Evidence of meeting #33 for Public Accounts in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
All right. Let's call the vote then. It's the easiest way. We'll get a roll call on this amendment on “estimates and costs” to replace “management”.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 8, nays 0)
Go ahead, Mr. Osborne.
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Tom Osborne Liberal Cape Spear, NL
Mr. Chair, with respect, if you have something to say, I'm happy to....
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
At a certain point, resources begin to become unavailable.
Why don't you share your amendment briefly and then give the floor back to me.
I will go back to you, if necessary.
Liberal
Tom Osborne Liberal Cape Spear, NL
Thank you.
The second amendment is to strike out “within 30 days of the adoption of this motion”. Again, the volume of paper is not possible in 30 days, so this is again a good-faith amendment. It would be replaced in the second paragraph with “before the start of the fall session”. I think that gives officials and government and everybody the ability to provide the volumes of documents that are being requested. Even if it were 30 days, the session is going to be closed. Before the start of the next session, this gives you the paperwork to go in guns blazing if that's what you need to do.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Okay.
I have to end things. We are out of resources.
I'm going to say a couple of points. I actually think that's a very friendly and reasonable amendment to the motion, but that is for Mr. Lemire and other members to decide.
Mr. Lemire, I'm going to end this meeting, but to focus minds in the next couple of days I need you to talk. I recognize the government will soon have a majority on committee, so I don't want to leave you stranded. This is an oversight committee and I'll do everything I can to move this forward, but you all need to move forward as well. I think what I've heard today, in my experience, are good-faith amendments and I'm going to urge you to keep on it for the next couple of days.
I'm not going to call the committee back tomorrow or Friday, but on Monday be prepared to sit for a long time into next week, because I do recognize that you will soon have extraordinary powers, and those powers don't exist right now. I'm not trying to jam you, but I do want to see, Mr. Lemire, this work come to fruition here.
Liberal
Tom Osborne Liberal Cape Spear, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm looking for the same thing. I'm focused on trying to collaborate here.
May I make one suggestion? If members want to debate this, we'll put it off. If members feel that this is a good-faith amendment and want to vote on it, we can get this one out of the way today in the name of progress.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I wish I could, but around here, when you run out of resources, it's not just this room I have to worry about. It's interpretation and also the virtual. Even though there's no one on it, I have to respect that.
I'm going to say this one last time. I appreciate what you're saying. I'm being unusually blunt because I actually think this can be resolved. You are trying to meet Mr. Lemire halfway. I will signal that I will be scheduling extra time next week. I don't want to interrupt as we've put off the first nations study for so long now. I'm not going to move that one, but I will begin to move us into extra time if necessary. I'll be speaking with your side in the next couple of days to see where we're at then.
This meeting is adjourned.