Evidence of meeting #27 for Public Accounts in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was debate.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Therrien, but we have a point of order.
Liberal
Jean Yip Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Sorry.
On a point of order, I would just like to say that the OAG carries only three main types of legislative audits: financial audits and performance audits, as well as special examinations. The OAG examines programs and not incidents, and this is an incident.
Also, as we have already discussed, we cannot compel the AG to study a particular report. I feel that this study does not belong in this committee but in other committees, as we have previously discussed.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
On the first point, I think those are items of debate. You're welcome to move an amendment to the motion, if you'd like. On the second point, again, I'm going to rule that this motion is in order and debate should proceed on it.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I'm not going to hear any points of order on it, but you are welcome to challenge the chair.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
That's what I'm going to do. I was going to say that you know I hold you in high regard and I work well with you, but based on the fact that we said what we said on the previous motion, I fail to see how this one would be in order, and I challenge the chair on that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
There's no debate on that, so we'll have to turn to a vote right away.
The Clerk
The question is, shall the ruling of the chair be sustained?
(Ruling of the chair overturned: nays 6; yeas 5)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Very good. The debate ends on this motion as well.
Before I jump—as I did before—to suspend the meeting, I don't think there are any other points to discuss in public. We've dealt with the two motions.
Go ahead, Mr. Desjarlais.
NDP
Blake Desjarlais NDP Edmonton Griesbach, AB
If I may, I'll ask a question of the clerk or the chair. I support, of course, the investigation of this issue, but in a different committee. Can this committee ask another committee to do this work?
Conservative
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
That should have been done during debate, Mr. Chair, not now.
Conservative
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
We had the opportunity. We voted it down and had a conversation about it, so it's over.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Mr. Duncan, that's the point.
I would take a motion, if you wanted to come back with it, but it needs 48 hours—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
There's nothing I can take on the spot.
Seeing no other issues, I will suspend the meeting for a few seconds so that we can return in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]
