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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
 
Meeting No. 2
 
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
 

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration met at 3:34 p.m. this day, in Room 371, West Block, the Chair, Norman Doyle, presiding.

 

Members of the Committee present: Dave Batters, Colleen Beaumier, Hon. Maurizio Bevilacqua, Robert Carrier, Olivia Chow, Norman Doyle, Meili Faille, Nina Grewal, Hon. Jim Karygiannis, Ed Komarnicki and Hon. Andrew Telegdi.

 

Acting Members present: Blaine Calkins for Wajid Khan.

 

In attendance: Library of Parliament: Penny Becklumb, Analyst; Sandra Elgersma, Analyst.

 
The Committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to Committee business.
 

Olivia Chow moved, — That the Committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the Chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work;

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of Norman Doyle, Rahim Jaffer, Raymonde Folco, Andrew Telegdi, Meili Faille and Bill Siksay;

That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair;

That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three members are present, including one member of the opposition;

That only the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to distribute to the members of the Committee documents and only when they exist in both official languages and that witnesses be advised accordingly;

That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the Committee and its Subcommittees;

That, unless otherwise ordered, each Committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting;

That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the Committee Clerk’s office for consultation by members of the Committee;

That 48 hours’ notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration; and that the notice of motion be filed with the Clerk of the Committee and distributed to members in both official languages

That when the Chair and Vice-Chairs are unable to act in that capacity at or during a meeting of the Committee, the Chair shall designate a member of the Committee to act as Chair at or during the said meeting and such an acting Chair shall be vested with all the powers of the Chair at or during the said meeting;

That, whenever the Main Estimates or the Supplementary Estimates are tabled in the House, the Committee invite the Minister and appropriate senior officials to appear at a televised meeting of the Committee, if possible;

That whenever a chapter of a Report of the Auditor General refers to a subject under the mandate of the Committee, the Committee invite the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and any appropriate senior officials to appear at a televised meeting of the Committee, if possible, and

That witnesses from an organization be given ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; and that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated seven (7) minutes for the first questioner of each party and that thereafter five (5) minutes be allocated to each questioner who has not yet had a chance to participate, in the following order:

1st round (7 minutes)

— Liberal

— Bloc Québécois

— NDP

— Conservative

2nd round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Bloc Québécois

— Conservative

3rd round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Conservative

4th round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Conservative

after which, this schedule will repeat with a (5) five minute time limit for each round, and that no individual member be allowed to participate more than once in each round.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its second clause concerning the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure by replacing the words “Norman Doyle, Rahim Jaffer, Raymonde Folco, Andrew Telegdi, Meili Faille and Bill Siksay” with the words “the Chair, the two Vice-Chairs, the Parliamentary Secretary, a second member from the Liberal Party, and a member from the third opposition party, that the quorum of the subcommittee shall consist of at least three members, one of whom must be from the government, and that each member of the subcommittee shall be permitted to have one assistant attend at any meetings of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was agreed to.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its fourth clause concerning reduced quorum by adding the words after “and one member of the government” the words “one member of the opposition” .

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was negatived.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its seventh clause concerning staff at in camera meetings by adding after the words “one staff person at an in camera meeting” the following: “and in addition to that, one person from either the whip's office, the House leader's office, or the research division of each party”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was agreed to.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its ninth clause concerning notice of motions by adding after the words, “both official languages”, the following: “and that the period of notice be calculated from the time the motion has been distributed to the members of the committee by the Clerk of the Committee”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was agreed to.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its ninth clause concerning notice of motions by adding after the words, “Clerk of the Committee”, the following: “and that all motions shall be moved by their sponsor within two meetings of their first being listed on the agenda as committee business, failing which, the motion shall be deemed abandoned by the mover and shall be dispensed with and may no longer be subject to committee consideration” .

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was negatived.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended in its thirteenth clause concerning questioning of witnesses by adding after the words, “more than once in each round”, the following: “unless another member gives up his allotted speaking time”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was agreed to.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the last clause, “That the consideration and examination of any Bill (Government or Private Member's Bill) which falls within the express mandate of the committee shall take precedence over any study or non-legislative examination, and in such circumstances the non-legislative study shall be deferred until such time as the Bill is reported back to the House”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was negatived.

 

Ed Komarnicki moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the last clause, “that every party shall have the right to attach as an annex a dissenting opinion on any report to be presented to the House of Commons by the Committee, and that this dissenting opinion shall be submitted to the Clerk of the Committee within 72 hours of passing of the report by the committee” .

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was negatived.

 

Jim Karygiannis moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the last clause, “that whenever a minister or any officials appear before the Committee, if they are to speak from notes, that a copy of the statement or notes be distributed by the start of their statements”.

 

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Ed Komarnicki and it was agreed to.

 

After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to.

 

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the Committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the Chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work;

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the Chair, the two Vice-Chairs, the Parliamentary Secretary, a second member from the Liberal Party, and a member from the third opposition party, that the quorum of the subcommittee shall consist of at least three members, one of whom must be from the government, and that each member of the subcommittee shall be permitted to have one assistant attend at any meetings of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure”;

That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair;

That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three members are present, including one member of the opposition;

That only the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to distribute to the members of the Committee documents and only when they exist in both official languages and that witnesses be advised accordingly;

That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the Committee and its Subcommittees;

That, unless otherwise ordered, each Committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at an in camera meeting and in addition to that, one person from either the whip's office, the House leader's office, or the research division of each party;

That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the Committee Clerk’s office for consultation by members of the Committee;

That 48 hours’ notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration; and that the notice of motion be filed with the Clerk of the Committee and distributed to members in both official languages and that the period of notice be calculated from the time the motion has been distributed to the members of the committee by the Clerk of the Committee;

That when the Chair and Vice-Chairs are unable to act in that capacity at or during a meeting of the Committee, the Chair shall designate a member of the Committee to act as Chair at or during the said meeting and such an acting Chair shall be vested with all the powers of the Chair at or during the said meeting.

That, whenever the Main Estimates or the Supplementary Estimates are tabled in the House, the Committee invite the Minister and appropriate senior officials to appear at a televised meeting of the Committee, if possible.

That whenever a chapter of a Report of the Auditor General refers to a subject under the mandate of the Committee, the Committee invite the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and any appropriate senior officials to appear at a televised meeting of the Committee, if possible.

That witnesses from an organization be given ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; and that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated seven (7) minutes for the first questioner of each party and that thereafter five (5) minutes be allocated to each questioner who has not yet had a chance to participate, in the following order:

1st round (7 minutes)

— Liberal

— Bloc Québécois

— NDP

— Conservative 2nd round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Bloc Québécois

— Conservative 3rd round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Conservative 4th round (5 minutes)

— Liberal

— Conservative

after which, this schedule will repeat with a (5) five minute time limit for each round, and that no individual member be allowed to participate more than once in each round unless another member gives up his allotted speaking time.

 

That whenever a minister or any officials appear before the Committee, if they are to speak from notes, that a copy of the statement or notes be distributed by the start of their statements.

 

Olivia Chow moved, — That the Committee defer consideration of her motion concerning Iraq war resisters for two meetings.

Debate arose thereon.

 

By unanimous consent, Olivia Chow moved, — That the Committee consider her motion concerning Iraq war resisters before the House adjourns for the holidays in December, subject to hearings having been held.

Debate arose thereon.

 

At 4:47 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

 



Andrew Bartholomew Chaplin
Clerk of the Committee

 
 
2007/12/02 2:40 p.m.