Evidence of meeting #14 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was biofuels.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
It has yet to be made--right. That is true as it relates to the entire policy, including increasing the biofuel content from five to ten and whatever comes down the pike.
Also, in your presentations and comments, Gordon, you referred to a couple of studies. We'd ask that you submit those studies to the clerk for distribution so we have that information as well.
Researcher, National Farmers Union
Would you welcome the studies and presentations that I made to the committee?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Yes, definitely. You could present those as well. I think some of those have been presented already, but definitely, please forward those in.
We need to determine our additional meetings. Right now we have meetings scheduled for the 14th and the 26th. We heard today that there is interest in moving this forward quickly. I'm prepared to add meetings. We have looked at the availability of this room. It is available Monday night, on the 25th, for three hours, to get in the extra witnesses that both the NDP and the Bloc have asked for.
Alex.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I want to put this on the record.
This is an environmental bill. I understand and support the fact that it's helping farmers. I think we all agree about that. But there are other issues. There are long-term issues. There are witnesses that we have suggested, and for the sake of a couple of weeks, I think we have to hear them so we can get the total picture--short range and long range. We're looking at a policy that could drastically alter the course, not only of agriculture but of the environment and the whole climate change debate in Canada. We have to look at it carefully, and I'd like to make sure we take some time to do that.
Conservative
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Chairman, I know both the Bloc and the NDP have a number of witnesses. We do want to expedite this bill and get it to the Senate as fast as possible. But in fairness to parties that have witnesses they want to bring forward, I think they have to be heard and we have to find the time to do that, while at the same time getting it through as fast as possible.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
As everybody does have the right to bring witnesses forward, I think it's incumbent on us, as was stated today, that we move this in the most expeditious manner possible. If that means we have to add extra meetings to the schedule, then I think we should approve that, move forward, and provide some idea to the subcommittee as to the timelines we would like to have this piece of legislation moved by. This is something that--
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Can I suggest something? I know Mr. Miller and Mrs. Skelton want in on this, but can I suggest that you give me the power to go ahead and schedule extra meetings? There might be some evening meetings, on Monday nights, to get our witnesses on, so we can get this reported back to the House shortly after we return from recess.
Monsieur Bellavance.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
We cannot sit every day in order to discuss this issue. As parliamentarians, we have other obligations aside from sitting on this committee. I don't intend to go on at great length, but if I feel that we are being rushed in examining bills, even those we agree with—James and I discussed this matter in private yesterday—we will have some problems.
There are other considerations apart from agriculture; there are the environmental impacts. Alex raised this issue as well. I do not want to stand in the way of this bill, but we must nevertheless hear the witnesses who said that they would like to speak before the committee. If we start holding meetings every day, some people will not be able to be there, which will cause problems. I would like us to proceed in a...
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay, I've got four other people who want in on this discussion, and we're out of time.
We'll go to Mr. Miller, Ms. Skelton, Mr. Easter, and Mr. Atamanenko.
Conservative
Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The government's been accused here, of course, wrongly today of dragging our feet on this. We obviously want this to happen, and yet we want more time. I recognize that and respect that and appreciate that.
I'm going to throw a suggestion out, Mr. Chairman, that we get all the witnesses here--as many as we can, anyway--from the Bloc and the NDP on Thursday, and that when we come back here in 10 days, we start clause-by-clause consideration. It's a compromise.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We've already got a very full list for Thursday's meeting, so I don't think we have room at the table to add people for Thursday.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Some are. I know that of the Bloc list, we've invited five out of the 10 so far who have been suggested, and only three have confirmed. I think three on the NDP list have been contacted, and two of them have confirmed. Some of the people who aren't available are sending in briefs, so we'll get a written response in one shape or another.
Go ahead, Mrs. Skelton.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Mr. Chair, I would like to move that we have additional meetings on Monday evenings, and I'd like to have a vote on that, please. I think it is essential that we get this passed as soon as possible so that our farmers can start making preparations for spring and what they want to do, and so that we give the farm people out there trying to invest in the ethanol and biodiesel facilities in their communities the proper go-ahead so that they can go ahead and keep doing this.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
I have a motion on the floor that we will start sitting Monday evenings.
From 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. is a suggested timeframe. Can you make 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. part of your motion, so that we can handle as many witnesses at a time as possible?
Is there any debate on the motion?
Go ahead, Mr. Atamanenko.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Let's just look at this for a second.
Sure, this is important, but all of a sudden we want to rush it through. All of a sudden the government side wants to start rushing through it, and we have to ask why. Why can't we continue and sit at the regular time and look at this? We didn't get back until October. We could have come back in September; we could have started this earlier.
Let's do this right. We've got witnesses; let's do it right. We have a time, and we also have other things to do besides going to agriculture committee meetings every day of the week. So I'm opposed to this motion.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay.
Next are Mr. Storseth, Mr. Miller, Mr. Easter, and Mr. Bellavance.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Nobody's talking about rushing anything. We're talking about expediting the process. If you want to have more witnesses, we'll have more witnesses, but we'll have more committee meetings. We represent four national parties here; if you can't find somebody from your party to come and take your seat and ask intelligent questions on this bill, then we've got issues.
It's been said today and at every meeting we've had that we need to move this as quickly as possible. It's been the government's position. All too often the NDP find that stalling in committee is the best way to do it, and then the Liberals pass it through committee and stall it in the Senate. Well, quite frankly, Mr. Chair, it's time that we moved together in as expedited a fashion as possible.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
I will admit that I'm getting pretty sick and tired of this business on the Senate. The reason the 71 days was mentioned earlier was to basically throw back the line that your House leader and many of your members are using to attack the Senate when they really only have 21 sitting days to deal with the attacking violent crime bill. It has to do with Mr. Storseth's saying that we're trying to delay things in the Senate; we're not.
I will say this, Mr. Chairman, on this motion that's before us right now: I'm not interested in playing games in terms of not getting this through, but I'm also not interested in being forced by a motion to meet Monday nights. I'm willing to give the authority to the chair. We already agreed that we would meet Monday night, February 25, for three hours. We've said to the chair in this proposal that we're willing to do that. I'm willing to leave that authority with the chair, but I'm not going to be browbeaten by a motion before this committee, so I will be opposing this motion. I will say this on the record: we are in agreement to a meeting on Monday, February 25, for three hours.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
As procedure, we do actually have to have a motion to add a meeting. We do have to have that.
Next is Mr. Miller, and then Mr. Bellavance.