Fisheries Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

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

I moved to defer. It's not debatable.

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

It's on the floor at this point.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I apologize. I missed that.

Sorry, Mr. Cannan, I did miss your motion to defer.

Thank you, Mr. Kamp.

So Mr. Cannan has moved a motion to defer.

Is the exact motion that the debate now be adjourned?

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

No, it's just to defer until Thursday, to our next committee meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Sorry for the delay.

Mr. Cannan has moved that the motion be deferred until Thursday. That takes precedence over the amendment that we were debating at this point in time. It is a debatable motion that the motion be deferred until Thursday.

So on the question, are there any questions or comments?

Ms. Murray.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

I don't support that at all, because we just will enter into the same conversation. I think we were very close to having a vote on my amendment to the motion, then a vote on the motion, and then we'd be done with it and on with the snow crab.

To bring up this whole topic and discussion so that we have to revisit it all over again would be just a big waste of time, which I think all members are trying to avoid.

So I'd suggest we just get on with the vote, put it behind us, and get back to snow crab.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Ms. Murray.

Monsieur Lévesque.

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

As for Mr. Cannan's opinion on the matter, if and when the report, which will probably be ready Thursday—isn't that right, Mr. Côté?—responds to the issue that the motion currently presents, the subcommittee will make a decision on whether to recommend to our committee that Mr. Donnelly's motion be withdrawn.

As Ms. Murray just said, right now, we need to vote on the amendment and the motion. Then we will move on to something else.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Well, we have to vote on Mr. Cannan's motion first. I appreciate what you're saying, but we have to deal with the motion that's on the floor. It's not a dilatory motion, but it takes precedence over the other motion at this point in time because it is a motion to defer. Mr. Cannan has moved that the motion be deferred until Thursday.

Are there any other questions or comments before we call the question on the motion?

Mr. Weston.

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

Mr. Chair, I am sure that no matter what the outcome is of the vote we're about to hold, the soon-to-be published report will influence what we do next. So, the subcommittee, or the committee thereafter, will have to consider the findings of the report that is going to be published.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Weston.

Are there any further questions, comments, or concerns?

Mr. Cannan has moved that the motion be deferred until Thursday.

(Motion negatived)

We're back on the amendment by Ms. Murray.

Go ahead, Mr. Allen.

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

Can we immediately call the question on this, Mr. Chair, so that we can get on with the crab report?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I'll call it when we finish with the discussion.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you for your comment, though.

Is there any further discussion on the amendment as moved by Ms. Murray?

Now we'll call the question.

It was moved by Ms. Murray that the motion be amended by replacing the words “federal government's plan” with the words “current and potential plans”, by replacing “Arctic” with “Canadian”, and by removing the words “in Arctic waters” after “pollution”.

Is that correct, Ms. Murray? All right.

(Amendment agreed to)

Now we will deal with the amended motion. The amended motion reads as follows:

That, in light of the current and potential plans to explore for oil and gas in Canadian waters, the Fisheries and Oceans Standing Committee conduct a study on that 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.

Are there any comments, questions, or concerns on the amended motion?

Mr. Weston.

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

I am now going to respond to Mr. Blais. I don't think it was a personal slight. If you felt insulted, I apologize on behalf of the team.

However, it is an insult to democracy if we do not finish what we need to do. One of the criteria of democracy rests on what we do after the debate, on the impact of all the words. Once again, I want to stress the need to finish something in committee. I want to stress that for the subcommittee.

Please…

give us the guidance we need to get through the crab report, the aquaculture report, and maybe the Fisheries Act, when it comes, and all these wonderful things that we need to look at--but look at in priority.

We need that clear focus on priorities. Then democracy will be served.

That's what I would ask.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Weston.

Are there any further comments or questions?

Go ahead, Mr. Cannan.

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

As I mentioned before, I support the spirit and intent, but I just think the timing is wrong. With all the directions this committee is going in, it reminds me of the saying that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

The fact is that democracy is having your say, but not necessarily your way.

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Cannan.

Mr. Shory.

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Chair, I don't know if this would be called a subamendment or a proposed subamendment. Basically, it is about the words “among other things”.

I don't know if Ms. Murray wants to replace these words, but where it says “calling witnesses to comment on, among other things,” I would say “calling witnesses to comment on it and also on”.

That would be instead of saying “among other things”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

You're moving an amendment to the amended motion?

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

That's correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Sorry, no, the amended motion hasn't been voted on at this point in time.

You're moving an amendment, Mr. Shory, and I'll ask you to repeat it one more time for the clerk's benefit.

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

In the third line, it now says “calling witnesses to comment on, among other things,” the audit of the Canadian Coast Guard, and I want to replace that part with, if possible, “calling witnesses to comment on it and also on” the audit of the Canadian Coast Guard.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Mr. Shory's amended motion would read as follows:

That, in light of the current and potential plans to explore for oil and gas in Canadian waters, the Fisheries and Oceans Standing Committee conduct a study on that matter at its earliest opportunity, calling witnesses to comment on it and also on 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's how the motion would read with the amendment.

Mr. Kamp.