Fisheries Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Yes.

Let me say very broadly that I think the common ground.... Everybody here in the room would say we all are interested in the Arctic. We all are interested in oil. We are all interested in getting some things done so there's a lasting legacy.

Whether it's a subamendment or an amendment, to the subcommittee, please, when you get this, if it passes, focus like a laser beam on what are our priorities so that we can get something done, and get something out of our committee into the hands of people who can really do something with it.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

There's been some discussion here today about the subcommittee. I want to point out that the subcommittee makes recommendations to this committee, and this committee approves the subcommittee's plan that comes forward.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Yes, and then we don't follow it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Well, that I just won't say.

Monsieur Blais.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I would like to understand something. Why is the subamendment out of order?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

That's because it's not a subamendment, it's an amendment. It changes your amendment. It completely changes your amendment.

So it's not a subamendment, it's an amendment to the motion, is that correct?

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I completely disagree, but it's no big deal. It's not the end of the world. But I am willing to withdraw my amendment, no problem, and I will support the new one.

But I would simply like to add a comment about following our agenda, our work plan. We mustn't forget that Mr. Donnelly's motion says "at its earliest opportunity". That prevents us from going off in all directions. It in no way means that this matter will become the day's new priority. It just means making a little adjustment.

As for the snow crab study, thanks to the superb cooperation of our friends opposite, I think that we'll be able to finish it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Monsieur Blais.

Monsieur Blais is proposing that he withdraw his amendment. In order for this to be possible, there would need to be unanimous consent of the committee.

Is there unanimous consent? All right.

(Amendment withdrawn)

Now, Ms. Murray, it would be in order if you wanted to present an amendment.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

I'd like to propose an amendment that would begin the motion as follows: “That, in light of current and potential plans to explore for oil and gas in Canadian waters, the Fisheries and Oceans Standing Committee”.

The remainder would be as it is in the original motion by Mr. Donnelly.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Would that be removing “Arctic” at the end of the paragraph, or removing it altogether?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Thank you for correcting that.

Yes, there would be a period after the word “pollution”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Ms. Murray has suggested an amendment to remove the words “the federal government's plan” and replace them with “current and potential plans,” adding an “s” on the end of “plan,” and removing “Arctic” and replacing it with “Canadian” before “waters,” and removing the words “in Arctic waters” at the end of the paragraph. That's it.

So the amended motion would read as follows:

That, in light of current and potential plans to explore for oil and gas in Canadian waters, the Fisheries and Oceans Standing Committee conduct a study on the matter at its earliest opportunity, calling witnesses to comment on, among other things, the recent audit of the Canadian Coast Guard that identifies the Department's need for training and up-to-date equipment necessary to properly handle oil spills and offshore pollution.

That is the amendment brought forward by Ms. Murray.

Are there any questions, comments, or concerns with the amendment?

Mr. Allen.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I guess I'm glad we're not running a private business here. We would all be bankrupt pretty soon. One of the things you learn when you're managing projects is that you plan the work and you work the plan. We're not very good at planning the work. We entertain all these other things.

I'm hopeful...and I imagine what will end up happening is that this will go to the subcommittee, but.... I would prefer us to tighten it down a little bit to the coast guard. I'm probably not going to win that one anyway, so I'm not prepared to debate it much longer. I've already lost an hour of my life that we could have devoted to the crab report, as Mr. Cuzner and Mr. MacAulay have said.

I guess I'm just going to not support this on principle...that we keep adding these motions in, and I'm hopeful that if it does pass and go to committee, we'll have the respect of the committee, until we're at least finishing the crab report, that we don't entertain any more work on behalf of committee.

I do appreciate what Rodger is saying: we have a lot of people asking us to do work, and potentially we will have the Fisheries Act too, and that will just throw the cat amongst the pigeons at that point in time.

I hope we'll have the respect of committee that there will be no more motions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Allen.

Mr. Shory.

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Thank you.

I agree with Mike. I'm new on this committee, but virtually every second or third week we get a new and interesting motion. We definitely lose some time to focus on the work we have already undertaken.

I'm looking at the last part of the amended motion, where it says “the recent audit of the Canadian Coast Guard that identifies the Department's need for training and up-to-date equipment necessary to properly handle oil spills and offshore pollution”.

I'd just like the clerk to clarify whether there is any recent audit with all this broader scope. Or was there a recent audit only on Arctic waters?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

François.

[François Côté, Committee Researcher]

The motion refers to an internal audit at DFO that was published in March 2010. It was looking at the broader picture nationally. They concluded that there were problems with the coast guard functioning as regional units and there were no national standards for the environmental response.

I may want to point out also that, as we speak, there's a lock-up on the Hill. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development is about to table a report that will talk about oil spills and the response to oil spills by the Canadian government.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, François.

Monsieur Blais.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I am going to try to keep my calm, even though Mr. Allen's comments are insulting.

Your comments are insulting. It is insulting to hear that we are wasting our time discussing something democratically—listen to me, please, or show some respect, at least—and respectfully. I am never wasting my time when we debate something. Never. It is highly insulting to me to hear someone say that we are wasting our time in the last hour. In the name of democracy, it's dreadful to hear that. This isn't a dictatorship—unless you want it to be, but I certainly don't. I would fight every day, every minute, in every way imaginable to make sure that this is not a dictatorship.

So, if debating topics that concern us, like oil development in Canadian waters, is a waste of our time, I would like you to please repeat that into a microphone outside, in public. In fact, no one would accept such a statement. It's insulting toward what we are discussing here. In debate, I always show the greatest respect for the attitudes and positions that you adopt. It's your position, not mine, but I respect it. I would never dare say that you are making us waste our time when you disagree with a position put forward by another member or by me. In the same way, I don't do that when a member of the Liberal Party or the NDP presents a position that I feel makes no sense. If it's my opinion, I'm going to express it, but I'm always going to respect the proposal in question. What you just said is disrespectful and insulting.

Furthermore, this isn't a private business, and that's a good thing. I have nothing against private businesses and it's great that they exist. But this is the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, not something else.

If you want to change things, hold an election, seek a majority government and try to make the change. Until then, I will never allow myself to be told that I am wasting the time of the committee and the people who listen to me when I debate an issue respectfully. If I was disrespectful in doing so, I would understand, but I think that Mr. Donnelly, myself and everyone who has spoken so far has been respectful.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Monsieur Blais.

Mr. Cannan.

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm not going to enter that debate. I just think it was taken out of context.

I support the spirit and intent of the motion. Just from hearing what our analyst said about a report coming later today, I think it would be prudent for the committee to maybe wait to hear the results of that report.

I move to defer the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Cannan.

Mr. Weston.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Further to what Mr. Blais said, I would like to say that…

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Mr. Kamp, on a point of order.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, I thought I heard a motion here.