Evidence of meeting #20 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
We'll call this meeting to order.
We are now going to move to the motions. The first one on the docket will be Mr. Easter's motion. It was presented the other day.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Yes, Mr. Chair, the motion is pretty straightforward, and it is put forward with some urgency.
I move that the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food undertake an emergency review on October 24, 25, and 26--meaning next week--of the government's actions toward the Canadian Wheat Board.
As I indicated at the last meeting, we do have very serious concerns about the way the government is operating relative to the Canadian Wheat Board. I outlined that in the House yesterday. We do think it is undemocratic, unethical, and in fact it is stretching the legality of the law with the gag orders coming out last week.
So the motion is put forward really by all three opposition parties to give voice to some of the organizations, individuals, and governments that, to a certain extent, have been left voiceless by the approach taken by the minister.
It is a real shortcoming, I believe, not to have the Canadian Wheat Board on here as a witness in terms of the implications they see, but we did have a legal interpretation of the order in council from the Library of Parliament. There is a real concern about whether or not individuals can really speak out in their own right, on their own position, relative to the single-desk selling position of the Canadian Wheat Board.
So that's the motion. That's the reason for it. The witness lists are attached, and we'd like to add to that witness list.
I think André would like to have added the Quebec grain producers.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
Okay, we'll need someone to move an amendment to add witnesses. If you're including the witness list in the motion, that is part and parcel of it, so we'll need a motion on the floor to make that amendment, unless you have unanimous consent.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Are you going to be putting the amendment in the motion or not? It's your decision.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
No, I'm just asking Mr. Easter if he's going to include the witness list in the motion, or if he's going to put his quotation marks up above.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB
And that's my point of order here, Mr. Chair. It's not usual to be submitting the list of witnesses as part of the motion. Usually witnesses are prepared and submitted to the clerk, and those witnesses are called.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB
So this will not at all prohibit us from calling other witnesses besides those on this list now.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB
So then there isn't really a need to have a witness list if we can still submit other names.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
It's Mr. Easter's motion. He has the right to list witnesses in this format as he sees fit. If they want to add this list to be part of the motion, I would have to have an amendment from the floor and a mover and a seconder, and then Mr. Easter would have to accept that as a friendly amendment or we'd have to vote on it, as I understand it. The clerk can clarify that for me.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Chair, the intent of the motion is to have the hearings. Those are the witnesses we would like to see brought forward. I'm not sticky on it being part of the motion. We are cooperative enough here that we can have the witnesses as separate from that. We certainly, in the opposition party, agree this list should be there. I'm not sure where the other two opposition parties are at, although we had the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on this list.
When was it his intention to come? Was it early November?
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
It was November 2, I believe. I suspect that's when he will be here.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
We don't want to have to subpoena him, but we could. I don't have a problem with the minister coming at that time. I don't know about you folks.
The motion is there. I will hear from the other opposition parties, but I'm not sticky on it being a part of the motion itself.
11:10 a.m.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I think we have to realize that obviously the minister has a busy schedule, and if we have him coming at a certain time, then probably that's when he'll be here.
So if this is not part of the motion, if we want to add a few more names of possible witnesses, is there a deadline we need to follow in order to have these people here? I may have one other person or organization to add.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
To clarify, if you're going to stipulate October 24, 25, and 26, the clerk will have to make arrangements as soon as possible with these folks. We have no idea of the availability of the ministers of agriculture for Saskatchewan or Manitoba. So we may have to be flexible. That's the problem with putting dates in the motion. “As soon as possible” gives us some flexibility in that regard, Alex. Stipulating dates makes it problematic to line up witnesses.
André, do you have anything to add? We're on that side of the motion, so go ahead, please.
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
I believe we could quickly reach a consensus on the fact that the witness list should not be closed because each one of us could... Obviously, it cannot be unlimited since we only have three days. However, it would be good to say in the motion that we have three days to hear the Canadian Wheat Board and we could submit a list of witnesses to the clerk. I think that's what we should do.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
I had my name on the list to speak to the motion, so I'd like to reserve that.
Mr. Chairman, what I'd like to propose is what I hope might be a friendly amendment. It would be worded as an addition: “or any additional witnesses, as requested by any member of the committee”.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
To make a point there, if we do this, then every witness that's put on the list has to be invited.