CACN Committee Meeting
Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting.
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Minutes of Proceedings
Iain Stewart made a statement and, with Guillaume Poliquin, Christian Roy and Philippe Dufresne, answered questions.
Lenore Zann moved, — That the unredacted documents from the Public Health Agency of Canada be provided to the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel for him to review and ascertain the fairness of them.
Debate arose thereon.
Garnett Genuis moved, — That the motion be amended by adding, after the words “Parliamentary Counsel”, the following: “within 7 days” and, after the words “ascertain the fairness of them”, the following: “and should the documents not be provided, that the committee report the following to the House: Your committee recommends that an Order of the House do issue for all information and documents, in the care, custody or control of the Public Health Agency of Canada and subsidiary organizations, respecting the transfer of Ebola and Henipah viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in March 2019 and the subsequent revocation of security clearances for, and termination of the employment of, Dr. Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng, provided that: (a) these documents be deposited, in both official languages, with the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel no later than two weeks following the House’s concurrence in this recommendation; (b) the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel remove information which could reasonably be expected to compromise national security or reveal details of an ongoing criminal investigation, other than the existence of an investigation; and (c) these documents be laid upon the Table by the Speaker, at the next earliest opportunity, once vetted, and referred to your Committee”.
Debate arose thereon.
On motion of Jack Harris, it was agreed, — That the amendment be amended by replacing the words “(b) the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel remove information which could reasonably be expected to compromise national security or reveal details of an ongoing criminal investigation, other than the existence of an investigation;” with the following: “(b) the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel discuss with the committee, in an in camera meeting, information contained therein, which in his opinion, might reasonably be expected to compromise national security or reveal details of an ongoing criminal investigation, other than the existence of an investigation, so that the committee may determine which information is placed before the committee in public;”.
The debate on the motion, as amended, continued.
On motion of John Williamson, it was agreed, — That the amendment be amended by replacing the words “7 days” with the words “10 days”.
After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Garnett Genuis, as amended, and it was agreed to.
At 8:27 p.m., the sitting was suspended.
At 8:34 p.m., the sitting resumed.
The debate on the motion, as amended, continued.
Garnett Genuis moved, — That the motion be amended by adding the words “and to report to the committee on them in the manner prescribed by the motion adopted on Wednesday, March 31, 2021,” after the words “ascertain the fairness of them”.
After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Garnett Genuis and it was negatived on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Michael D. Chong, Garnett Genuis, Jack Harris, Pierre Paul-Hus, John Williamson — 5;
NAYS: Stéphane Bergeron, Emmanuel Dubourg, Peter Fragiskatos, Robert Oliphant, Jean Yip, Lenore Zann — 6.
The debate on the motion, as amended, continued.
Jack Harris moved, — That the motion be amended by deleting the following: “and (c) these documents be laid upon the Table by the Speaker, at the next earliest opportunity, once vetted, and referred to your Committee”.
After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jack Harris and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Stéphane Bergeron, Emmanuel Dubourg, Peter Fragiskatos, Jack Harris, Robert Oliphant, Jean Yip, Lenore Zann — 7;
NAYS: Michael D. Chong, Garnett Genuis, Pierre Paul-Hus, John Williamson — 4.
After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:
YEAS: Stéphane Bergeron, Michael D. Chong, Emmanuel Dubourg, Peter Fragiskatos, Garnett Genuis, Jack Harris, Robert Oliphant, Pierre Paul-Hus, John Williamson, Jean Yip, Lenore Zann — 11;
NAYS: — 0.
The motion, as amended, read as follows:
That the unredacted documents from the Public Health Agency of Canada be provided to the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel within 10 days for him to review and ascertain the fairness of them and should the documents not be provided, that the committee report the following to the House: Your committee recommends that an Order of the House do issue for all information and documents, in the care, custody or control of the Public Health Agency of Canada and subsidiary organizations, respecting the transfer of Ebola and Henipah viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in March 2019 and the subsequent revocation of security clearances for, and termination of the employment of, Dr. Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng, provided that: (a) these documents be deposited, in both official languages, with the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel no later than two weeks following the House’s concurrence in this recommendation; (b) the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel discuss with the committee, in an in camera meeting, information contained therein, which in his opinion, might reasonably be expected to compromise national security or reveal details of an ongoing criminal investigation, other than the existence of an investigation, so that the committee may determine which information is placed before the committee in public.
The witnesses answered questions.
At 9:38 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.