Public Accounts Committee on May 15th, 2012

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Could I at least suggest that his motion, which includes both a motion for business and a motion to move in camera, be separated? If Mr. Saxton wants to proceed in a secretive way with regard to the future work of this committee, let him propose a motion right now to go in camera, before we discuss his motion for business.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

I'm being fairly loose with the rules in an attempt to be fair. So I will ask Mr. Saxton if he would like to acquiesce to your request and split them, but he does not have to.

Mr. Saxton.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Chair, I think my original motion before the committee is fairly straightforward. I'd like to put that motion to the committee; that is, that report writing be for Thursday's first hour and planning for Thursday's second hour and that Thursday will be entirely in camera.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

When you say planning, I assume you mean committee business.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Yes, I mean committee business.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

You mean committee business. I want to make sure that the change of terminology—

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Sorry, I mean committee business.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

—reflects everybody's intent.

I will deem that motion to be in order. Mr. Saxton does have the floor. I deem this to relate very germanely to what we're doing, given the fact that we can't meet on Thursday. I will deem that motion to be acceptable. If we start getting into a lot of debate, we're going to get into some time problems here, folks. I ask you to think about that.

Mr. Ferguson, I apologize for a moment as we step aside to deal with this.

The motion is on the floor. Is there any discussion, bearing in mind my cautionary note?

Madame.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

What report would the writing be for? Is specifying what report we will be working on part of the motion?

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Merci. That's a good point.

The black-line copy on.... Alex, help me with the name of that report.

[Alex Smith, Committee Researcher]

We were considering Canada's economic action plan. We haven't got to the black-line copy yet.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

We were still going through the first—

[Alex Smith]

We're still going through the—

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Okay. And one other report is ready for us to begin, right?

[Alex Smith]

Yes, the audit on regulating pharmaceutical drugs.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

So we have lots of work. So we would be picking up on the report that we were doing last week.

[Alex Smith]

That's correct.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

We'll pick up on that. And then the second report, just to be accurate, if we get to it, will be which? Which report is that?

[Alex Smith]

Regulating pharmaceutical drugs.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Right, regulating pharmaceuticals.

Does that clarify, Madame?

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Further on the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

You still have the floor, Mr. Saxton, but not much.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Chair, at this time, since we're almost there, I move to adjourn.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Okay, it's certainly in order.

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

How is that in order when I just made the comment that following Mr. Saxton's motion we could at least hear Madame Blanchette's motion, which is already on the agenda?