Evidence of meeting #19 for Public Accounts in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was camera.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I now call this 19th meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to order.
I recognize Mr. Saxton.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Just before we hear from our witnesses, I would like to ask for clarification from the chair that when we go into committee business--I believe it's at 5:15 today--we will be carrying on from where we left off. I would also remind the chair that I have a motion before the committee, which I would like to have resolved.
I ask for the chair's clarification and confirmation that we will be continuing from where we left off with my motion in an in camera session.
Thank you.
3:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I'm not sure that's correct.
I'm going from memory, so I stand to be corrected, but my recollection is that at the last meeting, the time expired. We hadn't reached agreement, and that was that. I didn't make any commitment that any ongoing meetings were continuations. Where I have, I've been very clear and I've honoured that commitment when I've made it. I don't believe I made it at the end of the last one, nor was it appropriate. It was a meeting to deal with committee business. We went in camera. We dealt with it, and the time expired before a conclusion was reached. Today is a fresh day, and 5:15 is an order I put in, in the hope that the committee would endorse it, because right now we don't have a plan for Wednesday.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
Mr. Chair, you do confirm that my motion is still before the committee?
3:30 p.m.
NDP
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC
It was being debated. It was not resolved. That motion is still before the committee.
Do I have your confirmation, Mr. Chair?
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
3:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
Hang on. When I'm ready to say something, I'll say it. I'm not ready yet.
3:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
Okay. I have two things.
First, I'm being advised that we would pick up where we left off, which wouldn't have been my thinking, but I'll take the advice of the clerk--that even without a declaration, that's where we are in committee business. I don't know whether we ended up in rotation, or whether we just start fresh.
When we go in committee at 5:15, we start fresh, so that part starts over. It's kind of a hybrid. We're starting over, but the first item of business is what you had on the floor last time. Unlike before, when I said it was a continuation, and we were automatically in camera and we automatically picked up with the speakers list that I had at the time, that's not the case now. We'll need to do that at 5:15.
The other advice I'm getting from the clerk is that we're now getting into debating the actual merits of committee business, which will be discussed at 5:15, and that I would be wise to bring us back to dealing with the matter at hand.
Is that clear enough?
3:30 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Thank you for recognizing me, Mr. Chair.
The notice of the agenda that went out to committee members for the second item, committee business, did indeed provide a notice of my motion to ask the Auditor General of Canada to appear before the committee.
3:30 p.m.
NDP
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON
Chair, where Mr. Byrne is going now, quite frankly, commenting or making a statement with regard to his motion, is perhaps a corollary to the motion that's already before committee in camera. Trying to make a statement now out of camera that is related to an in camera statement is a breach of the privilege of this committee.
I would like to ask the chair to recognize that fact. Mr. Byrne has every right to make any statement he wishes, but there is a time and a place, and it should be done without divulging the privilege of this committee and the process we have followed. If the chair wishes to go along that way, I would propose that we go in camera right now.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to defer all of this until 5:15 and then we'll start thrashing it out. I'll hear points of order and we'll move, hopefully, in an appropriate fashion.
Right now we're going to do the public accounts. That's what we're scheduled to do. All talk of committee business will wait until the proper time on the agenda, which is 5:15.
I'd like to get on with the meeting at hand.
Mr. Kramp.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON
I would like to propose to the chair that we do just exactly as the chair says, excuse the witnesses and go in camera at 5:15 to discuss the issues. I would like a vote on that now.
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
I don't need a vote right now. I have an order of the day. If we start the meeting, then the agenda has been adopted. At 5:15 I'm bringing things to a halt, and we'll deal with committee business at that time.
Right now I'm going to turn to our witnesses and ask them to start.
Folks, you're turning this into a circus. We've already shortened the time, because we're going to have committee business. The only thing being talked about right now is what's going to happen at 5:15, and that's the second matter on the agenda. The first matter is the public accounts of 2011, and I am prepared right now to move to our witnesses to begin that analysis. We'll fight the other stuff out at the appropriate time.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
I'm not arguing on a point here. I just want to confirm that my motion, which I did indeed provide notice for--
3:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
No, stop, please. I've already ruled on that. We're going to deal with all of that at 5:15. We're not going to do it right now. There is nothing that I'm hearing from you on a point of order that necessitates interrupting what we have scheduled. We'll deal with committee business at 5:15.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal