Evidence of meeting #82 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
We continue to work and collaborate with international organizations. We have and we'll continue to do more, because it makes—
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Do you believe it is a worthwhile use of $3 million of taxpayers' money to send foreigners to foreign conferences?
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
It's a yes-or-no question, Minister. Is it good value for taxpayers' money?
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
If you're going to ask.... You're a good McCauley, but when you ask the question, you let somebody answer the question.
3:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
But I asked a yes-or-no question: do you believe it's a good use of taxpayers' money?
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I believe collaboration with other countries is very important. What we need to do is make sure that we continually collaborate with other countries and also—
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
—aid other countries in order to make sure we can work with them.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
That's what we have done, and that's what we will continue to do.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Do foreign countries send us money to send Canadians to Canadian conferences?
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Let me ask you a question.
Recently, your government cut funding to an initiative to improve autism services. It was about $4 million a year.
Do you think it's a better use of taxpayers' money to send foreigners to foreign conferences rather than funding autism services? Is that a better use of taxpayers' money?
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Well, I don't want to be.... I don't know if we're distantly related or not, but the fact is that autism is really not in my jurisdiction. What—
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
What I'm trying to tell you, with some difficulty, is that what we do is work with other countries in order to make sure we collaborate with other countries. We do help other countries, and we do help students in other countries, which is not inappropriate.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Which students are we sending and from what countries? Do we know? This was asked, actually, on November 17, 2016. That was over a year ago. We still haven't gotten an answer back from the government. Which students from what countries are we sending?