than we thought and the members weren't really using them for a briefing; they were using them more for the substance of the report.
The third item is the round table on the committee's effectiveness and efficiency. That has been scheduled for Thursday, June 22. That would be the last meeting we would schedule. Depending on how Parliament does, we could continue, but we won't schedule anything after Thursday, June 22.
Mr. Christopherson.
2 p.m.
NDP
David Christopherson NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
I have a comment on that, so there are no surprises. As it stands now, I may not be here for that discussion. I mention that because I was one of those who was most enthusiastic. If you see my absence, it's not that I don't care; it's because I'm elsewhere.
2 p.m.
Liberal
2 p.m.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Mr. Chair, we're not going to have any more hearings of witnesses between now and then—
2 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
It all depends how we make out, Mr. Williams. We can. We have only taken away the June 22 meeting. We have three possible meetings. We don't know how we're going to make out, but you're quite right. If we get these reports done, and we'll be starting them on Tuesday—I can't see us doing them all in one meeting, so it will be two meetings minimum. But if we get them done next week, then we can have a hearing on Tuesday, June 20. We can do that.
Chapter 4, “Canadian Firearms Program” is our next one on the priorities.
2 p.m.
Conservative
2 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Is there any further discussion?
If not, I'll entertain a motion for their acceptance. Is someone prepared to move that? Mr. Watson has so moved.
(Motion agreed to)