Bill C-32 (40th Parliament, 3rd Session) Committee on Nov. 23rd, 2010

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

What I'd maybe like to hear from the Liberals is an alternative time, because I think we need to get our witness... We have an opportunity to start hearing witnesses. Obviously we're hearing our first witnesses on Thursday morning. It would seem to make sense that we would continue hearing from witnesses, starting Monday, as we move forward. It just seems kind of funny to set a schedule and then cancel the first meeting. I don't know. It just seems a little bit odd, especially given that the schedule we have is pretty late to begin with.

Certainly, we all have commitments. I assume that the leader is going to be in town on Thursday as well and perhaps can accommodate if need be, if this is at all even the remotest of priorities in the Liberal Party. It sounds like it, because the leader is wanting to meet with you. But I'm just trying to find a way to accommodate this somehow and still accommodate the chair.

Mr. Chair, is there any time on Wednesday evening so that we could kind of work things out around the vote? Could we meet at 5 or 4:30 and go till 7 or 7:30, but leave for the vote and come back?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Mr. McTeague, do you have something?

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

We're meeting on Wednesday essentially to discuss witnesses and how to break this down. It would be kind of difficult for me to propose, then, the Tuesday morning when we've already started meeting witnesses ostensibly and presumably on Monday. It would be putting the cart before the horse.

Mr. Del Mastro may have had the right approach, I think, in terms of trying to find an hour before and an hour after. I'm not sure if that works. I appreciate the goodwill around the table. We want to get this started as soon as possible, and that may be the only way to do it, considering the meeting we have. I would suggest perhaps 4:30 to 5:30.

The votes, Mr. Chair, are at what time?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

The bells are at 5:30, but the votes are not actually until 6 o'clock.

So if we're actually in here--

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

If it's going to be in this room, why don't we just run for the hour and a half? If we need more time, we'll come back after the vote. I mean, that's the best I can do consistent with Mr. Del Mastro's offer.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Could we attempt to start at 3:15 if we are in this room?

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Our problem is the time before 4:30 p.m. From 3 till 4:30 p.m. is a problem for us.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

But your meeting is not until four o'clock and it's probably in this building. We could get started.

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Obviously there's a need for a steering committee before this. Chair, I would suggest 4:30 right up to the time in which it's imperative we be in our seats, and if we need time afterwards.... That's really just a friendly offering, building on what Mr. Del Mastro kindly has offered to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Ms. Boucher.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

When we committed to sitting on the legislative committee, we undertook to work. Everyone has to get involved, and if we can do this tomorrow, I think it would be important to start tomorrow.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I support 4:30 p.m. up to the bell. I'm concerned about how much we're actually going to be able to get done if we go after that.

My desire here is to make sure that we develop a good witness list and that it's a coherent witness list. I'm not fully committed to having a witness list completely filled in by tomorrow because people have been waiting. I know there are many people out there who have told me in the past that they want to speak, but until the legislative committee was struck.... I have most of my witness list, but I'm thinking that by Monday it's going to be fully complete.

But I'd like to get started tomorrow, so that at least by mid-week next week we are actually starting to call witnesses. I'm willing to do that hour. I think that would be good. But like I said, I think there's going to be spillover time and that we're going to need time, and I'm expecting that on Monday.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Okay. We really are out of time. I have a number of potential speakers here. We were supposed to wind up at 10:45. Many of the members here are members of the industry committee, which is obviously going to be starting very late today.

We have a proposal to meet from 4:30 till 5:30, or possibly go on till 5:45 after the members have their other meeting. With the consent of the committee, that's what we'll do, and we'll do our best to hear from the analysts and at least have a plan for the following week, so that we can notify some witnesses. If that can be our goal tomorrow, between 4:30 and 5:45, with the consent of the committee, shall we proceed on that basis?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

The problem, Mr. Chairman, is that if we postpone the committee because on our side we would like to have a meeting, nothing guarantees that our meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. and end by 4:30. That is the problem. It is up to us to know whether we should postpone this meeting or change something else. We cannot say that we will be here at 4:30 p.m. knowing full well the type of meetings that take place earlier. We should not mislead the committee. So, we do not know. That is all.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

We'll call the meeting for 4:30 and we'll proceed on that basis.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

No, but--

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

I see some compromise from one side to have some flexibility and not have the meeting start at the time that was actually proposed by a motion passed by the committee, so the compromise is to start at 4:30. We'll go from there.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

The meeting is adjourned.