Evidence of meeting #37 for Canadian Heritage in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was crtc.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Konrad von Finckenstein  Chair, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Michel Arpin  Vice-Chair, Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Scott Hutton  Acting Associate Executive Director, Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

Call the question on more witnesses?

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB

I call the question.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

I called the question, on more—

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB

To shut it down. You did call the question, and we're wondering if you wanted us to vote on that.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

Yes. It was agreed.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB

Okay.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

It was agreed.

Now, we talk about public hearings; next Tuesday there's going to be a draft report brought forward to this committee on the CTF.

Do we want it in camera or do we want it to be a public hearing?

Usually when a draft report is brought to a committee, it is done in camera and then we can release a report afterwards. If there's any time through that particular time that we feel we should open it up, we could do that.

But I suggest our meeting next Tuesday be held in camera.

Yes, Mr. Scott.

10:50 a.m.

Liberal

Andy Scott Liberal Fredericton, NB

I think your comparison, or inferred comparison, is after we've had public hearings; this exercise has been very public, so it's a different thing. What the CRTC is proposing is that the hearings wouldn't be public. Ours were.

The fact that we're writing this in camera should not suggest anything other than it's the process because it's a draft report. The reality is that a draft report is massaged by the committee so that it becomes, at least at the optimum, a unanimous report.

You can't do that when you start here, but that does not forgive others who would wish to have the public part of this exercise private.

You were mentioning that comparison, and I didn't want that...I just wanted to draw your attention to that.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

Okay, thank you.

Mr. Angus.

10:50 a.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

I have two issues. One is that given the nature of this report, I'd like to know that we will get any of the recommendations that are being prepared well enough in advance, because I don't think Tuesday will be sufficient for us to sit down and expect to come out of something as volatile as this has been and actually get something done.

It is past practice on committee for us to be in camera at that moment when we're discussing a report. It's, you know, a chop shop: it's going to be messy business.

We've held all our hearings in public, but I feel it's standard parliamentary process to be in camera as we are engaged in discussing the various--

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger

I'll advise everyone, as the clerk has just advised me, that it will be in your office tomorrow afternoon. Everyone will have them tomorrow afternoon.

Okay. All business done?

Meeting adjourned.