Evidence of meeting #34 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was thursday.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Louise Hayes

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

Yes. Right.

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Sue Barnes Liberal London West, ON

Okay, thank you.

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

We will pause for a moment to go in camera and consider....

Phil has just reminded me that there was a request here for Mr. Ian Macdonald.

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Sue Barnes Liberal London West, ON

Is this future business?

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

This was future business. They suggested it.

Shall we deal with it later?

11:20 a.m.

Some hon. members

Yes.

11:20 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

Okay.

Let's go in camera then. Let's pause for a moment.

[Proceedings continue in camera]

[Public proceedings resume]

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

We are now in public, and I will ask Mr. MacKenzie to bring forth the proposal he has in regard to Bill C-286.

March 20th, 2007 / 1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Chair, discussions have been ongoing for some time with the proposer of Bill C-286, Mr. Blaney, from my own party, with respect to utilizing the information available through Human Resources in providing new identities to victims of abuse. The proposer of the bill is quite satisfied and pleased with that. He has indicated, through a number of sources, that it is quite acceptable to him that Bill C-286 not go forward in view of the fact that there is another provision that will do what he had hoped to accomplish in the bill.

Having said that, I would ask that the committee consider removing all but the number and title from that bill and report back to the House.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

You have heard this recommendation. Is there any further discussion before we vote on the bill?

Ms. Barnes.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Sue Barnes Liberal London West, ON

My understanding is that we have to give a reason for turning down a private member's bill. Essentially this is turning down the bill without even hearing the witnesses.

I take you at your word that he is consenting to this. I suggest we use quotes from Mr. MacKenzie stating the parliamentarian's happiness in the reasons we table. It's a recognition that this was an inappropriate vehicle and that the appropriate vehicle is being contemplated now. With that, I'll consent.

I would draw your attention to the fact that there is no notice on the meeting, so we would have to get unanimous consent on this.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Mr. MacKenzie, you said you heard from a number of different sources, but I'd like the assurance that you have spoken to the proponent of the bill and that he is happy with the course of action we are proposing today.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

I could not say that I have directly spoken to him. That would not be accurate, and I honestly couldn't say that.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

You are telling the committee in total confidence that he will accept this decision and that he will be happy.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

I'm told from a number of sources that he is very happy. I have spoken to him a number of times about the fact that it was going this way. He was very satisfied with that. But as of yesterday I have not spoken to him about where this is. I know that he was very satisfied that it was going to be taken care of in this manner and that it is being done.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

To clarify then, Mr. MacKenzie, he was satisfied that the government is going to deal with this issue--

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

I am very confident that he is satisfied with this.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

--and that his bill will not go forward.

We are suggesting that we take all the provisions out of the bill and send it to the House as one of the ways of satisfying what he has agreed to.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

Yes.

1:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

We are going to wait for Ms. Hayes to tell us.... She's not quite ready. We want to make sure that everything we're doing is procedurally sound.

1:05 p.m.

The Clerk

With regard to Mr. MacKenzie's recommendation that we remove everything but the number and title of the bill and report back to the House, we can certainly do that. I would recommend we actually proceed to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-286 to propose that.

That said, because it's a clause-by-clause report of a bill, Ms. Barnes' suggestion that we include reasoning would not be included. If the intention is to not proceed any further with the bill and you wish to include your reasoning, you would do that under Standing Order 97.1.

We can certainly do that either today or at a meeting on Wednesday to get that in on time for Thursday.

Those are the two options.

1:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

I would suggest we go with the first option, go clause by clause, and deal with it that way.

Are you all in agreement with that?

1:10 p.m.

NDP

Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON

How long is it going to take?

1:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz

The bill has seven.... How many clauses does it have? Now the numbering is....

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

We can group these clauses, right?