Finance committee  On a point of order, Mr. Chair, you indicated that maybe at a later point we would want to have some debate about the SNC-Lavalin scandal. We do have a little time. Do you want to do that now?

Finance committee  On a point of order, Mr. Chair—

Finance committee  I'm sorry. There's no debate on what?

Finance committee  Are you saying that happens automatically without even a vote?

Finance committee  Can I go ahead with my point of order, then?

Finance committee  Obviously, my concern here is that we've had some fairly significant debate in previous meetings about this motion. Mr. Kmiec, my colleague on the committee, has indicated some significant thoughts and concerns on this particular motion, and I'm not even sure exactly where we are in terms of the amendments, subamendments and things like that, but I do believe that when we left off on this....

Finance committee  I appreciate that you're choosing to engage in debate here, Mr. Chair.

Finance committee  I don't believe it's appropriate for you to do so as chair of the committee, and I certainly would disagree with your characterization of the fact that.... I think it would actually be found by most Canadians as quite laughable, in fact, that it would be indicated in some way by any member of the Liberal government that somehow this was not to benefit SNC-Lavalin, when it's quite clear that it's the case—

Finance committee  If I can respond to the point of order— Mr. Peter Fragiskatos —without question in my mind, sprung into completely irrelevant territory, completely irrelevant to the proceedings.

Finance committee  Can I respond to the point of order, Mr. Chair?

Finance committee  Then it's fine, and I appreciate that he will do so. Really, my line of questioning had in fact ended, but of course, as chair you decided to engage in debate, and I felt it was necessary to respond to indicate my concern around that, so really, if Mr. Fragiskatos had concerns, he should have had them with the comments that you were making, Mr.

Finance committee  We're on a point of order already, and I'm speaking on the point of order, Mr. Chair.

Finance committee  I understand that when someone steps out of line and doesn't toe the line in this government—Ms. Wilson-Raybould has clearly learned what happens when the Prime Minister isn't happy with what you have to say—that you're removed from your position, and I can understand, Mr. Chair, that you wouldn't want to see that happen to you.

Finance committee  When would you like to schedule that, Mr. Chair?

Finance committee  Just for certainty here, are you indicating that you personally never had any representation made to you by the Minister of Finance or his staff about any benefits or what this might mean for SNC-Lavalin, or any implications or representations on behalf of trying to benefit them?