Agriculture Committee on Feb. 12th, 2009

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

Just as an explanation, my feeling is that we can put listeriosis on our agenda, and as Wayne was mentioning, one or two meetings, or three, may not be enough. We will talk about the other items the steering committee had for our agenda. There's a whole pile of items that we should be discussing with the cattle industry and the program review. We need to get on that as soon as possible.

My feeling is that we could do a joint committee with the heath committee and our committee, move it on track, and just have them run with it. For example, in my case, Malcolm would sit on that committee because he's our point person on CFIA. It would be up to the whips and the committees to decide who would be on this committee, and then we would run with it.

I was back and forth with Jean-François, and maybe I'll get you to explain a bit, but it is my understanding that this is the simplest way of doing it, rather than trying to do a joint committee, which has certain.... If we do this, we pull in our colleagues from the health committee or others and we run with it. We give them the power to do what they want, take as much time as they want. I think this would be the way to go, given the scope of this whole topic.

That was my intention. Maybe I'll get Jean-François to explain the details of why we're doing it this way.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Maybe we'll deal with that when we actually get to the motion.

Mr. Lemieux.

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

Thank you very much, Chair.

I think listeriosis is of concern to Canadians and I think it's a very appropriate subject for the committee to study, but I also think the committee needs to look forward. What I mean by that is that there are times when we look backwards. The listeriosis crisis or event happened and we should look at it, but we should also look forward, because Canadians want to know where all of this is going and what the future holds, not just with respect to listeriosis but also with respect to food safety.

Food safety is probably the issue that most concerns Canadians. Listeriosis would be an example of a food safety issue in the past, but I'd like the committee to discuss making this a little bit wider than listeriosis, so that while the committee is doing work that references something that happened in the past, which is quite appropriate and, as I said, would be of concern and of interest to Canadians, we're then able to move forward and talk about what's happening in the future, particularly when it comes to food safety. Food safety would cover more than just listeriosis. I think this would give us the opportunity to talk to different witnesses with respect to listeriosis, yes, but also with respect to other issues of concern.

I would propose an amendment to the motion that we're now discussing. I don't know if I can word it in exactly the way I'd want to say it, but it's that the committee should investigate food safety, and then we can discuss the other aspects of the motion as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Lemieux, if we're going to amend the motion, I'd need to have a written amendment.

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

Chair, that's a fair request, so let me put something down in writing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Storseth.

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

Are we formally discussing Alex's motion now?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been indicated, I think by both sides, that maybe that's what we should be doing.

In order to discuss the motion, we'd probably need it formally presented. Do we need unanimous consent?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Jean-François Lafleur]

We are actually on the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

As I suspected, and as the clerk just said, we're actually dealing with the report right now. If the committee wants to go for it and bring forth a motion in conjunction with this report, that's certainly not inappropriate, but again, I need that direction from you. Then, of course, once the motion is read, which it hasn't been at this point, it would be appropriate to bring forward the amendment.

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

Thank you for that clarification.

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

Mr. Chair, on a point of order, my understanding was that we were discussing the motion, because I think Mr. Easter had raised it, and Mr. Atamanenko was concurring with that, but if we're discussing the report, that's okay. What I would do, then, rather than make an amendment to the motion, if we're not technically discussing the motion, is continue with my comments and make an amendment to the first report.

The amendment to the first report would read “two meetings on food safety”. Right now, it reads “two meetings on listeriosis”. I would remove the word “listeriosis”. My amendment would be “two meetings on food safety”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

So you're not increasing it from two to four; you're just changing the wording and sticking with the two meetings.

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

Yes. That may come out in further discussion, but my amendment for now would be just to say that listeriosis would fall under food safety. I think that if we put the words “food safety” in there, it allows us to investigate the listeriosis event that occurred earlier, but it also allows us to move forward with the larger concern that Canadians have, and that is food safety.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay. So the amendment is to change it, to take out the word “listeriosis” and add “food safety”.

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

That's correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

First of all, I have Mr. Bellavance, and then I have Mr. Atamanenko and Mr. Eyking.

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

I did not think I would have to raise a point of order in order to speak.

I thought that we had just decided that because listeriosis was the first item in the first report we would deal with Alex's motion that could end up modifying the first report. If we agree on establishing the subcommittee—regardless of what it is called—that would change the first report. I was sure, as was Mr. Lemieux, that we were discussing Alex's motion. You need to make a decision so that we know what we are discussing, Mr. Chair.

I have something to say about Alex's motion on the first report. If we spend half an hour discussing the first report and we decide that two listeriosis meetings are not enough, and then we act on Alex's motion and establish a subcommittee, we will have wasted a half hour on discussing whether we want two, three, four or five meetings on listeriosis.

I thought that we had agreed with Wayne's proposal to first discuss Alex's motion and then move on to the other points.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

As I indicated before, until the motion is actually formally brought forth, which Mr. Atamanenko can now do, we're not on it. We've had indication from Mr. Bellavance and others that that's where you want to go, but it hasn't been formally brought forth.

Mr. Atamanenko, you have the floor.

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

Do I have permission to do that?

I think Pierre had some really good points, and we could discuss them under the framework of the motion if everybody is in agreement that I present the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I suggest that you formally read your motion right now, and we'll open it up for discussion.

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

Fine, I will read it:

That, given the listeriosis crisis that occurred last summer, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food establish a Subcommittee on listeriosis; and that the members of the Subcommittee be named after the usual consultations with the whips; and that the Subcommittee be granted all of the powers of the Committee pursuant the Standing Order 108(1), except the power to report directly to the House.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you, Mr. Atamanenko.

Under procedure we need a motion to go from the business, which is the report we're on, to deal with the motion. Are you so moving?

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

Yes.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.