Agriculture Committee on March 29th, 2019

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I'll conclude by repeating that on March 8 we sent a letter to the committee asking that the three ministers appear. The month of March is coming to a close and we still have not heard the three ministers. And today we learned that the Liberals have no intention of letting the three ministers appear before the committee.

I invite my colleague, one last time, to withdraw this amendment and allow us to extend an invitation to the three ministers, so that the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food can carry out a real study on this issue involving agriculture.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Mr. Berthold.

The subamendment reads as follows:

That the committee invite the following witnesses to appear concerning official notices of non-compliance from China for exports...

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Go ahead, Mr. Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I just want to make sure that Mr. Drouin has understood correctly, and ask whether he intends to withdraw his amendment before you put it to a vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Mr. Drouin did not ask for the floor, so I will—

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am not here to play politics.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Minister of International Trade Diversification will appear in committee Tuesday. Whether they appear at our committee or at the Standing Committee on International Trade, the important thing is that farmers be able to hear what the ministers have to say.

We don't want to duplicate the work by doing the same study as the Standing Committee on International Trade. That said, we felt that we could add value to our study of this issue by hearing CFIA representatives and industry representatives, including producers.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Mr. Drouin.

We are going to vote on the amendment. This is the text of the amendment we are voting on:

[...] concerning official notices of non-compliance from China for exports of Canadian canola seeds [...]

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

I'd like a recorded vote on this, please.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

It will be a recorded vote.

(Amendment as amended agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

We will now vote on the amended motion.

Yes, Mr. Berthold?

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, I would like you to read the amended motion, please.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Here it is:

That the committee invite the following witnesses to appear concerning official notices of non-compliance from China for exports of Canadian canola seeds:

a. Officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; and

b. Industry representatives;

that all witnesses appear no later than Friday, April 5, 2019.

We will now vote on the motion as amended.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I ask for a recorded vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Very well, we will hold a recorded vote.

(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to table the following motion:

That the Committee invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and industry representatives, farmers and producers to appear regarding the recent halting of Canadian canola sales in China, and that all witnesses appear no later than April 5, 2019.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

According to my interpretation, the motion that has just been tabled is almost identical to the one that was tabled previously, and so—

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Just before you make a decision, which I do not intend to challenge, may I remind you about the justification we provided for the amendment of the previous motion: we said that it was because the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Minister of International Trade Diversification would already be appearing before another committee. I am asking that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who will not appear before the other committee, come here to testify about this situation.

It is entirely normal that the committee wishes to hear the Minister of Foreign Affairs, either here or before the Standing Committee on International Trade. This motion is completely different. The previous motion asked that the three ministers appear here simultaneously to discuss this matter. This motion only asks that the Minister of Foreign Affairs appear here, together with farmers and producers, who were not included in the previous motion, which only referred to industry representatives.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

You have the floor, Mr. Drouin.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

The original version of the previous motion did not say that the ministers and representatives of the industry would appear together before the committee. That is not true.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

The original motion asked that the Minister of Foreign Affairs also appear before the committee.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Can he clarify what the motion does say then? He's saying it doesn't include officials. You're basically saying that you will not call any ministers in front of the committee then. What are you saying then?

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Go ahead, Mr. Drouin.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Berthold said that the motion called for all witnesses to appear together, which it didn't.