Evidence of meeting #64 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was documents.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
We're going to be careful about this, for everyone's sake. We need to use our judgment.
Mr. Kurek, the floor is yours.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Thanks.
I think we all want transparency. Certainly, there are concerns. I think that Imperial, some of our indigenous witnesses and the AER stated that more information would be forthcoming as investigations were under way and being worked on and what not.
I share the concern about the integrity of our committee process here in the House. I don't know what the expectations were for those who come with commercially sensitive information and that sort of thing. Certainly, they wanted us to see that. That's good. I'm very glad that happened.
I would note some concern around that, if we're going to set a precedent for things that were tabled possibly in some level of confidence because we are a committee of parliamentarians that is doing work on behalf of Canadians. We have to be mindful of that. I would make that point.
The second point I would make is a question, Mr. Chair. I know that the public-facing page of our committee website includes briefs that have been submitted. Could the clerk outline what is public or what will be public as soon as translation is complete without this motion, and then where things stand without the motion versus where things would stand with the motion? It's just so we understand exactly what we're passing.
5:15 p.m.
The Clerk of the Committee Ms. Natalie Jeanneault
The usual practice is to just have briefs on the web without this motion. They automatically go onto the web.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Chair, to follow up regarding the Kearl study...I go to the digital binder, so I haven't gone to the public site other than to look at the notice of meeting.
Are any Kearl briefs there currently? The follow-up to that would be to ask whether there are any that will be posted either as they are received or maybe as they're working through the process.
5:15 p.m.
The Clerk
There's one currently from Fort Chip. That's all we have received for now for briefs.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Even Imperial didn't send in a brief. They just appeared and spoke.
This is an interesting point. Before I go to Madame Pauzé and Mr. Lake, is there not an assumption that whatever you send to the committee is public? Often, when there is a sensitive issue, the committee agrees to go in camera and see a witness in camera.
I don't know if there's a natural presumption.
We will go to Madame Pauzé and Mr. Lake and then back to Mr. Kurek.
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Chair, I have my hand up. I know I'm way down here at the end.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
I'm sorry. Before Mr. Kurek, it will be Mr. Bachrach.
Madame Pauzé.
5:15 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Chair, I've said what I had to say. I will come back later, maybe to answer a question. As you said, this was a public study. If it was confidential, that should have been made clear.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
I'd be surprised if the people, including the people at Imperial Oil Resources Limited, who submitted a 1,250-page document, would expect it not to be released to the public. That would surprise me. That said, some less experienced individuals might take it for granted that it wouldn't be released.
Mr. Lake.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB
I have been here a long time. I fully admit that I would have thought it was all public already, to be honest.
I'm curious. I would like some clarification and just an understanding. If we're doing something that is unusual—and this committee, in the last couple of weeks, has done unusual things; it has done things that are different from the norm—I want to get an understanding as to why things aren't made public normally. Is there a reason specifically that they are not? What differentiates what's public from what's not and why something that's not isn't normally made public?
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Basically as I understand it, we're not talking about briefs. We're not really talking about correspondence.
I think anyone who sends correspondence to the committee expects it to be public. We're talking about the material that comes in after a member requested it at the meeting, asking if they could send us additional information about this. I don't think we have been posting that in the past.
Ultimately, I think this is what we're talking about. Madame Pauzé wants to make sure that when we ask for this additional information—at least in this case, because it relates to this particular study—it's made public. That's what we're talking about.
Are there many documents that we have asked for, other than the 1,250-page document?
5:20 p.m.
The Clerk
Was it from Imperial Oil?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
It was from anybody. I don't know if we asked for anything else from anybody. I remember Madame Pauzé, or somebody, asking for that document, but were there many others?
5:20 p.m.
The Clerk
Do you mean other documents from other organizations?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Yes, where we would have said, “Please send this additional information.”
5:20 p.m.
The Clerk
I'm not sure of that.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB
This motion would theoretically cover any new information we get, as well, would it?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
I don't think we are. The main thing was this document from Imperial Oil.