Evidence of meeting #98 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Mr. Bachrach.
We now go to Mr. Iacono, followed by Mr. Badawey.
1:15 p.m.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I move a motion to adjourn.
1:15 p.m.
Liberal
1:15 p.m.
The Clerk
I would like some clarification. Is it a motion to adjourn the meeting?
1:15 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Maybe a motion to adjourn was not appropriate with respect to the intent that we have, or at least that I have. I'm more than interested in continuing this discussion. However, I have a schedule to abide by today, including getting into the House.
I don't want to finish this discussion. This discussion warrants a lot more thought and a lot more time, so with that, Mr. Chair, there is a difference between adjourning and suspending. I feel that instead of adjourning, I'll put forward a motion to suspend, the difference being that when we come back for the next meeting, we're not starting from scratch. We're going to continue the discussion that we've been having, while respecting each individual's schedule for today.
I'll put forward a motion to suspend.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Badawey.
Do we have unanimous consent to suspend until Tuesday?
Seeing no objection, this meeting stands suspended until Tuesday at 11 a.m.
[The meeting was suspended at 1:21 p.m., Thursday, February 1]
[The meeting resumed at 11:04 a.m., Tuesday, February 6]
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I call the meeting to order.
Welcome back to meeting number 98 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, which has been suspended since Thursday, February 1, 2024.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the committee is meeting to study the role of McKinsey & Company in the creation and the beginnings of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, or CIB.
Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Members are participating in person, in the room, and remotely using the Zoom application.
Although this room, colleagues, is equipped with a powerful audio system, feedback events can occur. These can be extremely harmful to interpreters and cause serious injury. The most common cause of sound feedback is an earpiece worn too closely to a microphone. Therefore, we ask all participants to exercise a high degree of caution when handling the earpieces, especially when your microphone or your neighbour's microphone is turned on. In order to prevent incidents and safeguard the hearing health of our interpreters, I invite participants to ensure that they speak into the microphone into which their headset is plugged and to avoid manipulating the earbuds by placing them on the table, away from the microphone, when they are not in use.
Colleagues, we will now resume debate on the motion moved by Dr. Leslyn Lewis, which has been distributed to all members, both physically in the room as well as by email.
We left off in the discussion on the amendment proposed by Mr. Badawey to Dr. Lewis's motion.
We start the debate off with Mr. Bittle.
February 1st, 2024 / 1:20 p.m.
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure to be back. It was a couple of years that I served on this committee.
I seek unanimous consent from the committee to take Vance's amendment off the table, to remove his amendment.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Bittle.
Do we have unanimous consent to remove the amendment proposed by Mr. Badawey?
I see no objection.
(Amendment withdrawn)
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
I have an amendment of my own, Mr. Chair.
There's a bit of a delay on the mic.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
You're right, Mr. Bittle. There is a delay. There's an echo, actually, that we hear in the room here.
They're turning the volume down in the room here, Mr. Bittle, so give it a couple of seconds, and then once I get the okay, we'll see whether or not that's worked.
Do you know what? We'll suspend for about a minute or two just to make sure the sound crew can get things sorted out.
The meeting is suspended.
11:08 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I call this meeting back to order.
Thank you, colleagues, for your patience as we sorted that out. I believe we have rectified the sound issue.
Mr. Bittle, I turn the floor back over to you.
11:08 a.m.
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Thank you very much.
I move an amendment and will send the language to the clerk to distribute.
The amended motion would read, “Given that the Canada Infrastructure Bank spent nearly $900,000 in consulting fees on the Lake Erie Connector project, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities undertake a study of the Canada Infrastructure Bank's involvement in the Lake Erie Connector project; that the committee hold three meetings to hear from witnesses on the topic; and that the committee invite the Minister of Infrastructure and Infrastructure Canada officials to appear as part of the study.”
We'll send that language to the clerk so that it can be distributed to everyone.
11:08 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Mr. Bittle.
I'm going to look to our members who are joining us online. I wonder whether they want us to suspend for two minutes, until such time as they receive the amendment in both official languages.
Does that work for you, Mr. Strahl and Mr. Rogers?
11:08 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
We will suspend for a couple of minutes until we make sure that all members have access to the amendment.
The meeting is now suspended.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I call this meeting back to order.
I just want to confirm with our colleagues joining us online that they have indeed received the amended motion.
Thumbs-up?
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Okay.
Do we have any discussion, colleagues, or comments on the amended motion?
Mr. Bittle, did you want to speak to it, perhaps?
After that I will go to Mr. Strahl.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Very quickly, just in an effort to get to the main sticking point, which was some of the wording, I think the main point that the opposition wants to see is the minister coming. He's happy to come. That's in the motion, and that we continue this study. It's perhaps taking out a few of the inflammatory words that are in there, but I think it still is the heart of the original motion.
Hopefully, we can pass this and move on to other business.
