Public Accounts Committee on March 23rd, 2023

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

We're going to get to that, yes. I'm not going to rubber-stamp this, but I want to make sure we have everything done.

Maybe I should raise this point now. The auditor has sent a letter asking to be on site for any in camera discussion. This is something that is outside this motion. We can accept or reject that.

She has already been sworn to secrecy on this. Notwithstanding what she said to us in public about not revealing contents, she is able to discuss these in camera with us, so that might also be helpful. I want people to be aware of that offer.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Is that after the fact, or during that week?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I would do it all in the week.

Let's get back to this motion, and then we can talk a bit about scheduling. I just wanted folks to be aware of that.

Could you read the motion again, and we'll turn to hopefully agreement—

[The Clerk]

Yes. Do you want me to read it as a whole or from the start, because the second two paragraphs—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I think it's the whole, from the start.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Let's make sure that we know what we're voting on in crystal clear terms.

[The Clerk]

Give me one second.

It reads:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), the committee undertake a study of the contracts between Public Services and Procurement Canada with Moderna, Sanofi, Pfizer, Medicago, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines (Auditor General's Report 9 and 10);

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1), the committee order Public Services and Procurement Canada to produce a copy of each of the said contracts by forwarding them to the clerk of the committee within 15 days of the adoption of this motion, provided that they are free of any redactions;

That, when these documents are received by the clerk:

(a) They be available at the clerk's office for viewing by committee members only, for one week to be designated by the committee no later than 15 days following the receipt of the contracts, under the supervision of the clerk and that no personal mobile, electronic or recording devices of any kind be permitted in the room that week; and that no notes be taken out of the room.

(b) Representatives of Public Services and Procurement Canada be invited to appear for a two hour in camera meeting and that during the meeting, only committee members and support staff required for the meeting be permitted to attend and that no personal mobile, electronic or recording devices of any kind be permitted in the room during the meeting; that, during the meeting, numbered paper copies of the documents be given to committee members who are present in person by the clerk at the beginning of the said meeting and that these copies be returned to the clerk at the end of the meeting and that the clerk be instructed to destroy the said copies; and that no notes be taken out of the room.

That's the end of the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Clerk, how do we proceed with what has been labelled a “friendly motion”? Is it just up to the...?

[The Clerk]

I would like to put on the record that there's no such thing as a “friendly amendment”.

A motion was brought to the floor. I think you now have agreement among the members of the committee to adopt that motion. You could decide to vote on it with a recorded vote or adopt it by unanimous consent.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Is that on the full motion?

[The Clerk]

That's on the motion that I was just asked to read.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I don't need the first vote on the amendment to the motion.

[The Clerk]

Again, we could vote first on the amendments that Mr. Housefather just brought, and then the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Let's vote. We're going to vote—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

[Inaudible—Editor]

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Yes.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

—or we could do UC on what was just read.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Okay.

Do I have UC on the motion that was just read by the clerk?

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Can you repeat it in French?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Okay, we will repeat it in French.

[The Clerk]

I'm going to have to do a loose translation. We have experts here. If you were listening to the French interpretation of what I read in English, you should have heard it.

I will try, if I may, to interpret it live like this since I received the amendment in English only.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Yes. I have no problem with that.

The clerk's going to get his thoughts together for this in French, which is completely understandable.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Chair, while that's happening, can I clarify that the first possible week we'll be looking at these documents is the week that we're back here in Ottawa, which is the week of April 17?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Yes. The motion compels us to do that in the first week. What I'm thinking is we'll have the in camera meeting on the 20th—again, this is an idea—with representatives of Public Services and Procurement Canada. That would be after QP, so it would be at 3:30 p.m.

We'll allow members on the previous Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. We can either set a time—it could be during the committee on Monday—to review the documents before that, or we could make individual appointments to go in and see the clerk, or something like that.

Go ahead.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

I asked about that because the documents will be available in the clerk's office and there's a whole set-up, normally, when that happens.