(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Evidence of meeting #2 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was motions.
Evidence of meeting #2 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was motions.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Chairman, a clarification, if I may, so there's no confusion. Are we to interpret 48 hours as two working days?
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
The notion is working days, which excludes Saturday and Sunday. Thank you. Well, we do work on Saturdays and Sundays--at least I do.
3:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Me too.
Number 10, staff attending in camera meetings: that, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person present at in camera meetings.
Moved by Mr. Kotto.
(Motion agreed to)
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
I'd like to bring up one thing that was brought to my attention regarding our schedule. On May 18, next Thursday, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable John Howard, will be speaking in the House at 3 o'clock. We are supposed to meet from 3:30 till 5:30. I would suggest that we should all be in the House to hear the Prime Minister. Would that be agreeable to the committee that we will not have a meeting on May 18, next Thursday?
3:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Thank you.
One thing that came to my attention, and I remember being told the other day.... At what time today is it that royal assent is to be given in the House by the Governor General? Is that 4 o'clock? It's 4:30. I don't know how many people think it might be pertinent for us to proceed to the Senate to watch royal assent of some bills. It's a practice that doesn't happen all the time, I understand. But today she is going to give royal assent to some bills.
Can I have your opinions?
Yes, Mr. Angus.
3:55 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
My concern is we have already lost a couple of very valuable weeks in which the committee didn't meet and we wouldn't have much time left if we left now. Our ability to set any kind of path is going to be impacted, so I'd prefer that we stay and work.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Usually, those who are on House duty are the ones who take a walk over to the Senate to witness the royal sanction being given. So, Mr. Chairman, I wouldn't encourage that, either.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
All in favour of carrying on with the meeting and letting the Governor General have her meeting.
3:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
As I said the other day, we want to talk about future business, where this committee might go, and what we might bring before the committee. We have the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, coming forward. Parliamentary review of the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Act is there. Most important, I think, is the certificate of nomination of Robert Sirman as the director of the Canada Council for the Arts. I suggest we ask Mr. Sirman to this committee next Tuesday, so we can quiz him to make sure this is the person we want to head the Canada Council.
It is moved by Mr. Bélanger.
(Motion agreed to)
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We will put a request in for Mr. Sirman to appear before us at next Tuesday's meeting.
Yes.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Chairman, on the matter of nominations, if I may, would it be possible to ask in the spirit of cooperation—and as the parliamentary secretary was alluding to earlier—for the government to provide members of this committee with a complete list of current vacancies in the agencies and boards under the fiat of the Department of Heritage?
4 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
I'm sure we can do that, Mr. Chairman. Although it sounds related, with respect, it's not directly related. What we're going to be entering into next Tuesday is a formal part of the process. In other words, what Mr. Bélanger is referring to—and it's absolutely in order, and we'll be happy to provide the information—is something small p political that we could and should be doing as a committee. However, the process is that the committee has the yea or nay on this individual, and the Canada Council is without that person at this point. In other words, it's part of a process. They are related, but one is process and the other is small p political.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
In the process, Mr. Chairman, given that we have to schedule our workload, there may be others, and we may want to keep an open meeting once in a while to deal with these as they come up.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
That's been noted.
I have also requested that the minister try to have some time for this committee. It has been suggested to me that June 1 might be a time the minister would be able to come. I know we asked for the minister's times last session, and I think it would be very pertinent to this committee to have the minister here as soon as possible.
Is there any other business?
Yes.
4 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
If we stay until June 22 or 23--and I have no idea whether we're leaving early or whether we're going to be here all summer--theoretically that leaves us with about six heritage committee meetings left open. I feel it's very important that we set some agenda that will at least springboard us into the fall.
If we're going to end up having to deal with main estimates, if we're going to have to look at those for two days, I would suggest that we put as much time into June as we can, into discussing some of the issues that were drawn up the other day in terms of television--where we're going with the parliamentary review of Radio-Canada and television broadcast. We need to put together some suggestions so that we can get moving on an agenda; otherwise, June is going to come and we're not going to have accomplished anything, and we'll be very behind come the fall session.
4:05 p.m.
Bloc
Maka Kotto Bloc Saint-Lambert, QC
I would first of all like to remind you that it would be important to present copies of the statements and reports to the members of the committee, particularly the new members who have just arrived. I am thinking of the Lincoln report in particular, and the Catterall report on the feature film industry. It would also be a good idea to draft motions on their referral.
I would also like to tackle the suggested themes we might study, because there are very pressing issues, particularly that of the film festivals in Montreal — that will happen this summer — and the Cannes Film Festival which is happening in the month of May. It is the most important event of this kind in Europe, and it is attended by all of the organizations and festival organizers.
Montreal, for the time being, is in a no man's land. We do not know what will happen. We must tackle this issue before leaving for the summer recess.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You will recall that at the last meeting, I raised the issue of the committee members potentially participating in the Banff Television Festival. We must come to a decision on this issue, because if indeed we decide to go to the festival, that would remove one or two meetings from the schedule, that is to say those on the 13th and 15th.