Evidence of meeting #28 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was going.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We really don't need to get into an argument. We can do that out in the hall.
Can we put something together by the 27th?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
You don't want to work overtime? Again, what that means is that we would hold it on the 27th or we would hold it on the 26th.
So you fly there on the Sunday and you come back on the Tuesday.
I need a date. Can we put things in order for that?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
That's the date we'll pick, then, and that's what we'll put on the....
We're going to have to have a quick meeting next Monday to go over the budget and approve the budget, and we'll go from there.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Chair, there's no such thing as a quick meeting in this committee.
4:55 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
This is a really quick one today. We're almost there.
Next week we'll make sure we get this part of it done, because our clerk is going to have to work extra hard to put everything together to make sure it happens on the 26th. We have to get a meeting place. We have to do all of those things. We'll work on getting that done.
Then I'm going to ask for a list, from the various parties around the table, of who we're looking at to have as witnesses here and in Vancouver, so we can circulate that list again. Maybe that's something we can talk about. Something will have to be circulated, and we'll have to work on it to at least make sure we have the right number of people and a full contingent in Vancouver when those witnesses come forward. We'll then decide if we have a list at arm's length. Then we'll have to decide how many meetings it's going to take to get through those things. I think we have to make sure that everyone is heard, and if there's someone, as I said, in Newfoundland.... This is a national orchestra, I think, in Vancouver. I think it's the CBC Vancouver orchestra, so it belongs to the whole country.
Yes, Ms. Mourani.
5 p.m.
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
Mr. Chairman, when will we know if we are going to Vancouver? Do we have a travel budget?
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Yes. Then we have to have permission from the House. We have to make sure the whips say okay, so we have to have permission. There is quite a bit of work we have to do in the short term, and we'll work from there.
Mr. Siksay.
5 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Chair, how many witnesses do you want from each of us? Mr. Del Mastro had suggested 10. Is that what you're asking for?
5 p.m.
Conservative
5 p.m.
NDP
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Yes.
As I say, if we do that and we find out that you have a list that's far longer than that, we'll go through the 40 and decide what's going to happen, and then we can always decide if we think we have to have other meetings. Until we have that list--so we know how many people are coming--we don't know how many days we're going to have to meet here in Ottawa.
Is everyone fine with that?
I think we have a lot of work for our clerk and our analysts.
I'm going to let Lara...please, go ahead. She has a question.
5 p.m.
Lara Trehearne Committee Researcher
Mr. Chair, I just wanted to ask for the committee's direction as to whether or not you're going to want to write a report about all of the hearings you're going to hold, and if so, to whom will that be addressed, given the jurisdictional issues that Mr. Abbott raised. Would it be tabled in the House or would it go to the minister, if indeed you do want to write a report of some kind?
5 p.m.
Liberal
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Because this is an all-party committee, the chair could write a letter to CBC saying we did three days of this, this is what we heard, and we're just sending it to you for you to know what we've heard without a direct--
5 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
I have one last suggestion.
If that is going to happen, I think we should ask the CBC to have the programmers--or the people responsible for Radio 2--to make a statement. We could allow them to respond to what we have heard. We've heard from the executives, and it would be a waste of time and valuable resources to bring them back.
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Okay.
We can look into that as we go. It seems this is a work in progress. It seems as we go forward....
Yes, Mr. Siksay.
5 p.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Chair, I would just like to say that I think, at the very minimum, a summary of the evidence needs to at least go to the CBC. But as we have our hearings, there may be another option that becomes apparent to us. So there will be some written project that comes out of this--at least a summary of evidence to the CBC--but there might be other good suggestions that we hear that we want to do something further with.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Through you, Mr. Chair, I'd like to answer the analyst's question.
I think having it reported to the House is probably more appropriate than having it directly sent to CBC, because as the 1991 Broadcasting Act states, we have no say in the programming decisions of the corporation. Therefore, if we send it to the chair of CBC or to the president of CBC, or any other officer of the corporation, we're going to get the response that we've been getting to date, which is that they're responsible for programming, we have no say in it, and thank you very much.
But if it's reported to the House, then at least the legislative body that some time ago actually passed the 1991 Broadcasting Act is voicing its position on this, which I think in some ways is more powerful than having it sent directly to CBC.