Evidence of meeting #16 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right.
It's the availability, and that makes it a little tougher, to be honest with you.
We discussed it in our steering committee. Because of our meeting times, sometimes it's difficult to get the rooms we need. They can come and televise it in the West Block, even, with one camera sitting there, but it's not really the best. It'll probably be sitting there looking at the minister the whole time. It's not the best, but if we can facilitate it, the ministers are open to it.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
NDP
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
On the fourth recommendation, that the Minister of National Defence be invited to appear before the committee September 27--am I right in thinking we already had confirmation of his availability?
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
No. In fact, we have a little problem with that date, and perhaps I really should have spoken to you earlier. We don't have anything on the final half of that date, but there is, as you know, another meeting that I think a lot of the committee would like to attend, so....
3:45 p.m.
NDP
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
That's what I was going to propose, actually, if we haven't had confirmation. We know that Afghanistan is an urgent priority, but if we haven't had confirmation and he's not available, it seems to me that it would be very well worthwhile for the whole committee to allocate the time to attending the session of the middle powers initiative on nuclear issues. In particular, I believe I'm correct that Hans Blix is delivering a public lecture later Thursday afternoon, so I wonder if we could agree to substitute that for the time slot we had suggested be allocated for the Minister of National Defence. It's all interrelated.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I would suggest--take it for what you will--that one possibility is for us to conclude our afternoon with the minister, when Minister MacKay is here, and then encourage the committee to go over to the conference. I don't think we can say to the committee that we are going to have our committee meet at the conference, but certainly we would encourage everyone to do that, and I know that some are planning on doing that.
3:45 p.m.
The Clerk
You might just amend the report to take out the dates.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
The clerk brings out a good point. I would entertain a motion, if somebody would so move, that we just amend point number four to read, “that the Minister of National Defence, Gordon O'Connor, be invited to appear before the committee as soon as possible concerning Afghanistan”, or you can put whatever you want.
Mr. Martin, will you move that?
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Madam McDonough has seconded it.
The amended motion would read, “that the Minister of National Defence, Gordon O'Connor, be invited to appear before the committee as soon as possible concerning Afghanistan”.
Madam McDonough, you have a comment.
3:45 p.m.
NDP
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
I'm assuming we don't have any progress to report on the proposed joint hearings with defence, because it depended upon this committee to decide to pursue that course of action. But if we're going to adopt this, and if there is agreement that we move ahead to hold some joint meetings with defence, I wonder if we should also refer, in the context of the invitation to the minister of defence to come before the committee, to our following through on our stated intention to hold some joint hearings.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Are you suggesting that if we are able to facilitate the joint committees, it would not necessitate his coming to a separate committee of our own?
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
No, I'm asking whether, if we're proposing to go ahead as soon as possible, we can tie to it the preference to do that jointly with this committee and defence.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
I would speak out against that. We have such precious little time with the minister of defence, and our committee—I'm sure from all parties—would like to have an opportunity to ask him questions. The defence committee can ask the defence minister questions on its own time, but since the time with us is so short, I would recommend, and I hope Madam McDonough would consider this, that we have the defence minister, the foreign affairs minister, and Minister Verner on their own, just with us.
I want to make two other points. One is that I'd like to request that a note for a speedy recovery be sent from all of us to Madame Lalonde. She's ill, and maybe collectively from the foreign affairs committee we could send a note to Madame Lalonde wishing her a very speedy recovery and saying that we wish to see her back here as soon as possible taking up her vice-chair position.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We can all drop her a card or give her a call, or both. But one from the committee as a whole...?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Because we have the staff.... Everybody here is part of a team.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Lastly, when we parted before the summer, not so long ago, the issue Madam McDonough and I brought up was the issue of CIDA and international development.
It was my understanding that when we were starting off this process we were going to study international development and that democratic governance issues would be part of it. I hope we'll have an opportunity to merge that with CIDA's effectiveness. I thought that's what we were really going to do: look at the effectiveness of CIDA in carrying out its mandate in aid and development.
We've taken this ship down a road on an issue of governance, but I propose that we also add to it looking at CIDA's effectiveness in aid dispersal.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
I'm feeling as if it were Groundhog Day. We keep having this discussion every couple of months.
There was a clear sense that we were going to do a study on democracy promotion and democratic development. It was going to be focused. We've had this debate again and again. It's been settled. The witnesses are lined up. The briefing books reflect all that. We've agreed to it several times as a committee, as a steering committee, and I can't understand why we keep looking at this new direction every time.
If we want to study something in a focused way, we have to have some kind of focus. We're already looking at something that's going to extend well into 2007 before we get progress, based on the other work that's going to be in front of this committee, and if we expand it to a study of everything, there's not going to be much left at all.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
I would also point out that the Senate committee is dealing with exactly what Mr. Martin is talking about right now.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
One other point to that is that as we look through the list of witnesses and those places we will visit in some of the Scandinavian countries, there are certainly those there whose expertise is in how they disperse humanitarian aid, so that is going to fit into it.
But I take Van Loan's point as well. We have discussed at great length the main focus, the main direction the committee is going in. We decided it would be two-faceted, that we'd have the spring study and the fall study, and now we're in the fall. There will be an opportunity to study it, but I think it has been very well decided a long time ago,a number of times, that the main focus should be democratic development.
Madame Barbot.