Public Safety Committee on Oct. 4th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

If we are dealing with specifically future business, we would have to move into that. If it's simply committee business, there isn't a need to be in camera. You would assume that you were public unless you had a motion to go in camera.

So I see a difference between committee business and future business. We're going to be discussing only the agenda.

Has it been the practice of the committee to do that only in camera?

[The Clerk]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

That's been the practice? But it's not the....

Unless there's a motion to go in camera, there is nothing in any standing order.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I'll give you a motion to go in camera, Mr. Chair.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Well, Mr. Chair, with all due respect, I think if we went back to the beginning of the last session, we simply moved in this manner, but it came from Mr. Holland. So what we are doing is following the past practice of the committee, where Mr. Holland did exactly what we're attempting to do here--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

On a point of order, it was in camera, and you can't discuss the proceedings of an in camera meeting. Frankly, you're making my point.

Mr. Chair, on that same point of order, there has to be a decision to move to future business before you can deal with future business and before you can start entertaining motions. That has not occurred.

Mr. MacKenzie is now talking about things that happened in camera, which only furthers my point, and I would remind him it's not to be done.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Mr. MacKenzie, would you choose to make a motion to go to future business?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

I would so move, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I make a motion to go in camera.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Chair, I guess this is a point of order regarding a point of order.

The way I understand the rules is that in a point of order, you cannot make a motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

That's correct.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

So it has to be made separately--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

He made a motion. I presumed we were done with it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

He did his point of order. Mr. MacKenzie has made a motion to move to future business.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

And he can't do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Why can't he?

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

You just said, you can't do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

No, you can't do that in a point of order. Mr. Holland couldn't draw a point of order and then make a motion out of his point of order.

We do have a motion from Mr. MacKenzie to move to future business, and then, if you choose, I will make a.... You want to have a motion on going in camera.

Mr. MacKenzie.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chair, I think it's appropriate at this time that we attempt to at least deal with the country's business, with Parliament's business. So to move into future business is appropriate. We do have a lot of stuff on the agenda, and we shouldn't be wasting time today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Do you want to make it part of your motion that we go in camera?

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

No, I don't. I think the public should be aware of what is there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

All right.

So we have a motion, first of all, to go to future business, and then I'll entertain Mark's motion.

Are we all in favour, or is there any debate on that?

(Motion agreed to)

It's carried unanimously.

Mr. Holland, on the in camera.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

My motion is to go in camera. I just say that in order to deal with future business, which includes any discussion of witnesses, we have to be in camera. We can't just talk about the calendar without talking about future business. We have always done it this way. I don't know what the purpose is in doing it some other way.

On that basis, I give you the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

We have a motion now to move to in camera to discuss future business.

Mr. MacKenzie.