Evidence of meeting #77 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 commission.
A video is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
It's just a few words that are being changed. It's not...
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
The legislative clerk is asking for this in writing so that we can have it correct.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
I understand, but it's more than a couple of words. He just needs clarification.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
I just wanted to ask our witnesses what they felt the impact of this subamendment would be.
11:50 a.m.
Director General, International Border Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I think it would be helpful to see the text before we offer our view, if that's possible. I'm sorry.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Yes. We'll suspend for a few minutes while we get this to everybody.
We're suspended.
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
The hard copy of the proposed amendment has been distributed. I believe everyone has it in their email.
Are we all clear on what the subamendment is?
Mr. Julian.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
I had asked the witnesses a question. Have they received copies?
They have not received copies. That's kind of an oversight.
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
We'll have to print it for them. It was sent out to the email list, but they're not on the email list.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
I would suggest, Mr. Chair, that this is a very important bill, but it is also technically very complex. I think it would be helpful if the clerk could ensure that the witnesses receive the updated subamendments and amendments so that they can more properly comment. We've taken a lot of their time over the last month. We are now finally getting them to play the role that they need to play in ensuring that the legislation is doing everything it needs to do, and an essential part of that is making sure that they're aware of subamendments and can brief us properly on what the impacts are.
11:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Your point is taken. We will do our best to see that it happens.
This is a very technical bill in some areas, and while it is theoretically possible to do amendments strictly verbally, we will probably find it more productive, particularly if they're more complex, if we do them in writing. We'll do our best to make that happen.
We're going to have to suspend for a couple of minutes while we get the copies.
Go ahead.
Noon
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Before we do that, Mr. Chair, I would like to suggest—and hopefully colleagues on all four corners of this table would agree—that we schedule additional meetings of the public safety committee to catch up on the work that we've lost over the last month. This is a complex bill. There will be amendments and subamendments to consider. Each time we get to that point, it takes more time. I think we've also talked about a couple of studies that we want to do coming out of this.
Therefore, given that we have to catch up, I think the whips would agree that additional meetings of the public safety committee to get through this bill in an appropriate way would be a good thing to do. It would allow us to move on to other legislation, as well as, ultimately, to the two studies that we've just agreed to today.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Absolutely, the whips will have to agree on that, but I'm quite prepared to ask for the extra time. However, I'd like to see if it's the will of the committee to do that.
We're not seeing unanimous consent to that. The whips can discuss it.
Ms. O'Connell.
Noon
Liberal
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
Thank you.
I have an objection to continually suspending. I've done clause-by-clause and BIA implementation several times, and while I understand that it's a complex bill, we've done complex bills before. We were able to hear rationale from others on their recommendations. We can continue to read out the amendment for officials to hear it and get comment on it. However, continually suspending every time—it's not just this one but when others make amendments—is just delaying our ability to get through this bill.
I think we need to be able to have the conversation. We have simultaneous translation. We have officials. We can reread it as many times as is needed. However, I don't think that continually suspending to print documents for a few words being changed is going to be reasonable, given what we are going to have to do in the future. For future meetings, if we have minor amendments, we can try to be prepared with additional paper copies.
In my eight years, I've never seen this, where we can't just continue to have this conversation about what the amendments are and what they mean. We've now supplied it to all members. We can reread it into the record as many times as needed for everybody to get caught up, but I think that suspending is not going to allow us to move forward on this bill in a productive way.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. O'Connell.
We suspended already, because the clerk asked us to put it in writing so that he could be sure of what's going on.
Noon
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
He has it, but the witnesses don't. The clerk has printed it off. He needs to go and get the documents from the printer. However, your point is taken. We shall try to do as much as we can without suspending. However, there will be times when we will need to suspend.
I think the witnesses have their copies now. We are all prepared to carry on.
Is there any further discussion on Mr. Gaheer's subamendment? Seeing no further discussion, we will have a vote.
Noon
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Chair, I asked that question of the witnesses. I think it would be good to have a very quick reply, if they're able to give it, on the impacts.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
That's fair enough.
We'll let the witnesses answer, and then Mr. Gaheer wanted a clarification.
If you'd like to respond to Mr. Julian's question, go ahead.
