Evidence of meeting #55 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was motions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
You're right.
I don't have any motions before you on the list of 16 here. But I've been on this committee for a couple of years, and time after time motions have come forward. I think it's been mentioned that on this side, motions have come forward that we thought would be of interest and needed to be dealt with. It may have taken some discussion, but we've always agreed that those motions would slide back and fit within the order there.
In fact, I think some of those motions have been withdrawn. I think if you go back about a year ago, to move ahead—I forget now what the topic was—we withdrew a motion so the debate.... It had either lost its significance, in time, or we wanted to move ahead with what was next on the order sheet.
I find it pretty interesting, though, that in this motion it says “the Standing Committee on Agriculture & Agri-food recommend that the government place”; then it goes on for a little while. That is a motion by Mr. Easter.
If you go to motion six on advanced payment that came forward on September 2, 2010, it reads, “that the Committee undertake a review on an urgent basis of the Advanced Payment Program”.
Well, as he does, he has most of the motions that are on here. He keeps putting motions out. He talks about dealing with this “on an urgent basis”, because this is the item of the day; we need to deal with this issue now.
That was in September. He has never followed up in terms of getting this motion in front of the committee.
If you go to Mr. Atamanenko's motion, number 13, you will see that it came forward on January 28, “that this Committee recommend that the government immediately advise US President”. Well, this is March 10.
That hasn't been pushed in terms of moving other motions aside to get to this urgent, immediate motion.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
He has actually taken a lot of calls from the Prime Minister, and that's been really good--
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
--in terms of how we're moving ahead with our trade and why some of these motions in terms of trade and moving and getting some of the issues around COOL, for example, resolved. It is important that our Prime Minister is actually getting the answers and getting the calls from the President.
At any rate, aside from that, I should go back to the motion debate. I don't know how and I don't know why the opposition parties are saying, “Well, you know, just because now we've got another event of the day right now....”
I don't think anybody is saying that the concerns around Roundup Ready alfalfa won't be a concern at the time. But I go back; as my colleague said, they authorized Roundup Ready alfalfa in 2005. This is now March of 2011, and I don't know just what the big emergency is to put a moratorium on it.
Well, I do know, because they're in the opportune position, Mr. Chair, to call an election. He wants to get out all the information he can that would help support him and say how bad Roundup Ready alfalfa is, and yet he was in the Liberal government and was the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture who actually authorized it.
Conservative
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
My point, though, is that he has asked to bring this forward and jump the queue on 15 other ones. I would ask that he withdraw his motions as we work down through the process--and the ones who have their motions--so that we can get to number 16.
My colleagues have one on the Wheat Board and we have one in terms of the rail, which are significant to a motion that is immediate. As wheat is moving out, it has urgency because it's actually happening.
Mr. Chair, I don't disagree about having a discussion and reflecting the concerns about Roundup Ready alfalfa, but there's a process, and we're going to follow the process. That's been a precedent that has been set by this committee on all other motions.
I'll just reiterate that if they want to step back and defer or withdraw those motions out of precedent, out of respect for the rest of what the committee has done, then we could move ahead with that particular motion. It's not a good motion, but we could have that debate on it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Liberal
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First I'd like to say that presenting a strong argument about a compelling issue at this committee should not be regarded as bullying. I don't think anybody on this committee bullies. I don't think anybody bullies anyone on this committee. You simply make strong arguments about very compelling issues.
People do take advantage of the rules from time to time, by filibustering and things of that nature, but bullying is not—
Conservative
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
I'd like to point out that Mr. Valeriote is not on the topic of the motion. For the record, he's actually the one who is filibustering at this point.
Liberal
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
No, that's not true at all. I'm dealing with the motion at hand, Mr. Storseth. Don't make inaccurate comments for the sake of the record.
