Agriculture Committee on Feb. 25th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

I thought it was within the first one, but you are right. We need an amendment.

Mr. Perron is therefore moving an amendment to include Standing Order 109 in the original motion.

Are there any questions? Are we in favour of adding Standing Order 109 to the original motion?

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Okay.

Then we have the second amendment, moved by Francis Drouin, which reads, “to do a gap analysis, identify improvements” and then continuing on with the lines.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Is that the second one?

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Yes, that's the second one, the one that Francis moved.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Okay. We're good with that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Does everyone agree?

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Okay.

Mr. Perron, do you have another amendment?

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I said at least six meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

You are saying at least six meetings.

We have another amendment on the floor, that we do at least six meetings.

Go ahead, Mr. Soroka.

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

I guess my question is this. By doing the minimum of six, what happens if we don't have enough witnesses at the time? That's why I'm fine with leaving it at three. If we need more, then we just extend it. Leaving it at a minimum of six is what I'm concerned about. A lot of times what happens is that people end up making stuff up just to fill in the time. Why waste our time if there is no reason?

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Are there any other comments?

Mr. Blois.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

I am not as familiar with the procedure in committees, but let's say we only need five meetings. Does the committee not have the ability to say, as a majority, that because of the realities we'll only do five? Perhaps that's a question for the clerk.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Mr. Perron, you have the floor.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

This is a really big question. My concern is that we are processing it too quickly. We said there will be three meetings, there will be consent, and boom, it will be over in five minutes. We won't have understood what happened and it will be over before we've had a chance to go around.

Will the committee members assure me that, if we need six or eight meetings, we will increase their number? We can vote to have six meetings, but it could go the other way if we finish the job after five meetings. For example, earlier we voted to have eight meetings, but the committee could decide that it's over after seven.

I think six meetings would be a reasonable amount of time to study the subject, but I am not going to go to the barricades to get this adopted.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

We will vote on the amendment.

Do we need the six meetings?

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

(Motion as amended agreed to)

Before we move along, I forgot to mention—I apologize—that we have with us Joanne Markle LaMontagne, who works with the library. She is learning the whole mechanism of this committee and the process.

We are really happy to have you here, Madame LaMontagne. I just wanted to introduce you to the committee. Thanks for being here. You can maybe write a report on what you see. It might not be to your advantage; I don't know.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

As well, members, a calendar has been distributed to you. For the new people here, this is how we see what's coming up. It's a tool we use to determine how many meetings we're going to have and on what dates, and which motion we will do first.

Mr. Perron, the floor is yours.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I had also sent a notice of motion and I wanted to table it. Is there still time to do that?

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Yes.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

You all received a document that contained several. This is the first one, and it deals with temporary foreign workers. I can read it and start talking about it while the hard copy is circulating.

Before we continue, I have a technical question, Mr. Chair. I did not prepare copies, but when I saw that everyone was giving out copies, I sent my assistant to make some, in a bit of a panic. When you present a notice of motion, do you always have to bring a paper copy or could I have presented it verbally?

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

It's not necessary, but it's better, and in both official languages, if possible.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

All right.

I will read my motion.

That the Committee undertake a study of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program for agricultural and agri-food workers, identifying the irritants and administrative constraints, and make recommendations on updating the program to make it more flexible; that the Committee report its recommendations to the House and that it ask the government to table a response in accordance with Standing Order 109.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

You heard the motion.

Are there any questions or comments?

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor.

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

It's not necessarily that we disagree.

You did distribute the schedule.

I'm just looking at times. We have supplementary estimates (B) coming, and then we have main estimates in May. We have 18 meetings left before June.

I would ask Mr. Perron when he wants to do the study exactly.

Would the study be done before June, or would it be done when we come back, in September or October?

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Members around the table surely understand my concern to carefully study the issues. This isn't a national emergency. If we get there before June, so be it, and if not, so be it.

There will be 18 meetings between now and June. I calculate that we have planned 14 meetings, so that leaves four.

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

There are the estimates as well.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I have a question as to how this works. Would it be better if I save my motion for later or table it now and we deal with it when the time comes, even if it's after June?