Evidence of meeting #1 for Public Safety and National Security in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was meeting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jim Carr
Mr. Clerk, given all these changes and all these procedures, is it the case that we have the room for the full two hours? Is that a possibility? Okay.
What is the will of the committee? It sounds to me like we would suspend the meeting now. We would go to the House to vote, and then we would come back and continue with the business of the committee.
Go ahead, Ms. Damoff.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
We've amended a motion from the House, which I find unusual, because the House has directed us to do something. The minister will come next Thursday to appear before the committee. The motion before the House asked him to appear. He is prepared to come on Thursday. “At the call of the chair” is fine.
I would move that we adjourn today and hear from the minister on Thursday.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jim Carr
The suggestion is made that, because we have agreement from the minister to appear in front of the committee next Thursday, we adjourn the meeting now and the meeting will begin again next Thursday.
Are there others who want to speak?
Go ahead.
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Just as a clarification, I notice that on our meeting schedule, if this were to be a regular week next week, we would meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Is there a possibility for the chair to call us on Tuesday to have a meeting, and then to honour the minister's meeting on Thursday as well?
Liberal
Bloc
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Ms. Damoff.
If I have understood correctly, representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would come testify on Tuesday, the minister would testify next Thursday, and then we would break for Christmas.
Is that right?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jim Carr
I have no information about the availability of the RCMP. I do have a note which says that Minister Mendicino will not be able to appear until Thursday. We know that, and also that he will be available for an hour. Departmental officials are available for the full three hours. I have no information on the availability on very short notice to guarantee the participation of the RCMP. We could find out. I think the answer to the question of availability might help inform the rationale to have a meeting on Tuesday or when it can be scheduled. I just don't have that information.
Go ahead, Madam Dancho.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Just as a point of clarification, my understanding is that the motion was passed in the House, but that formally the Bloc needs to bring forward a motion here that needs to be passed. I just want to confirm that what Ms. Damoff is saying is correct, just to make sure that we don't need to pass the motion here to get the minister here on Thursday, because I thought we did.
Liberal
Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Chair, I do believe that we have a motion to adjourn on the floor.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jim Carr
We do, but it would be good to clarify this, and I think the clerk can help clarify this.
The issue raised is that there has already been a motion passed in the House that includes the participation at further meetings of the minister and the RCMP and others. That motion has already been passed by the House.
We have some further information now about the availability of the minister for next Thursday for an hour. I have no information on the availability of the RCMP, but I will find out, and once I do, then it will be easier to determine the length of the next meeting, which we can agree now will be called for next Thursday. Whether there is a requirement to call a meeting in the interim will depend on the availability of others.
Madame Michaud, go ahead.
Bloc
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's good that the minister is available next Thursday. However, the motion talks about a three-hour period, and I am now being told that he will be available for only one hour.
Can we ensure to hear from him for three hours?
If not, can we plan for him to testify before the committee for another two hours?
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
My understanding is that, due to the restrictions with interpreters, we have the room only for two hours on Thursday, and that next week, because all the committees are meeting, we have only one day when this committee can meet, which is Thursday. There is a commitment in the motion passed in the House for three hours, which would mean two hours on Thursday, and then the committee would still be owed an hour at a future date for the minister to come, to fulfill the requirements of the House.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Jim Carr
My understanding is that it would be cumulative and not necessarily all at the same time.
We have to make a decision now to get back to the House to vote. We also have an adjournment motion on the table. Can we agree that we will adjourn this meeting? I think that as chair I have enough sense of the will of the committee to call the next meeting next week, knowing that the minister will be available. We'll find out in the meantime the availability of others who were mentioned in the House motion.
We have a motion to adjourn this meeting on the floor. Let me put that motion to adjourn to a vote.
(Motion agreed to)
We got through the important business for today. The chair will call the next meeting. We have a motion that was passed by the House that will inform the next move.
Thank you very much, everybody. The meeting is adjourned.