Evidence of meeting #21 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was information.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
Committee members, are there any other questions?
Mr. Hill, you're the only person who hasn't had an opportunity to get on the record.
December 4th, 2006 / 5:05 p.m.
Wally Hill Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications, Canadian Marketing Association
That's all right, Mr. Chairman.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
So I just wanted you to say, how are you doing today?
Everybody should, at least, get on the parliamentary record, so I wanted to acknowledge that you were here. Did you want to make any comments about anything?
5:05 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications, Canadian Marketing Association
I support the comments that were made earlier, and certainly the commissioner's comments when she met with you last week that the act has been working very well for our members. We're very satisfied that it's not in need of major changes.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
Thank you very much.
Before I gavel the meeting, Madam Lavallée, are you going to proceed with your motion?
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
Okay.
I'd like to thank the witnesses very much for coming and particularly for giving specific recommendations and their observations of this statute. We greatly appreciate the time you've taken to consider giving us the advice that you have. Thank you very much.
Now we're going to deal with a notice of motion that was put forward and given the appropriate length of time by Madam Lavallée. Everyone should have a copy of it.
Madam Lavallée, you have a notice of motion you'd like to move, s'il vous plaît.
5:05 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
If you would like to, I could make a short presentation.
First of all, on November 3, 2005, this committee passed a motion asking the minister to prepare a bill and to present it to the committee. On May 15, I raised this motion again because we had a new team. Unfortunately, it was decided at that time to hear from the Information Commissioner, Mr. Reid, and then from the minister, and then to discuss what to do next. We indeed had the commissioner appear, then the minister on June 19. Finally, I took up the issue again on Wednesday, September 27 and this Committee passed a motion asking the minister to bring to the committee a strengthened and updated Access to Information Act by December 15.
We are now the 4th of December. I, for one, have not heard anything from the minister. Maybe you did. It seems very important to me to remind him that we expect his bill by December 15. At this point in time, at 5:10 p.m., he only has nine days left to table his bill, only nine sitting days of this House.
So my motion reads:
— Further to the appearances of the minister of Justice, The Honourable Vic Toews, and the Information Commissioner, John Reid, before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics; and — Further to the motion by the Committee recommending to the government that it table in the House by December 15, 2006 a new, strengthened and updated Access to Information Act, which could be based on the work of the Information Commissioner; Be it agreed: — That the Chair of the Committee write to the minister to remind him of the December 15 deadline. As of December 4, he will have only ten (10) working days left for unveiling this new bill; — That in this letter signed by the Chair of the Committee, the Chair ask the minister to inform the Committee what stage the work on the bill has reached, either in writing or by appearing before the Committee.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
You've heard the terms of the motion. Is there any discussion?
Mr. Tilson.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Quite frankly, Mr. Chairman, I have trouble understanding the motion.
The original motion of Madam Lavallée, Mr. Chairman, was that this bill be tabled in the House by December 15. Why don't we wait? So we haven't heard anything since; are we going to have another motion next week because we still haven't heard? I mean, we could have a motion on Wednesday; we could have a motion next Monday because we haven't heard. The original motion says that we wait until December 15 for the minister to table a motion. So she's impatient; so what?
There was a subsequent motion with respect to the minister doing some research with respect to the categorization of names--or to use your word, “characterization”, Mr. Chairman--under the information act. Presumably, the minister is consulting with individuals. We spent a lot of time on that topic and presumably the minister will as well.
The minister did appear before us and made a—
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Peterson Liberal Willowdale, ON
We all know that if we talk this out until 5:30, we can't get it. If it's the intention of the government party to talk this out until 5:30, we could all agree to see the clock as being 5:30 and get out of here.
If that's not your intention, and you want to go to a vote, I'm happy to see it go to a vote.
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
I honestly don't think that's a point of order, but it certainly is interesting information for the government side to hear.
Mr. Tilson, by all means, continue. You have the floor, but you've heard what Mr. Peterson had to say.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Well, he can go home now and we can have the debate next time. I have some comments to make—
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Peterson Liberal Willowdale, ON
I'm not trying to stop you. I was going to say that if the intent is to go until 5:30—
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
—voting against the motion for some of the reasons I mentioned—
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
—and I've started to talk about it.
The Minister of Justice has eleven justice bills before the House and only three have passed. It is the government's position that law and order is an issue in this country. I think in fact that some of the opposition parties talked about law and order during the last election—
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
Mr. Peterson, I appreciate your intent to help the chair, but Mr. Tilson has the floor.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Peterson can be as flippant as he wishes, Mr. Chairman.