Agriculture Committee on April 10th, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Okay, we have an amendment on the floor. Any discussion on the amendment?

Mr. Lauzon.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

This is not particularly to the amendment. I'd like to just go on the record as saying, Mr. Chair, that during the lead-up to the creation of Bill C-8--the debate and the passage--no one in industry or in the opposition raised this particular concern, prior to Bill C-8. The Canada Transportation Act was reviewed in 2001. No one called for a review at that time. As a matter of fact, no provincial minister, that I'm aware of, has called for a review.

Now, Bill C-8 has combined the idea of a group final-offer arbitration, something that our shippers and farmers have been calling for for some time. Right here I think we should thank the Minister of Transport for giving us Bill C-8.

The level of service review has been a major commitment that our farmers and our shippers were requesting, and we're doing that. There again, I think our agriculture minister, Minister Ritz, promised a review, and he's seeing it gets done. As a matter of fact, I don't think there's a government since railways were formed that has done more to help.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

We have the amendment on the floor. I don't see anybody else sticking a hand up.

Is this on the amendment, Mr.St. Amand?

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

I just wanted to say, with respect to Mr. Lauzon's comments, Mr. Chair, that we continue on this side to think about these things, to put forward what we feel are new and better ideas. The fact that it wasn't thought about or pronounced earlier is of no consequence. We continue to try to refine and improve, and that's what this amendment is about.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

We'll go to Mr. Storseth, on the amendment.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

While I appreciate Mr. Easter's support of my motion, I don't necessarily support his amendment, because the purpose of reporting it to the House would simply be to be able to bring it up in debate in the House.

This is something that is going to be ongoing. If this is to be included in the level-of-service review, the review is only beginning and is going to take several months to undertake. So I don't believe it is actually within the scope of the motion itself.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Are there any other comments?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

As I understand it, Mr. Chair, why it's important to report it to the House is because it puts more pressure on the Minister of Transport to in fact do what we ask. If after some period of time the minister doesn't act on putting the cost review forward as part of the discussion, then we have the option of pulling up that report and debating it further in the House and putting more pressure on the government.

So I would hope that Brian's motion is a serious one, and it would be seen as much more serious if it were reported to the House and the government had to respond.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Mr. Easter, all motions coming from our committee are serious.

Go ahead, Mr. Lauzon.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

I agree with your comments, Mr. Chair. I think the minister has said that he's going to do a review. I think we should trust him to do that review. And we're going to be doing the review and doing it wholeheartedly. I don't think it's necessary to report it to the House and play politics with it.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Go ahead, Mr. Atamanenko.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

First of all, Brian, I'd like to thank you for this motion. I think it reflects the sentiment out there.

I think the more we can discuss these issues in the House, the more we can keep the issue alive and give all of us a chance to talk about it, whether we're on the government side or on the opposition side. It's a good idea, because the railway companies would like nothing better than to have this kind of come out and die somehow. I think if we just keep it alive, we can report it to the House. It's a win-win situation. I don't think it's to the detriment of the government or the opposition. I think it gives us all a chance to keep it alive and forward, so I would support this amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Mrs. Skelton.

[Carol Skelton, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

All I want to say is that I think, from talking to Mr. Storseth about this when he brought it forward, what we're trying to make sure of is that the Minister of Transport takes it very seriously. I don't think going any further will help us in our asking him that, because it could cause us problems. I think if we just leave it this way and put it through, we will make a serious statement by saying this to the minister. We can always come back to it.

Sometimes I hate the confrontational aspect of what we're doing. I think it's easier to just take it and let him come forward and let the committee come forward with its report. Then we can raise the serious issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Mr. Storseth.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd just like to raise a couple of issues.

I appreciate Mr. Easter's intervention on this. I would like to note two things, however. One, if Mr. Easter truly is concerned about our western producers and the $175 million that was reported from the Canadian Wheat Board as well as the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan and the Wild Rose Agriculture Producers, then he will realize that playing partisan politics with this is not the way to go.

I quote Mr. Easter: “A full examination into the costs railways are imposing on western...farmers...” is needed. This comes off his own website. If this is truly what he wants to do, then this motion will ascribe to that. He, as well as everybody else around this table, knows that playing partisan politics with this is not going to advance the cause of our western producers, so that is reason enough not to do this.

The second point I'd like to raise, Mr. Chairman, is that if you refer to Marleau and Montpetit, page 453, chapter 12, under “The Process of Debate”, any time an amendment “introduces a new proposition which should properly be the subject of a substantive motion with notice”, it is no longer in order as an amendment to a motion. This is something that is substantive.

If Mr. Easter really wants to get something done with this, we could have a motion come forward to have the Minister of Transport come here for whatever length of time he feels necessary in order to ask about the progress on this. But at the end of the day, we don't need to have partisan politics from the Conservative or Liberal side on this.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Just on that, Mr. Storseth, I don't believe the amendment is out of order. It is essentially a question that we report it back to the House, which all committees can do on any motion that comes forward, and essentially it is adding words to the main motion to do just that.

Mr. Boshcoff.

[Ken Boshcoff, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Chairman, Mr. St. Amand and I have an 11 o'clock committee. When we go into these debates, people are waiting for us, so we get really antsy. In all fairness, we try to stay and we try to accommodate.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I have just a quick point, Mr. Chair.

This is not about partisan politics. In fact, in fairness to the people who have to attend another committee, I would call the question, but I really would love to have an answer from the Conservatives, especially Carol, on how this would cause problems if it were reported to the House, and how it would hurt our efforts to get a review. It won't. It will put more pressure on it. So if you want to play games at the committee, we can play them, but reporting it to the House is what committees are all about.

I would ask you to call the question, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Go ahead quickly, and then I'll call the question.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

I have just one point.

The minister has already agreed to a review. You don't have to put any pressure on this.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

He hasn't on this. In fact he has said no on this issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Are there any other speakers? Seeing none, I call the question on the amendment.

(Amendment agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

[The Chair, Conservative, James Bezan]

Are there any more speakers on the main motion as amended?