Agriculture Committee on Oct. 7th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

The advice I'm getting here, Mr. Hoback, is that the motion we just dealt with asks the House to extend this, and the motion you're suggesting is exactly contrary to that. What the clerk is saying, and I think unless somebody can show me something that I've missed, I believe she is correct in that this motion would not--

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

So, Mr. Chair, the impact of this vote we've just had by the Liberals, then, has meant that, no matter what we do, this bill has to proceed. Are you saying that this motion cannot come forward anywhere in the next 30 days?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

As per what I read before, this request would go to the House. The House would report back on it, and more than likely grant the extension.

[An hon. member]

You don't know that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I don't know that. I'm just saying that unless there's something else.... But to present this motion at this time...it can't come forth.

A point of order.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

We have 10 minutes left. I think we could agree on three more hearings on this issue and put it behind us. Government members have wasted two meetings of this committee, and I suggest we get to the agenda items and just state a number of hearings so we can get the issue dealt with prior to the Remembrance Day break.

Let's please stop the games.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

As to the number of meetings on it, because we have a report from subcommittee in front of us, in order to discuss that we probably need to go in camera to deal with that report. If there's a wish to amend the report, we can deal with it at that time. I think that would be the correct procedure.

A point of order.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I'd move a motion to amend the report of the steering committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

You can't do that at this point.

Mr. Storseth is next, and then Mr. Hoback.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to make a motion that the committee take out of camera and make public the minutes of our October 5, 2010, meeting.

We were in camera simply to discuss the subcommittee report. There was nothing that came out of that discussion that was confidential. I believe it will prove to the public that Mr. Easter is not telling the truth when he says that our side is the one playing games. It was Mr. Easter who talked out the clock at the end of the last meeting. It was Mr. Easter who had the floor. I move that the committee immediately allow the October 5 transcripts to come out of camera.

I believe this is in order and has been done in the natural resources committee in the past.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Mr. Storseth, I thought you were making a point of order.

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

Regardless, I didn't. I'm making a motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

You didn't ask for a point of order? You had your hand up. I thought that's what you were saying. If you weren't on a point of order, then you can raise the motion.

Is there any discussion on the motion?

André.

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

I have something to say and it is not a point of order.

I am very pleased that the meeting this morning is public. Agricultural producers are going to see what offhand treatment the government party is giving them right now. We have extremely important matters we need to discuss and once again we are going to lose a working session, when there are not many left between now and the Christmas break. We have lost a working session to childishness.

The motion on the floor was only a formality, a request for an extension to consider a bill. We can very well decide to consider the bill at three meetings so we can hear a few witnesses, and that is what we're going to do.

I remind my Conservative friends that they themselves wanted to hear certain witnesses on Bill C-474. What is so dangerous about having discussions on a priority bill? We have no choice but to consider it and whether someone supports it or not is of no importance. Today is not when that is going to be decided. These political games and these attacks on Wayne Easter, or on anyone, get us nowhere, because it is his constituents, including the rural ones, who will decide his fate in the election, after he changed his position on the Canadian Firearms Registry. The election is when that will be decided. Talking about it here at every committee meeting, every day, will not help the farming community.

Some beef and pork producers, or producers from all sectors, expect us, their elected representatives, to operate in as non-partisan a way as possible. I know it isn't easy because we all have election platforms and priorities to abide by. This committee used to function well and we were able to work together. In fact I have told many people that. Unfortunately, things have been going badly for a short time now.

I will now come back to what you said earlier, Mr. Chair, that we never manage to finish what we start. I recalled the many reports we have written. This committee has even produced unanimous reports. I have been a member for five years. We even managed to create a subcommittee on listeriosis. We made a report on that subject. Work does get done here, and I am sure that all my colleagues will agree with me that the agricultural producers are grateful that we are working for them, whether we are for or against certain measures, that is not important. The important thing is to try to achieve progress on issues.

Today, we have again had evidence of the disdain with which the Conservatives sitting on this committee look on the concerns of agricultural producers. They have engaged in systematic obstruction for an entire meeting because there was a request for an extension. I have never seen this in any committee, wasting time like this on this kind of motion, which is a mere formality. I still can't get over it. I am glad the meeting was public, because people are going to know this and they will be able to judge how the Conservatives are treating them.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you.

We have finished business, but we have way too much business that never gets finished, André.

I will just remind you that we have about two and a half minutes left.

I have Alex, then Mr. Hoback, and then you, Mr. Lemieux.

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

I speak against Brian's motion. We can spend time conjuring up all sorts of meetings and bringing them out of camera. Our purpose initially was to decide whether, yes or no, we'd extend talk on my bill. We decided yes.

Our next purpose was to spend some time to approve the steering committee report. It looks, with two minutes left, like we are not going to do it. So we're going into vacation with no clear direction other than the fact that we've voted to extend my bill, which is good. But we don't have an idea of the schedule, because we won't have time to discuss it, because of this filibuster.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Order.

We have a minute and a half left. Can I call the vote?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay, go ahead, Mr. Hoback.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

It's so frustrating, because, André, you're 100% right. I agree with you, but you're making the accusations to the wrong side of the floor. We wanted to get this thing off the table and get it away. It's the Liberal Party that's saying they want to hear more witnesses so they can vote against Mr. Atamanenko's bill. It's fairly clear what they are doing. They're wasting our time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

On a point of order, Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I know we're going to run out of time, so what I suggest is that you have a steering committee meeting this afternoon or tomorrow so that you can plan the next two meetings for next week for this committee, with witnesses, so that we don't lose two more days.

[An hon. member]

No.

[An hon. member]

We're not here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I can tell you right now that I can't do that today.