Evidence of meeting #4 for Bill C-32 (40th Parliament, 3rd Session) in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was list.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Just one moment, Mr. Angus.
Just so Madame Lavallée understands who we've got, we have the Canadian Copyright Board, Access Copyright, and the Canadian Private Copying Collective.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
We should always remember that the camel was the racehorse designed by a committee. I think the best thing we could do is give general instructions, and I trust the clerk to bring back who's ready. We're conjuring up people on a day and a half notice. I don't think that's probably necessarily the best thing to do. I think we need some general instructions.
My concern about Access Copyright is that Access Copyright should probably speak—and I'm getting all my acronyms mixed up—with the Quebec equivalent on the same day. They're speaking from two different sections of the country.
In general, if we look at some of the mechanical rights organizations, if they're ready, if they're available, let's do it. We trust you. When we come in, we'll get who we get. I don't have a problem with who speaks.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Okay.
Moving forward, we have Wednesday nailed down here.
Mr. Lake.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
I agree with what Mr. Angus said in terms of the quality of the researchers and the expertise. Prior to the next time that we sit down like this, I would like to see if we could get a little bit of a grouping of the witnesses together, your thoughts in terms of which organizations might come together. That would be helpful to us, I think.
This is food for thought. If we take a look at the parliamentary calendar, at the rate we're going--I did do a little bit of calculation--if we have no planning meetings, we'd be done the week of September 30 or September 26. I think it's incumbent on us to move a little bit more quickly. Hopefully, members of the committee will take a look at that and take it under consideration.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Thank you, Mr. Lake.
What I was trying to do was get us through Wednesday. So we're in a good place now.
4:25 p.m.
An hon. member
Of which year?
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Yes, we're scheduled for Wednesday.
Madame Lavallée wants to speak, but I want to hear from our analysts. They have some proposals and some ideas they want to talk about, but they need a little bit more time.
Mr. Del Mastro wanted us not to use the second hour of Monday. I know there are members of the committee who want to move this ahead faster, but we do have to have some level of planning. I met with our analysts earlier to talk about how we can move this forward as best we can, and they have some ideas, but they need a little bit more time to put that together.
So, if possible, if we could figure out the first hour for Monday, and then use that second hour, with the indulgence of the committee, of course.
Mr. Del Mastro, you have the floor.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
If possible, and I don't want to belabour the fact that we don't have a lot of meetings—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Thank you.
I don't want to belabour the fact that we don't have a lot of meetings. I'd just like to suggest that perhaps members of the opposition might consider forming a steering committee that could discuss this with the analysts and meet perhaps Thursday morning.
I know I'm available. I'd be happy to meet to discuss these matters Thursday morning as part of a steering committee, so that we don't have to take up one of the hours on Monday. I think it's a reasonable request—surely to goodness, it's reasonable—so we don't have to use up one of the hours on Monday that we could otherwise use to hear from our 214 witnesses.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Well, we could have a steering committee, with myself and one member from each party, if that's the way the committee wants to—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
I'd like to move a motion that we form such a committee, Mr. Chair.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
It already exists, but whether we use it or not is up to the committee to decide.
Madame Lavallée.
4:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I would like to go back to a subject because earlier I asked to speak and was not given the floor.
First, our witnesses in the second hour on Wednesday, and even those in the first hour, may not be available. We shouldn't begrudge them that. They have had two days' notice, so it has to be understood that people have schedules to meet. So I wouldn't want us to begrudge them that, to reject them and replace them with other people of similar origin. That's my wish.
Second, with regard to Thursday morning, I'm very sorry to tell Mr. Del Mastro that, personally, my other time slots are full. I don't know what he does, but I have other things to do. In any case, experience in committees has shown that, after the steering committee has had a meeting, most of the time we go back to the main committee to resume the same discussion. So we waste that precious time. In fact, we waste twice as much time instead of occupying our it as we should; that is to say that all committee members—there aren't that many of us—should make their obligations known.
So I'm opposed to the Thursday morning meeting. I suggest instead that we do what we're doing now. In any case, on the other committees, the clerk prepares the orders of the day, submits them to us and we discuss them. It's right for it to be done that way. I would like to hear the opinions of everyone around this table on the orders of the day so that we don't have this discussion again.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
If we wish to utilize the steering committee, then each party will have to identify their person and decide whether that's the route we are going to go.
Mr. Angus and then Mr. McTeague.
4:30 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll talk with myself and come back with a name for the steering committee when I'm feeling more comfortable than I am right now.
I think we should probably consider using the steering committee at certain points. If it can't be done Thursday, we could probably get through some issues that we just can't seem to get through right now, getting our feet wet in this deluge that we're going to be going into.
I do think we need to take the time to do the planning right. Otherwise, we're going to trip up further down the road. If the analysts need the time, by Monday or whatever, to come back with the witness list and the themes, to me that is key for us, to actually start to get through this.
If we can start to break it down by themes and discuss among ourselves some of the.... There are going to be three or four major themes, three or four more contentious themes that we're going to need to deal with. There are a number of more subtle issues that can be grouped together. But if we can develop a plan based on addressing those, addressing what comes out of the witness list, we're actually going to then start to make some ground.
I'm open to doing that in a steering committee meeting or in a general meeting. If we're ready Monday, I'm ready Monday. If they want to hold off Monday until they've got more time, then I'd say let's just pick some more witnesses. We'll start meeting and then come back, and give us a time when it's good for us to sit down and make a plan to get through this.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gord Brown
Mr. McTeague, and then I think we're going to try to hear from our analysts.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Chair, the idea of having a steering committee I think has merit, but it would be a question of the time. I know that Mr. Rodriguez has other commitments, and so do we on the industry committee, especially at 11 o'clock. So perhaps a time could be suggested in advance and any one of us three would probably be on that steering committee, from the Liberal perspective.