Agriculture Committee on Oct. 3rd, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Mr. Miller, discussion.

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I agree with what you're trying to do, and that's good. But I think to be fair, Alex, we're trying to reinvent the wheel here. I know that we all, in our ridings--at least, I presume we are--are in contact with our various producer groups, and you can never have enough discussion and coordination with them.

Where I have the problem here is that the leaders of these groups only have so much time in their busy schedules. To approach what you're trying to do, I would suggest, is for us to write to them all and ask them to submit something in writing and maybe have it for the committee to review. At a later date, if you feel this is necessary.... But further to us all, as individual MPs, consulting with the different stakeholders and commodity groups, the minister does that, the department does that from time to time, so unless we have something written in advance, I'm not sure you're going to achieve what you're trying to.

As I said, I appreciate where you're trying to end up. It's simply that I don't believe this is maybe the right way to go at it, that's all.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Paul.

[Paul Steckle, Liberal, Huron—Bruce, ON]

I totally agree with the sentiment of your intent in putting this forward, but we could almost convene a conference. This is not simply a half-hour or an hour meeting. I have travelled this country on two occasions looking at why we have problems and what the causes of the problems are, and this is far too deep to be dealt with in a meeting--or in a number of meetings, for that matter.

I would hope that somewhere, sometime, we could convene a summit--and I think that is probably a good way to put it--where parties of all political stripes and our farm leaders and producers could participate, that would be almost convened as a conference. I think this is what we need to do, because there's not only our own internal domestic issues to deal with, but we have to deal with how the external side of trade impacts on what we do in agriculture.

So I agree with the sentiment of the motion, but I think it's far too encompassing for us to deal with in a couple of meetings.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Mr. Anderson, then Mr. Bellavance.

Sorry, James, please go ahead.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

I want to say I don't disagree with the intent of the motion. We are going to be holding a number of meetings in November on the farm income crisis. I think that's the time when we have all the farm leaders coming before us talking about the farm income crisis. If we want to raise this--what's your solution to the 21-year crisis?--then I think that's the most opportune time to do it.

We don't want to reinvent the wheel, since we're already going to be tackling that issue this fall.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Mr. Bellavance agrees with that position, so he's off the sheet.

Mr. Anderson.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

I agree with the points. I think this is a huge issue, but we also have some five or six meetings given toward the farm income crisis, and it would be a good place to slot some of these folks.

If you want to have a round table, there's expense involved there. There's a whole procedure to try to get any budget for that kind of thing. We have budget to bring people in from across Canada to the committee, but it would be a totally different project to try to start bringing them in for a round table or a conference or whatever.

I would therefore suggest we use the meetings for this and get the people you think are important on the witness list. We have half a dozen meetings given to this, so let's try to do it there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

We can also solicit written submissions from groups that aren't able to come during the November meetings. If there's someone else out there who feels they've been left out, we can certainly ask them for a written submission with the intent that it can then become part of a report.

Is there any further discussion?

Okay, Mr. Bellavance, you're back on.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

I just want to add a clarification. I believe that everybody around this table agrees with Alex's motion. The only issue is how to implement it. As a committee, it might be difficult for us to organize a mega national roundtable on the farm income crisis.

However, the farm income crisis is one of the priorities we have selected for the session. Furthermore, Alex is a member of the steering committee and he knows very well that this issue is dear to us. That being said, the way this committee operates, we have to come to an agreement on our witnesses. I believe we could spend a long time on the farm income crisis but, realistically, I have no idea how we could proceed. Perhaps Alex could enlighten us. In any case, we agree with the content and the intent of his motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Okay, I'll give the final word to Mr. Atamanenko, then I'll call the question.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

I understand what everybody's saying and I'm tending to agree with it. But is there a way that as we call people for the November meetings to come here, we give them criteria? Perhaps one criterion would be that we want their ideas as to why there is this crisis and their certain solutions, so that once X group comes and presents a witness, this could be.... And we would require that in written form, and we could ask them to speak about that for part of their presentation.

I think that would give us a better idea, globally, of what's happening as we struggle with the whole idea of the long-term policy. That's just something that comes to my mind as we're discussing this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

I see a lot of heads nodding around the table. I think there's agreement on that. We can make that part of the criteria in the submissions they present to us. The questions and answers will build on it as well, and they can certainly resubmit other submissions after they've made their presentation, again following up. A lot of times a group will get an idea from another group, or from one of us. That can certainly be done.

I will call the question on the motion as it stands. We have to deal with that first.

Mr. Anderson, a point.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

I wonder whether perhaps Alex would be willing to withdraw the motion. We don't have to defeat it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

I'll give you that opportunity.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

I don't mind striking out twice, as long as it's not three times. I won't give him my third motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

You'll withdraw this motion on the condition that we put it into the criteria on the invitation that they give us some solutions as well.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

That's a healthy compromise.

(Motion withdrawn)

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

Thank you, Alex. Thank you, everyone.

You said two; do you want to go to the third motion now?

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

I'm a little scared of doing that right now. I'll have to think about that one.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

You'll hang on to that one for a while. All right.

Is there anything else, gentlemen? If not, this meeting stands adjourned.

Oh, I'm sorry...?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

What contact have we had concerning the cattlemen's—

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerry Ritz]

It starts at 11:30 , Wayne, and then goes—

[An hon. member]

It says 11:15.