Evidence of meeting #58 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was review.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Jean Michel Roy
Marie-Josée Thivierge  Assistant Deputy Minister, Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Services, Department of Industry
Richard Saillant  Director General, Investment Review and Strategic Planning Branch, Department of Industry
Pierre Legault  Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Bonjour à tous and welcome to the 58th meeting of Parliament's Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology.

We have some guests with us today. I'll introduce them briefly.

Marie-Josée Thivierge, who is the assistant deputy minister of small business, tourism, and marketplace services, will be giving the opening remarks today. Richard Saillant is the director general of investment review and strategic planning branch. Pierre Legault is assistant deputy minister in the Department of Justice.

Just before we go to the opening remarks—and I see Mr. Lake is trying to get my attention as well—I wanted to cover one other thing and see if we have agreement from the committee. For our CRTC hearings, we have of bill of $5,875. That was, if you remember, for the video conferences and witnesses' expenses, etc. I just need a motion to accept that.

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

So moved.

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

All in favour?

(Motion agreed to)

Thank you very much.

Mr. Lake.

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

Yes, Mr. Chair. Again, I am wanting to address the issue of the importance of this study. It was brought up again in question period the other day by the leader of the NDP, I think, in the opening round. Given the importance of this study, which I think we all agree on, I want to move a motion that we use at least the next four meetings, including this meeting, to study the Investment Canada Act--that we change the schedule to do that.

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

I think we already came to an agreement on this, Mr. Chair, and--

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

Well, I think circumstances have changed, obviously, since we came to the agreement. We now have a choice as a committee to at some point have.... Let's look at our choices. Our choices are to listen to the same witnesses on the census issue that we heard over the course of several meetings in the summer, on a private member's bill that's not due to be back to the House until May 12, or we can hear witnesses on the Investment Canada Act.

It's incumbent upon us as a committee to decide what our priority is. The new information, obviously, is that there's news of a merger. It's obviously very public. It has been a topic of questions in question period during leaders' round in recent days.

Mr. Chair, with respect, I think it's incumbent on us as a responsible committee to focus on priorities. I think the Investment Canada Act study should be a priority for us.

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Thanks.

I'm going to go to Mr. Rota next, and then to Madam Coady. I don't see anybody else on the speakers list at the moment, but I should tell you that our next meeting is on the private member's bill. [Technical Difficulty--Editor]...CRTC. That's the UBB issue. Then we are going to go to the private member's bill, just for your information.

I'll go to Mr. Rota now.

I'll come back to you, Mr. Lake.

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

There was substantial debate, with a lot of discussion that took place. The Conservatives forced us out of camera into the public so that they could play this game before. I'm not ready to play this game again. I believe that the decision was made and we are all--

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, a point of privilege, actually, again, I believe that Mr. Rota has just spoken about something that happened in camera.

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

I was talking about when we were forced out. We were out of camera--

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

How did we get there? How we got there was in camera--

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

I guess there's a fine line there. I'll retract that. I apologize. There was a fine line there, between whether we were in camera or out of camera, and we were forced out of camera, I guess. I was talking about the out of camera...but that's okay. I won't mention that again. I promise.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Thank you, Mr. Rota and Mr. Lake.

Go ahead, Mr. Rota.

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

In any case, Mr. Chair, this has been discussed and it has been debated. The decision was made by the committee. I think the will of the committee was pretty clear at the time. I know that our Conservative friends were not happy with the decision, but I think it was a good compromise that satisfied both sides of this argument. I wouldn't be ready to support this motion.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Madam Coady.

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

We have guests waiting for us to interview them. May I make a suggestion that we have this put towards the end of the day? We've already been through this discussion. If we want to have another discussion on it, I just think it's not very appropriate at this point in time to allow our guests to sit there waiting for us to begin.

I can appreciate Mr. Lake's apparent desire to move this early, but I would suggest that in the interests of our witnesses we continue with the plan we had for the day. We can talk about this at the end of the day.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Thank you, Madam Coady. I'll be glad to do that once the speakers list is exhausted. It is business that's germane to what we're talking about.

Mr. Lake.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

I'm quite certain that our guests understand the importance of the Investment Canada Act, so they'll certainly understand the importance of this debate in terms of our study.

Obviously, I'm willing to accommodate the next meeting, when the minister is supposed to be before us to finish the study on the UBB. I'm okay with that, but I think we should dedicate this meeting and at least the following three meetings during that two-week stretch to this study. I think it's too important to be interspersing it with two meetings on the census private member's bill and to hear from the same witnesses we've heard from over multiple days in multiple meetings.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Okay.

Just a moment, members. Just let me confer with the clerk.

Mr. Lake, I think the best course of action right now, since we have witnesses before us, is to come back to this motion on the schedule. Hopefully we can come to some kind of consensus about the move forward regarding your motion, if you're okay with that.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

When do you think we would vote on it?

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Well, if you want to vote on it now, we can, but we'd just be back to debate on the schedule once more, I'm certain, from what I see in the committee.

Monsieur Bouchard.

3:35 p.m.

Bloc

Robert Bouchard Bloc Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC

Like my colleague, I think it would be entirely appropriate to discuss the question with our guests. We normally consider it to be a good approach to discuss our future proceedings after hearing our guests.

I can still see us quite well starting immediately with questions for the witnesses about foreign investment.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Okay, Mr. Bouchard.

Mr. Rota.

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

I agree with Mr. Bouchard. We invited these guests. They have come to make a presentation. I don't think it would be polite on our part to start a new discussion. This is a matter of changing a decision we have already made, but I don't really want to tackle that right away. If Mr. Lake agrees, we can do it at the end of the meeting, once the Industry Canada witnesses have appeared. They are very busy people. They came here to give us a presentation and they are well prepared. If this continues, they will be the ones who came to hear us. We are wasting their time and our time, Mr. Chair.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

Mr. Lake.