Agriculture Committee on May 14th, 2009

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

Mr. Chair, I think we can resolve that by calling the question right now.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, we're not calling the question, because we have lots to debate on this one.

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

Well, that's up to you, Wayne. We're willing to call the question.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I would suggest to the government members that this debate on this motion is clearly a set-up by the government—

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Mr. Easter, I think we're going to debate the motion right now, if that's the will of the committee. If they want to debate this motion, it will change the intent we had on Tuesday on how this meeting should go, but so be it; I've been overruled on that.

So we're dealing with the motion now, and I guess it should be read.

The clerk will read the motion that's been put forward.

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

Mr. Chair, can we let the witnesses go?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, Mr. Chair, unless the witnesses have flights to catch, I submit in regard to the discussion on this motion that this goes to the ability of Canada to compete in the international market, when this committee demands.... They wouldn't demand the same thing from Cargill Grainor Dreyfus, or anybody else—

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Mr. Easter—

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I was asked a question, Mr. Chair.

It could put at risk Canada's competitive position in the world if this report were made public. The minister has the report, as I understand it. Is that correct?

And if he has the report, the parliamentary secretary also has the report available to him, yet he has spent half of this day talking about and attacking it.

And the minister, we know, has not met personally with the Canadian Wheat Board since he became minister.

So, Mr. Chair, if we're going to debate this motion, I can guarantee you, folks, it's going to take a long time.

Do you want Bill C-29 through this House before spring or not? I ask because it's not going to get through today, which is the reason we're meeting for the next hour.

Now, if you want to play games, we'll play games, guys. And I'll guarantee to you that you are going to be responsible for not getting that credit availability we want for farmers if this does not get through the House before spring.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Thank you, Mr. Easter.

I'm going to make a ruling here that it's up to the witnesses if they want to stay. As long as this motion is going through, it's up to them if they want to stay or leave.

We're going to go to the motion now. We're going to read the motion, it's going to be debated, and it's up to the committee how long you want to debate it. But as you know, you're biting into the time of the department and the other bill. So be it.

Right now, I'm going to ask for the motion to be read.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Isabelle Duford]

Mr. Dreeshen moves that the Canadian Wheat Board provide the full report of the Gibson Capital review to the House of Commons agriculture committee by June 1.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Is there debate?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

[Inaudible--Editor]...the reasons for putting the motion, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Does the mover want to discuss why he wants to put this motion forward?

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Well, I think some of the discussions we've heard here today indicate that the report has great ramifications regarding the types of things that are happening at this point in time. I think it's important that the agriculture committee have an opportunity to look at it.

Apparently this was completed back in the fall, and it wasn't delivered to the government until a few months ago. It hasn't been released to the public. But I think if you take a look at it, one of the reasons could perhaps be fairly obvious, that it's in between the dates of the Canadian Wheat Board elections.

So I think there are some concerns, and it seems as though it could be a damaging report on performance. I think if we're going to discuss the types of things that are happening in the industry, it's important for this report to come to the committee so that we can have a full airing of it.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Mr. Atamanenko.

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

I'd like to follow up on what Wayne said.

It's my understanding that this is a pretty sensitive document. It talks about competition. The minister has the document, I understand. The Wheat Board has requested a meeting with him. I think it would be prudent to let the Canadian Wheat Board and the minister discuss this. If there is any chance that it could interfere with the ability of the Canadian Wheat Board to compete, then I think we should not be taking that chance.

Let's not forget that the Wheat Board has been under attack for many years from the major global players, and each challenge has been refuted. This could be seen as an attempt by the competitors to get some information that would make the Wheat Board less competitive.

For that reason, I think we should leave it between the minister and the Wheat Board.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

At this moment, I have to leave the chair. Our permanent chair is gone, our other vice-chair is at the House, and I have to leave for the House too. We have to have a chair to replace me.

Do I have any nominations to take over the chair?

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

I'll nominate Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I decline.

I have a question to the clerk on that, Mr. Chairman. We do have a dilemma. I think we would have been willing to deal with Bill C-29 and look at giving it passage by this committee without a regular chair.

You are a vice-chair, Mr. Bellavance is a vice-chair, and Larry Miller is the chair. The committee cannot function, as I understand it, unless somebody accepts a nomination to be chair, is that correct?

So if we don't have anybody in the chair, then the committee cannot function unless somebody is willing to agree to accept the nomination to chair.

We are missing Mr. Bellavance and we're missing Mr. Miller. I submit that the reason we are missing Mr. Miller is the kind of game directed by the PMO that we're seeing in terms of this motion.

We need to have a regular chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Well, we're in luck. Another vice-chair has arrived on the scene. Now, in all fairness—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Vice-Chair, there's something I don't understand. Has the Canadian Wheat Board report been submitted to the minister's office?

[An hon. member]

Yes.

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

If the report has been submitted to the minister's office, what's preventing them from reading it? They belong to the government.