Evidence of meeting #20 for Health in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was obesity.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I hear your question, and I think the committee's intention is that once we're finished the obesity study, we will move on to a pharmaceutical study.
5:25 p.m.
NDP
Penny Priddy NDP Surrey North, BC
I realize that part. I'm just wondering about the date. It seems to be rolling on.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
That's a fair question. As I interpret the motion—and this is from the chair's interpretation of what I see—they're asking for four meetings here. If the next motion were to pass, which is the Bloc's motion, it would be five. There are four plus the one Madame Gagnon asked for as well, unless we want to incorporate that into the four. That's why I asked if there was a friendly amendment there.
That's the clarification, so there are five, as I see it. That's what we would be looking at if things stay the way they are right now.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
The motion reads as follows:
It is proposed that, at the discretion of the Chair, the Committee undertake at least four meetings in addition to the current work plan---
The number of meetings therefore is left up to your discretion; there could be even more than four.
The motion as it is worded cannot be agreed to. We could plan three meetings to hear from dieticians, Jean-Pierre Després, of Laval University, representatives from the Quebec Pediatric Society and someone from Health Canada, who could talk to us about the Canada's Food Guide. We should not give you such discretion, because you could add three additional meetings.
If I understand the motion correctly, we would hold at least four meetings, which would be left up to your discretion. If we accept the motion as is, we have to accept the possibility that there would be two or three additional meetings. I think we can agree to three meetings, in addition to the meeting with Health Canada, which would deal with the Canada's Food Guide.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Would you make that a friendly amendment, please? Would you make that amendment to this motion? We have to come to a conclusion, and I agree with you, I'm not comfortable with its being open-ended, with the chair's making the call.
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
The committee should add three meetings to those already planned in order to further analyze the problem of obesity.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Okay. We wanted to limit it and be definite. That's what you're--
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
Just to interpret what you're saying, we would have the one on the health, the first nations; perhaps the province and the environment could be together; and then the one you are dealing with would be when the department would come forward, right? Would that be fair? Is that your amendment? Then let's vote on it. We will say either yes or no to it.
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
—and, to conclude, the motion calling on Health Canada to appear as part of a study of the food guide. That comes out to four meetings. I do not want to include it... Is that all right?
5:30 p.m.
A Member
That is all right.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
That's right, that would be the fourth meeting. So we're actually voting on four meetings. That's the amendment.
Is there any discussion on the amendment?
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
When does this stop, though? We go up to four meetings. We have all four groups, and then someone puts forward another motion with another 50 groups that we have not met. Are we going to have another motion put forward to have an extension for another five meetings?
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
It was my understanding that when we first agreed upon our work plan, we said there would not be a motion put forward for an extension. That was my understanding, and you can see that it you look back into the transcript. So the fact that a motion is being put forward.... With all due respect, I realize that these groups are extremely important, but in this committee we had agreed collaboratively and collectively that we would be discussing pharmacare, which is an important issue to a lot of Canadians.
So is something going to happen at the end of four meetings? Are we going to have another extension of a motion? When does it stop?
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I think the clerk has already answered that question--it was Ms. Priddy's--of when we would start on pharmaceuticals. It would be on November 21.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
Could we make a friendly amendment, then? If we're going to have four additional meetings with these stakeholders, can we have an extension to sit for an extra hour every day? We'll compromise, and that will ensure that we can also get to the pharmacare strategy.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I don't think we'll need the extra hour, but let's have discussion on the amendment.
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC
When we decided upon the number of meetings, seven or eight, we said that we would determine whether we had covered the issue of obesity. That is where we are at.
I believe we had some openness. However, three additional meetings, on top of the meeting to hear from Health Canada about Canada's Food Guide, would give us some time to reflect on the issue, as had been planed.
I believe that if it is what we decide, we should not go any further.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield
I'm going to call for a vote on the amendment. That amendment--and correct me, mover, if this is not right--is for three extra meetings, the four in the motion to be incorporated into the three, plus one for the Department of Health on food labelling, Canada's Food Guide. We're clear on the amendment?
We have a request for a recorded vote, so I'll ask the clerk to do that, then.
The amendment is for four extra meetings, one of them including discussion on Canada's Food Guide.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON
Will this be the final extension for a request for a number of meetings on childhood obesity?