Evidence of meeting #43 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 products.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
We'll call our meeting to order.
We still have a few members who will show up here in the next few minutes, I'm sure.
I'd like to thank our witnesses for being here. First of all, we're going to hear from Option consommateurs. I apologize if I'm not saying that right. We have Mr. Arnold and Mr. Décary-Gilardeau here.
Mr. Bellavance.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
I remind you that, at a previous meeting, I withdrew my motion about SRM. Since that time, I have discussed the motion with beef producers. Basically, they are all quite in favour. So I would like to introduce it again.
Conservative
Conservative
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
I am just afraid that we will have to vote at 5:30 p.m.
Bloc
André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
The motion reads as follows:
That the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food recommend to the government that it immediately implement an assistance program for the cattle industry to help it cover the $31.70 cost per head, which represents the competitiveness gap between Canada and the United States caused by Canada's Specified Risk Materials standards; and that the committee report to the House of Commons.
This is exactly the motion that we discussed; it is based on requests from the Canadian Meat Council and the Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
You are right. You can table this, Mr. Bellavance.
We do have witnesses here, and I'm certainly very disappointed to make them wait and to take away from report time, but you have that option.
Mr. Atamanenko and then Mr. Shipley.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I understand this is an important motion, but I also understand that we have witnesses here. It would be my preference to do this right after the witnesses, before we move into the report.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Actually, Mr. Chairman, this is a motion that will take a bit of debate, I think.
I suggest that we move to our witnesses. They're here. I think if we want to have that discussion.... But we've also had the discussion around our report, which I'm thinking we want to get through this year.
I can't support that right now. I think we should hear our witnesses.
Conservative
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
I'm sorry, I'm just arriving now, but I would make a comment about an order. There's an order that we're following in terms of motions, so when it comes to actually debating motions, as much as possible we should follow the order unless there is unanimous consent to change the order, which we in fact have put in front of committee before.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
His motion, by procedure, can be debated. I would prefer to deal with our witnesses and our report as well.
