Evidence of meeting #52 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was minutes.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Absolutely, rather than Thursday, because we have no other agenda on Thursday.
Conservative
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
The question is to have our meeting on Thursday or just in general with the minister?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
No, to invite the minister in the future. Rather than come back here Thursday and deal with her motion, she's asking for unanimous consent, because it's not on the.... She basically didn't give the 48-hour notice, but this committee can approve that.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
I would have to refrain from offering unanimous consent at this time. However, I know that the minister is aware of Ms. Chow's desire to discuss infrastructure and transportation. He's aware of that request, and I know that he tries to make himself as available as possible to the committee, as he has shown in the past.
Thanks.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Just to be clear, we will then meet on Thursday to deal with my one motion to ask the minister to come for supplementary estimates (B). Is that right?
Conservative
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
I have no objection to going back and forth to attend committee meetings; it's my exercise. But the parliamentary secretary is saying that the minister will be able to come and testify before us in the future. We don't need to hold another meeting to discuss a motion. Since this meeting is public, everyone heard that the minister was going to appear before the committee in the future. Saying that he will come in the future and presenting a motion to explain that he will come in the future, is the exact same thing.
I truly want to believe that we must spend time within the committee, but I find it totally pointless to come back on Thursday to discuss this motion, given that we already got an answer today. If we have work to do, I will be delighted to show up. But I am not fond of showing up just to study a bogus motion, simply to pass the time. Not only are we wasting our time, but we are also wasting taxpayers' money.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
My advice would be, and I hope you will agree with it, Ms. Chow.... This motion of yours should not take any more than two minutes. My suggestion would be, if it's okay with everybody, that before we start the report on Tuesday—you will have put your 48 hours in—because there would be time after that to invite the minister anyway, rather than bring everybody here on Thursday....
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
I agree, Mr. Chair. However, given that it only takes two minutes and that it's only 11:34 right now, there's absolutely no reason that we can't spend two minutes to debate whether we should invite the minister to come to talk about supplementary estimates (B). That is supposedly what this committee should do—i.e., study the supplementary budget. Isn't that right?
It is a standard motion. I want to make sure that we approve it—or not. I want a vote on it, because previously I was told that the minister didn't get enough notice. I want to make sure that he gets proper notice as quickly as possible, and if we wait until next Tuesday to ask.... We could ask formally a week before. Why don't we do it now, rather than wait until next Tuesday, given that it will only take two minutes?
November 20th, 2012 / 11:30 a.m.
Conservative
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
I find it regrettable that we could not present this motion. Unfortunately, Ms. Chow wasn't available last time. We could have tabled this motion then and there at the meeting on budgetary matters. This is just small "p" politics, and we know how that works. The same thing is going on here. We shouldn't be breaking the rules continually to please whomever, no matter what side they are on.
If we decided that a motion needs to be tabled 48 hours in advance, there's a reason for that. I find it a little regrettable that it couldn't be tabled at the last meeting. In fact, we knew that in the ways and means, the supplementary estimates were coming and that we were going to want to meet with the minister sooner or later, regardless of what side we sit on. The parliamentary secretary just told us that the minister will attend in the future. The thousands of television viewers and listeners therefore know that the minister will appear.
I find the fact of presenting a motion just to present a motion unfortunate. We cannot achieve indirectly what we cannot do directly. The 48-hours' notice isn't working, so we ask for unanimous consent. If we don't get it, we move on to something else.
Since we know perfectly well that the minister will not be there on Thursday anyway, nothing is stopping us from dealing with this next Tuesday. The meeting is public. We need only tell the parliamentary secretary to warn the minister. I will speak to him during question period so that he can appear before us in the near future, quite simply.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
I can confirm to the committee that the minister is prepared to discuss the supplementary estimates. It's a matter of coordinating the committee's schedule with his. That's what Ms. Chow was asking for.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Why couldn't we deal with the motion now? What is the problem with dealing with the motion and having it approved and moving forward with it?
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
We have to invite him, and you don't have that 48 hours. You should have done your homework before.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Why is it that I can't get unanimous consent for a simple request to ask the minister to come? I don't get it.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Mr. Poilievre, you're suggesting that the minister would quite possibly be available to come after we've done the report?
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Chair, isn't there a deadline, though? The supplementary budget often gets caught in the deadline.
Conservative
NDP