Evidence of meeting #59 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 going.
A video is available from Parliament.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Thank you. We have an amendment on the floor. The amendment is to move it from three meetings to two meetings.
Mr. Fragiskatos, you have the floor.
11:40 a.m.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
Chair, can I ask that we suspend the meeting for just a few minutes to consider this?
11:40 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
All right. Do I have a speaker?
Mr. Fragiskatos, you have the floor.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
I understand, Mr. Chair, based on conversations we have had across the aisle, that there is agreement on two meetings. Elected officials would not be invited. Family members would not be invited. In order to ensure we are doing what we need to do at public accounts and focusing on the issues tasked of us, we're not going to get into an extended discussion on witnesses at this meeting. That can be taken up at the subcommittee level.
I'm looking at my colleagues. I see nodding.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
On your second point about witnesses, I completely agree with you.
As for the first two, I'm going to let members speak to that.
Mr. Genuis, do you have comments? I just saw your hand go up.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Chair, I think in the spirit of compromise and from my firm conviction that these committee hearings need to happen, we are going to do two committee hearings regarding the Trudeau Foundation. At those two meetings, we will not be inviting elected officials or members of the Trudeau family. My personal view is that some questions need to be answered by those folks, but I also understand the reality that we have to come to an understanding here in order to allow these hearings to proceed.
This specific witness list should be discussed at the subcommittee with the caveat that, given those exclusions, we would certainly like to hear from everybody else who is important and not have any other exclusions. I am confident that the subcommittee can work in good faith to ensure that we are able to hear from the leadership of the Trudeau Foundation and get to the bottom of this, or get as far as we can in two meetings given those exclusions.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Blake Desjarlais NDP Edmonton Griesbach, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want to thank my colleagues. I believe we have an agreeable motion and amendment. If members are prepared, I think we can go to a vote.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I'm sure the clerk is pulling his hair out because we have several amendments to the motion. I'm going to try to unravel this.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
We don't need a vote. We can just proceed by agreement.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Well, I'm taking Mr. Fragiskatos's remarks as an additional subamendment. I was going to begin with Mr. Desjarlais before I deal with....
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
On a point of order, Chair, could we not just proceed and have the minutes reflect the fact that an agreement was made?
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I have a clerk to manage this, just so we're in order here. Hold on one second.
I'm going to wrap all this up and we're going to have a single vote on it.
The motion will read as follows: That, given that the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation received a $125-million taxpayer-funded payment in 2022, the committee hold two hearings into the situation at the Trudeau Foundation and report its findings to the House. Witnesses will not include any elected officials or family members.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I meant 2002, of course. I misspoke. Thank you.
Is that okay?
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Pardon me. Yes. It's “or Trudeau Family members.”
I'll read it again. I'm hoping the clerk will take notes so that I don't rewrite what I've said.
That, given that the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation received a $125-million taxpayer funded payment in 2002, the committee hold two hearings into the situation at the Trudeau Foundation and report its findings to the House, and that the witnesses will not include elected members of parliament or Trudeau Family members.
I'm going to call a recorded vote on this even though I think there's agreement.
(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 10; nays 0)
Well, thank you very much.
Unless there are any comments that members want to make, I'm going to suspend the meeting in one second—I'll recognize you in a second, Mr. Desjarlais—and then we'll return to a line-by-line of one of the reports we have scheduled to report back to the House.
Mr. Desjarlais, you have the floor.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Blake Desjarlais NDP Edmonton Griesbach, AB
Mentioned in our last discussion on the motion was the importance of the progress report on first nations' water issues. I'm not going to table the motion today. I just want to give members a bit of a heads-up that I've consulted some of my colleagues here, and I think I'll be tabling a motion to that effect in relation to the number of meetings needed to review the progress report on first nations' water issues. It will likely be this week or next week. If any members have any input on that, I'd be happy to hear their input prior to the tabling of that motion.
Thank you.
