Agriculture Committee on Feb. 24th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I'd be open to a friendly amendment, providing the focus does not get watered down, and the fact that we have to look at what happened here. It could be in excess of some $200 million that's been lost, and nobody's asking questions, and I think it's our duty as a committee to start asking those questions and to make sure farmers don't lose that money.

Plus, there are major concerns out there about how this money's going to be recaptured and who's going to pay for this. So if we decide to go to Winnipeg, to look through CIGI and the Canadian Wheat Board, and tour their facilities, including the Canadian Grain Commission, I think that would be good for the committee to do. I've done all of that and it is worth our time, but I want to make sure that the focus when we talk about this topic does not get watered down by the other activities we're involved in.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

What's your friendly amendment?

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I'd be willing to entertain a friendly amendment from Mr. Atamanenko or Mr. Easter.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Chair, what I'd suggest is that to do this properly, and I think we're in agreement on this.... If this matter is urgent, then the Canadian Wheat Board needs to be brought in right away. I want to emphasize, though, regarding Mr. Hoback's comments, that he is talking about the cost side, but the fact of the matter is that the Canadian Wheat Board has returned to farmers about $2 billion more than they otherwise would have got.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

So he can talk about the cost side, but there is the income side as well for primary producers.

But what I would suggest, Mr. Chair, is that most of these organizations and agencies are centred in Winnipeg, and maybe the steering committee should meet and come back with a plan on how to do the five or six all at once over a two-day period.

I'm not talking against the motion, Randy. I think we're in favour of it. As I said, there are two ways of doing this: one, have the Wheat Board in here; two, go out there. But if we're going to go out there and want to make it part of our work, then let's do it in an all-encompassing way, and the steering committee should come back with a proposal that we tour the Wheat Board, Canadian Grain Commission, Cargill, CIGI, etc.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay, Mr. Hoback, for the sake of getting business done, would you consider adding the Grain Commission and some of the other ones to your motion?

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Yes, I'd be willing to entertain that. Again, this is a notice of motion, so—

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

We're not actually voting on this motion today, nor do we need to amend it. Mr. Hoback has given 48 hours' notice, so surely he and Mr. Easter can go for dinner tonight and talk about it and they can get a whole motion.

[An hon. member]

Are you buying?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

That's a good point. You can figure it out. We have the notice of motion, and I think there's been enough discussion around here on what we'd like to see added. We'll have that motion a little more complete, say, for Thursday's meeting and we'll go from there.

Mr. Storseth, your notice of motion.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I'd like to preface my comments by saying that Monsieur Bellavance and I both brought this up today. I'm glad that it was put into the report. I'm simply moving it forward. This is something I have committed to doing for my constituents.

I'm going to move a motion that the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food call before it the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to examine and answer questions regarding the potato cyst nematode and the effect their regulations have had on potato farmers, who have suffered severe losses, and to discuss specifically farms who have been quarantined and/or had their operations closed by an inadequate sampling.

I will provide a copy, and as I said, Mr. Chair, I do hope this will come forward through the report. That process will be much quicker than going through the motion process, but I do think it's important to have something like this on the record.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay. So you have the notice of another motion, and they'll come forward.

Is there any other notice of motion?

Mr. Bellavance.

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

Can we talk about Brian's motion? Has it already been introduced?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

We're going to get a chance to debate the notice of motion at the—

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

We dropped the schedule, so let us go ahead with the motions. I am going to introduce one:

That the committee study the repercussions of the government's decision to set at 98% the standard making it possible to say "Product of Canada."

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

We have a third notice of motion.

Mr. Atamanenko, do you have a notice of motion?

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

No, Mr. Chair, I just have a comment.

I think what we have to be careful of is that when we start listening to people on Thursday, we don't let these motions take up the time such that we don't have time to listen to them. It's obviously at your discretion, but I think maybe they should come at the end of the meeting.

We've had that problem before, where we've talked about motions when witnesses were there. I just want to make sure that our priority when we invite people is for them to have a chance to speak and for us to have a chance to talk to them, and then maybe somehow move into the motions later. It's just a technical suggestion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I'll do my best to get through the motions as quickly as possible, but it's up to you people how long you want to hash them over. Your point is well taken, though.

Mr. Bellavance.

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

As far as the schedule is concerned, Mr. Chair, are we agreed that the livestock industry will be the first topic of discussion? And then is there a consensus that we will go on to the program review and after that the study of competitiveness?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

To do what review? Oh, the program review.

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

I would like us to do the program review second, then competitiveness. We wanted to add other files afterwards but, since we have to do so in the form of a motion, that is what I did.

I agree with Brian that we should add the nematode file. These are the two subjects I wanted to discuss.

Are we agreed on this as a starting point? Is that how we are going to settle this today?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Yes—