Evidence of meeting #50 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
7 p.m.
Conservative
7 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
I have a compromise position I'd like to put forward—that is why.
7 p.m.
Conservative
7 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Chairman, the reason I made the suggestion I made, and I'm sorry Mr. Bagnell was not here at the earlier part of the meeting, is that it was precisely to avoid an adjournment motion, which puts us back to square one. A suspension would give us an opportunity to engage in some discussions to attempt to arrive at a position with which most people could feel comfortable. I will not support a motion that prevents me from coming back. That's all.
7 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
I regret we can't have any more debate. I will call the question. A motion has been forwarded by Mr. Bagnell.
7 p.m.
Liberal
7 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
I need unanimous consent to recess for three minutes. Do I have the unanimous consent of the committee?
7 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
7 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
We will recess for three minutes. When we come back we will make a decision on the motion and then move forward. We still have to deal with the motion.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
7:30 p.m.
Liberal
7:30 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
7:30 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I want to resume the proposal I was suggesting earlier. After discussion with some members on this side of the table, following up on discussions that included Mr. Jean, I'm proposing that we entertain a motion to suspend debate until Wednesday while we work toward a motion that will satisfy the concerns of members on both sides of the House.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
For the record, Mr. Volpe has moved that we suspend tonight's meeting, adjourn the debate until Wednesday—
7:30 p.m.
An hon. member
Suspend the meeting.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
He said suspend, so I'm going to use that terminology.
Mr. Volpe has moved that we suspend tonight's meeting, to be resumed Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Jean.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
I'd like to make an amendment to that motion, Mr. Chair. My amendment would be that all three motions--and I'm speaking specifically on the record of the dilatory motion as well as Mr. Volpe's amendment and the original motion--will be voted on prior to the meeting stopping, ceasing, or whatever word you want, before 5:30 on Wednesday.
7:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
Before I recognize Mr. Volpe, there's been an amendment proposed by Mr. Jean that would suspend tonight's meeting until Wednesday at 3:30, and the amendment would continue: that all three motions will be voted on by 5:30.
Mr. Volpe.
7:30 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
I appreciated the parliamentary secretary's intervention as a positive indication of the government's side wanting to bring this to a head and a productive conclusion. So what I'm going to say is to be taken in that spirit.
I would perhaps in another time probably support Mr. Jean's motion, but I think that motion presumes the outcome of what will happen during the suspended hearings. The intention of my motion is to bring a decision forward on a position that may emerge over the course of the next several days, and such position may make all of those motions redundant. To insist on voting on motions that may be superseded by one that finds the kind of common ground—which in a very few short minutes, when Mr. Jean was with us, included all parties around the table—would seem to be unnecessary.
I am going to ask Mr. Jean to go back to my preamble, and that is that in the spirit of cooperation we're going to suspend discussions because we really do want to arrive at something that is acceptable to everybody around the table. We've made a commitment in private, all of us, including representatives from members on the other side of the table, to cooperate over the course of the next several days. That will probably, I think, essentially do away with the motions that are currently on the table, and that's why we want to suspend.
