Evidence of meeting #44 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 industry.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
I certainly agree. I want to emphasize that this decision does not necessarily affect that decision.
Go ahead.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
I will say something. We should just decide if we want to meet Thursday night. In terms of amendments, I agree with Alistair in the sense that we kind of already know where we're going, but I don't think we should necessarily move up the date for amendments, because we don't know whether the legislative clerk is going to have them ready in time. As a committee, we decided on dates for the amendments. I think we should have that conversation among ourselves to decide that.
If the time is booked, I personally wouldn't mind finishing the witness testimony before the break week, and then we can work over the break week on amendments and have that conversation, even, on Thursday. If we want as a committee to move up the date for amendments, we can look at that. If we don't want to, we already have a work plan, but I think we can decide today solely on whether we meet Thursday night or not.
5:45 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
I agree with Kristina in the sense that I am concerned about moving up the amendment date. I think we agreed to that as a committee, and we need to have a commitment today that the date stands. That changes a lot of our work. We have a number of amendments we'd like to bring forward, and while I agree that we've heard several areas of testimony about amendments, I think there is still more that we'd like to learn.
I am concerned a bit, and given what we feel is a very underhanded approach, Chair, that this was scheduled on Thursday for days without my being made aware as the lead on the official opposition, I feel that perhaps it would be an underhanded approach if we moved this date on the amendments. Again, this is what happens when we don't talk about this, as we have for a year. Now it seems like we're changing the tone.
We are concerned about that, and now I feel I need to approach everything I just said with skepticism. It's quite disappointing, Mr. Chair, but we can vote on this and move forward.
5:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Fair enough, but as I've emphasized, this decision is only, solely and strictly about whether we meet on Thursday. It has nothing whatsoever to do with amendments. That's a matter to be taken up at another meeting.
Madame Michaud.
5:50 p.m.
Bloc
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I understand what you are saying, but I get the impression that some people want to bring forward our hearings with the witnesses before the week-long break, so that we start the clause‑by‑clause study after the break. If that is indeed the case, we will have to have our amendments ready. That is what I understood from the reason that was given to justify an extra meeting this week.
If we still have witnesses to hear after the break, that will give us a bit more time for the amendments. That is what I see looking at the work plan, but perhaps I am getting it wrong.
5:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
From the previous work plan, we finished up our witness testimony, I think, on Tuesday. We had a deadline for Friday. That's three days. That doesn't necessarily have to change because of anything we're doing here tonight.
All I'm asking is that we have the meeting time slot set up and we have witnesses available. We can reschedule them. All I'm saying is that we can have the meeting on Thursday night or not. It's your decision. If we stick to the regular amendment date that we formally discussed, that actually gives us all an extra week to get that done. That's something I think we need to take up later. We don't really have time. We've already kind of abused our schedule here a bit.
Can we just go to a vote on this now? The vote is on whether we stick with the meeting on Thursday night.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 6, nays 5)
We're going to stick to having the meeting on Thursday. I apologize to everybody who feels that this is inappropriate, but as you saw, it came about because we were trying to accommodate the extra meetings for the minister and so forth. We can deal with the amendments separately and, if need be, we have that extra time to get appropriate amendments going forward.
That being the case and there being no further business, I thank the members.
We are now adjourned.