Agriculture Committee on June 12th, 2008

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Do you have this in Marleau and Montpetit as the standing orders, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

With Marleau and Montpetit, as you know, anything in the Houses can be done through unanimous consent, as long as there is unanimous consent. So I'm just asking, is there unanimous consent? If you don't want to consent—

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

I'm just asking whether you actually have that on—

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

I'll have to reference it.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

I don't believe that's the right ruling, Mr. Chair. I believe the standing orders as were dictated in the original meeting...but I could be wrong. I don't have my Marleau and Montpetit in front of me.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

I'll get it, then.

You can continue on with some questioning, Mr. St. Amand, while I look this up.

I'll tell you what: time has expired, so I'll move on to Mr. Bellavance. If you want to ask questions while I reference this on the point of order—

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

I would ask for a recorded vote, whether it's unanimous or not, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

It's your time, Mr. Bellavance. You have the floor.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Beaulieu, in your testimony, you refer to the fact that you were co-chair of the round table in 2004, at the time of the previous Liberal government. You had an important role to play, which moreover led to the adoption of the Tobacco Adjustment Assistance Program, the TAAP. Your work produced results. However, we heard witnesses and held an emergency debate on the subject this week, and we know that that program has not solved all the problems.

Have you sat on any other bodies since 2004? There is a lot of talk about meetings with the department. Is the Association des producteurs de tabac jaune du Québec attending them? If not, do you still have an idea of what is currently going on between the government and tobacco producers?

[Gaétan Beaulieu]

In the spring of 2006, we met with the representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food. We explained our views again, but I have had no discussions with representatives since that time, except the telephone call I made to ask them where the matter stood. I was told that they were still talking with the Ontario people and that they would call me back if there was anything new. We have had no meetings with federal government representatives since the spring of 2006.

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

So Quebec tobacco producers have been excluded from the discussions over the past two years, except for you who are taking the lead in asking the department what is going on.

[Gaétan Beaulieu]

If there were any discussions, I was not made aware of them.

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

And yet, in September 2006, Mr. Strahl, then Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, wrote to you that he was conducting a consultation to develop a plan enabling producers who so wished to get out of tobacco production. There has been talk of such an exit plan for some time now.

Do you therefore expect the matter to move forward? Ontario producers say the plan still isn't in place.

[Gaétan Beaulieu]

To my knowledge, no plan or program has been put in place. The minister said in his letter that we should take part in the discussions in Quebec, that our contribution would be important, but they were not held.

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

Is there any particular reason why Quebec producers were not informed?

[Gaétan Beaulieu]

Perhaps there aren't any discussions. I don't know why we're not invited to those meetings, if there are any.

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

One thing is certain: a plan still has not been put in place. You and Mr. Boisjoly said that Quebec producers were special. What's the difference between Quebec producers and those in Ontario? Most tobacco producers are in Ontario. Your quota systems are different. How are they different, and what difference does that make?

[Gaétan Beaulieu]

Our quota system was put in place much later than Ontario's. In the early 1980s, our system was based on actual production. At the time, we were producing about 15 million pounds of tobacco and quotas had been allotted to us. I believe the quota system in Ontario was established much earlier and was not based on actual production.

After analyzing the various requests from our tobacco companies concerning quotas, we concluded that a conversion factor should be applied, which the departmental people recognized at the time. Throughout the discussions, however, those solutions were not retained because the TAAP had not been designed for that purpose. However, we were assured that a longer-term program would be established.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

I'm going to have to interrupt. We have bells going again. We have to be in the House for a vote.

First of all, I want to rule on the point of order raised by Mr. Storseth. I'm going to rule on only the first point of order, that unanimous consent--as found on page 497 in Marleau and Montpetit--can be sought. Let me just start here:

Such a suspension of the rules or usual practices is done by what is termed “unanimous consent”. When unanimous consent is sought, the Chair takes care to determine that no voice is raised in opposition; if there is one single dissenting voice, there can be no unanimity. Whenever the House proceeds by unanimous consent, the fact is noted in the official record.

Mr. Storseth.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

I move that we adjourn the meeting, as per standing orders, since the bells are ringing.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

The standing orders are that I suspend the meeting. I have a motion to adjourn.

(Motion agreed to)

We are adjourned.