Evidence of meeting #11 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was question.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Marian Campbell Jarvis  Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Matt de Vlieger  Director General, Immigration, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Louis Dumas  Acting Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Jonathan Wallace  Director General, Temporary Foreign Workers Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Perhaps I can bring in the clerk here on, logistically, if we need to be more specific and why.

Mr. Clerk, do you want to comment on that?

4 p.m.

The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand the point of view expressed by Mr. Barlow.

What is important for the team supporting the committee is to receive clear indications for its last scheduled meeting on May 29. The committee will be able to address this issue at its meeting on Wednesday, May 27, taking into account the decisions made in the House on Monday, May 25. It will also be able to determine which witnesses it wishes to call at additional meetings that the House may authorize. However, if the committee learns that it does not have permission to sit after May 29, this step will be unnecessary.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

If we wait until after Monday to further refine the themes, that would give you enough time. Would that be all right with you?

4:05 p.m.

The Clerk

If we have about a week before we call witnesses for any meeting after Friday, May 29, that's fine with me.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Now, with that information, can we find...?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Yes, it was just to try to help the clerk. That was the only reason this motion was put forward.

As we discussed in our informal conversation outside this committee, I would move that, on Friday, May 29, the panel consist of, and the clerk, along with the analysts and the chair, work to have representatives from the chicken and the egg sector, along with grains and the meat processors.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Mr. Barlow, does that work for you?

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Yes, that works for me. It's much simpler. That's kind of what we agreed on.

As an aside, Chair—and maybe the clerk can answer this—are we running out of witnesses? I know we all submitted some names.

Is that the problem here, that we're running through the witness list?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Mr. Clerk, could you answer that question?

4:05 p.m.

The Clerk

In fact, there are enough witnesses that have been proposed by the recognized parties for the areas you want to address on Friday, May 29. They are the poultry and egg sector, the grain sector, and finally the meat processing sector.

So, for the May 29 meeting, everything is perfect.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

So really this doesn't matter at all.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

For the meetings that are already set up until Friday, we're good for witnesses.

With regard to anything beyond that, we would need to bring in more witnesses. If that's the wish of the committee, we can certainly wait until we know and then set a deadline to submit the witness lists.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Kody, we already have next Wednesday and Friday set, so I don't think we need to worry about this until Monday, until after we know what—

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Fair enough. I was working with the clerk to make sure they had the information based on what we talked about.

However, to your point, we can talk about it on Monday.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Okay. Are we all good with that?

4:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

We'll leave that until we know further if we're going to go forward. We shall see you next Wednesday....

Mr. Perron, you have the floor.

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

If we ever pass a motion, I'd like my addition to be included in it. I think my colleagues are in agreement. Having said that, I was wondering if the committee should submit a recommendation to the House of Commons to get the committee's mandate extended. Do we have that authority? I think all members of the committee want to continue the work, given that we haven't yet heard from all the groups of witnesses.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

I think it's up to all of us to talk to our whips. Indeed, they are the ones who will give us directives for the future. So I would encourage you to talk to your respective whips and tell them that we haven't finished our work and that we would like to continue it. That's what I'm suggesting.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Have a good weekend, everyone.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Okay.

Have a good weekend. Goodbye, everyone.

The meeting is now adjourned.