Evidence of meeting #15 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was local.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
President, Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
We'd like to present you, Mr. Chair, with a copy of our food safety manual. We wouldn't mind a picture with it, and we'll stick it in a news magazine, if you wouldn't mind.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you very much.
Going back to our next meeting, we discussed earlier that we're going to deal with the nematode report. I have a suggestion. I understand we have consensus around the table to meet from eleven until two on Tuesday. The plan is to have the fertilizer people. We may not get them....
Pardon?
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
No, from eleven until two.
We could deal with the nematode study from 11 until 12:30, and then, basically, have the fertilizer people in here ready to go as soon as we're done with that.
Mr. Lemieux.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Why don't we put the witnesses first? It shows respect for the witnesses. That would allow them to come and do their presentations, and us to ask our questions. Then when we're done, we could do the report. The report may only take half an hour. It's hard to know what the report—
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Yes. But what I'm saying is, if we do the report first, from 11 until 12:30, and if we're done at 11:30 or 11:45 and the witnesses aren't all here yet....
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
So you're suggesting 11 until 12:30 with the fertilizer people, and then whatever time it takes, up until two, to deal with the report.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
I'm a bit surprised. I thought it was only a half-hour extension. Actually, I had to step out briefly, but the last I heard was that we were going to be picking one over the other. I guess we're considering doing both.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Okay, now we're doing both. I suggest witnesses first, because then they could come and they could meet too, and report second.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
I have a problem with that.
The government very seldom responds to pressure, but there'd be a lot more pressure on the government side if we were to deal with the report first, to get it done, rather than play some of the games they often play. So I suggest that it's important to have the report done first.
12:55 p.m.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
I have no objection to hearing the witnesses, quite the opposite, and I am even being extremely generous by giving one extra hour to the committee. However, Mr. Chairman, you did say, during the last meeting, that it would be very complicated to give me the 10 minutes that I had asked for. We're prepared to give more time.
I would simply like to say the report is in fact very important. There may be a discussion about it, because you saw today that the motion I tried to have adopted was not accepted by the government representatives. That is part of the work that we must do here in committee. So we have to make a choice, and I think that it would be appropriate to warn the witnesses that there may be some discussions that could take more time than expected. Dilatory tactics have already been used and, if my memory serves me correctly, only by the government members. So that could mean that our witnesses would not be able to give their testimony.
12:55 p.m.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
We need to discuss a report, and it is important that we do so quickly, before we hear the witnesses.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Okay, so you want to hear the witnesses from 11 to 12:30, and then we'll deal with the report?
Oh, it's the other way around.
Mr. Lemieux.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Chair, we have only one minute left, but Mr. Bellavance raises an excellent point. We're supposed to be ending the meetings at one. We are decision-makers here, and we should be able to decide whether the report is the priority and we're doing it first, or the witnesses are. When you bring both together....
I think Mr. Bellavance raises a good point. I think we can be done with the report rather quickly, but Mr. Bellavance worries that it could take a longer time and the witnesses will therefore have to wait. They may not even be able to appear if it takes a really long time. That's my point. It's not fair to the witnesses.
Let's make a decision; we are decision-makers. Let's say the report is very important and we're putting aside the next meeting from eleven to one for the report. Let's not mistreat our witnesses and have them come on the expectation that we may be finished, when in fact we may not be finished, and they'll just have to wait. Why not be fair to them and say we'll move them off to the next meeting? If we're done at one, Chair, we're done one.
It's the same point I brought up at the last meeting. As a member of the board, I have commitments at one. I have to leave in about 30 seconds. When it's my main committee, I don't like the committee continuing on, because we're going beyond one o'clock.
That's my suggestion. Let's do the report, and let's move the witnesses off.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Just on the point about meetings, I will first speak to André. If we know in advance and all agree to it, extending a meeting is an option. It's not an option at that meeting to extend, as far as I'm concerned, because I make commitments, and we're all busy. I don't want a three-hour meeting on Tuesday any more than anybody else does. It was suggested to me by what I thought was a majority to propose this. I didn't bring this up on my own.
To speak to your point, Mr. Lemieux, yes, we're going to adjourn here in a second. We're talking about a meeting three or four days from now, and I'm at your will. Tell me what you want to do.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Chair, could I suggest this? You have a steering committee that four people are on. You could maybe accommodate sorting this out by a conference call. Could you do that over the next day or so, and then we'll get notice?
1 p.m.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I think if we're going to have the witnesses they should be here right away, with all respect to them. Then we'd move on to this business, which is important. But we should do that. If we decide that it looks as if the report may take longer, then I agree with Pierre, we should move the witnesses off and not leave them hanging around for something. I'm in agreement with both, but I think we should take the witnesses into account.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
I will be contacting you in the next day or two.
The meeting is adjourned.
