Agriculture Committee on Feb. 3rd, 2009

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

Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.

While I agree with Mr. Easter that this committee has worked well in the past, a lot of this committee's ability to work well, the cordiality and the ability to set partisanship aside....

Clearly, we should have had translation so Mr. Bellavance could have seen this ahead of time; we could have had some discussion on this ahead of time. Quite frankly, I don't think this is an unreasonable request, to ask the opposition to show a little good faith and work together. All we're asking is to have a government member other than the chair sitting there, to be able to fight for what we would like to see at the committee. I do believe it puts the chair in a bad position if he is the one fighting for what we would like to see done in committee. It puts him in a tough spot when he takes the chair during the committee.

What we are asking is very reasonable. We're asking for a little leeway from you. Hopefully we can work together on this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Is there further discussion on the amendment?

Mr. Bellavance.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

That is not a good argument. I have rarely seen highly partisan discussions at the subcommittee. We have all of the agricultural issues before us and we virtually always agree on which ones should be given priority.

If I or someone else who sat on the subcommittee, like Mr. Bezan or Mr. Ritz before him, could list a single time when overly partisan arguments interfered with or blocked the subcommittee, perhaps we could revisit the way we do things. On the contrary, it has always worked well.

Moreover, our new chair, Larry, has been sitting on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for a very long time. So it is not a problem for him at all. He won't be surprised by the issues to be discussed. After that, we will come back to the main committee, we will outline the discussions held in the subcommittee, and we will discuss it all again. At that point, if the parliamentary secretary, the government members or any member of the committee want to add their two cents' worth, we will discuss it.

I have never encountered any problems. So I do not see why we should change the way we work.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you, Mr. Bellavance.

If there is no further discussion, we'll call for a vote on the amendment.

(Amendment negatived)

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Reduced quorum has been moved by Mr. Easter.

Is there discussion?

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

Could I have a couple of seconds here, Mr. Chair, because we're working from two separate copies.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Certainly.

Mr. Bellavance.

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

I have a question, Mr. Chairman.

The document distributed this morning talks about a reduced quorum of three. I thought that the reduced quorum for the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food was five. Have I got that wrong? That has never happened here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I stand to be corrected. I thought it was four, but I will stand to be corrected. The clerk is saying that this is what is presented, but we can come up with any number. You thought it was five. I thought it was four, but I can't swear to that.

Wayne.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I'm not sure either, Chair, but this is just to receive evidence, which is the key point here. We've had committee meetings for which witnesses had spent a lot of time preparing documentation, and then we lost our regular quorum. This allows them to present that evidence on the record.

I'm not sure what the number was previously. It might even have been five.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

The clerk is saying it was five, so you're okay.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

It was five.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

One thing Mr. Bellavance said that I would just throw out. For example, I'm not aware of it ever happening in the agriculture committee, certainly not in recent years, but apparently it has happened from time to time in other committees when they were travelling, gathering evidence--I could compare it to our APF tour that was done two years ago, and I think you were part of that. Apparently sometimes either members were late showing up or were unavailable for whatever reason. This is a reduced quorum, but you would allow for any evidence. The committee could still sit with a reduced amount and receive information or presentations, but not have a vote. That's my understanding of it.

Is there any further discussion?

Mr. Shipley.

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Chair, just so we're clear, there's an amendment to change it--on here it's three--to reflect four, recognizing one from each of the parties. Is that...?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

That's no problem for me.

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Okay, I just wanted to be clear.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Now--

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

I wanted to be sure that was--

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

What the motion--

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

And when you as the chair get started, or if it is for evidence, is there a timeline to wait for a witness or for a member to show up, and if they aren't at a particular time, it can start then?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

No, I think--

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

If you don't have a full quorum, they can still give the evidence but there can't be a vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Exactly, and that could happen at one of these meetings as well as at a regular committee meeting. I think the chance of it happening at a regular meeting are certainly a lot slimmer, but on the road I could see it.

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Then just for clarification, Mr. Chair, that number gets chairs to recognize one representative from each party.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

First of all, we'd need an amendment to that before we....