Agriculture Committee on April 23rd, 2009

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I think Mr. Easter hits on the problem here. We have a draft report. I saw the first copy this morning. I believe one of the recommendations in there goes along with what Mr. Bellavance is talking about. If Minister Bellavance wants to strengthen the recommendations, as we normally would do with reports, I agree that it's his right to do so, and if you want to support that, I agree that it's your right to do so, but I think we should handle this all at once, within the report, as our committee traditionally handles it, and then the committee presents one report. Otherwise the committee is going to send this motion forward, and then we still have to deal with the report. I'm assuming Mr. Bellavance is going to want this in there as well, along with any other changes that any of us would like to see made to it. I think it's disjointed, Mr. Chair.

I would like to see this report out as quickly as possible as well. Perhaps we could make some committee time to deal with the report as soon as possible. I don't see, Wayne, any reason not to deal with this report either today or at the next committee meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I'll ask the clerk.

We have the Canadian Fertilizer Institute here at our next meeting on Tuesday. It's up to the committee. If you want to.... They will be here for the two hours.

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

We could make that one hour.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

We could delay the whole thing.

Mr. Chair, Mr. Easter's point is valid. If the report is important.... I think it is. We just heard from them. It was just a very short, concise study.

Why don't we move the agriculture people off? We could hold them off a week and do our report, if we need two hours. Now, if we think we only need one hour, fine. We could keep them for one hour, and then do our report in the second hour.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

We'll do whatever we're directed to do.

Do you want to delay the fertilizer people? Is that what you're suggesting?

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

I think we're waiting for a response from the other side.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I can tell you this, Mr. Chair. We're not going to vote against this motion, whether it's in a motion or in the committee report. And I think it should be in the committee report.

If André is insistent this be dealt with today, then I can tell him we will support it. But if there's assurance this would be dealt with in a full committee report based on the evidence that was before the committee on no later than Tuesday, I'd be willing to go that way, as well, and incorporate this motion into that full report. It's entirely up to André.

We support the direction of this motion. One way or the other, it has to pass. If André believes it should be dealt with today, then we're certainly not going to vote against it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Is there further discussion on the motion?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

It's up to you, André.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Shipley.

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

I would encourage André to consider putting it into the report as one of the options, and then we could have that full debate around it and other ones as part of a full report. We could actually start it. Maybe we don't have a lot of time, but at least we could start it today.

My other suggestion is to have the Fertilizer Institute for one hour and to spend the other hour on this report on Tuesday. If it comes to that....

The first part was just a comment to Mr. Bellavance. The second part, if you get to it, is that I'd make it a motion if that would help to move it along.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I'm sorry. I should have looked at the clerk's list.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

That's fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Bellavance is up next.

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

I repeat, obviously this is the direction I would like the report to take. That is why I am tabling this motion today. I have not tabled it just to make waves, and I don't wish to withdraw it. Obviously, in the discussion on the report which is to follow, people might have suggestions other than these. I will obviously stand by the suggestions I am making in my motion, but that will not prevent me from agreeing to suggestions made by other committee members on the content of other parts of the report.

These are the recommendations that I will support, and my motion lends weight to the arguments that I will put forward. That is what I am trying to do. I am not required to explain the long and the short of my strategy. I have the right to table this motion, I have tabled it, and I would like the committee to proceed with the recorded division.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Monsieur Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I understand what Mr. Bellavance is saying, but that's not what his motion reads. The second sentence of his motion reads: “That the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food report to the House of Commons as soon as possible the following recommendations”.

If this motion passes, this means “as soon as possible” these motions—there's no report—go to the House.

Mr. Bellavance said he worded it very carefully, so I'm not understanding why when he describes his intent—and I agree with that—he's suggesting that these be included in the report, but the motion reads that these particular recommendations be reported to the House with or without a report, yet the motion doesn't make any allowance for a report.

Chair, to clarify my earlier comments about the fertilizer witnesses who we have coming, what I want to clarify is that if this committee feels that this report takes priority, then we would have to ask those witnesses to come later. But if we don't, if this motion were to pass and this goes to the House immediately and the report is not a priority, then we should have the fertilizer people come, for sure. They've got important matters to discuss with the committee, and the sooner they come the better.

What I'm asking the committee members is what's the priority of this committee, just in the near term, for the next meeting actually? Is it to move ahead with the report, or is it to move ahead with the next witnesses?

I realize that if the fertilizer witnesses can't come it's a great inconvenience to them. However, it depends on what the priorities of the committee are.

I'd actually like to finish my comments by suggesting an amendment to the motion, something that would align the motion so that it better reflects what Mr. Bellavance just said, that it's a suggestion and that these particular recommendations wouldn't be tabled in the House “as soon as possible” outside the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Can you read your amendment?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, I'll just need a moment here.

If it's truly a suggestion then perhaps I would just change the second sentence. It would say: “That the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food consider including the following recommendations in its report to the House”. That's if they are suggestions. If it's stronger than suggestions, then we can discuss that, but my amendment would change the wording as I just read it, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

We have an amendment.

Mr. Storseth and then Mr. Bellavance.

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

I make a point of order for two reasons, Mr. Chair. One is to give Mr. Lemieux the opportunity to talk about his amendment and think about his amendment in French so Mr. Bellavance has exactly what we want to do. But second, as a procedural point for your clerk, it's my opinion that the committee wants to look at this report as soon as possible so that you take under advisement and the clerk takes under advisement to change our schedule around so that we can deal with this report as soon as possible as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I seem to get the drift from the committee that it's what they wish to do.

Mr. Bellavance.

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

It's very kind—