Evidence of meeting #4 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 budget.
Bloc
Maka Kotto Bloc Saint-Lambert, QC
It is because the documents have already been sent, is that it? It is not this motion?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
It is “That the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage summon the senior executives of Telefilm Canada, the members of its Board of Directors”--
Bloc
Maka Kotto Bloc Saint-Lambert, QC
Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, but I thought we were still dealing with the report.
I was indeed informed of the legal opinion. We would obviously have saved time if we had called upon Telefilm Canada's officials to appear in-camera, but since we have ascribed to the logic of transparency, I would prefer to defer until the outcome of the legal process the meeting with that group. I therefore would like to suspend my motion for now.
(Motion withdrawn)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Before we do work on your motions, I'm going to bring in the motion on the Banff World Television Festival. It was proposed. What we've done is we have brought two budgets forward here. We've looked at things.
I'm just wondering how it would suit the committee if one member from each party plus the parliamentary secretary plus the committee were to go to Banff. The reason I'm saying this is that the budget for everyone to go would be $50,000.
Bloc
Maka Kotto Bloc Saint-Lambert, QC
Mr. Chairman, do you have the budget in front of you, because we do not have it in our documents? I do not know if we are going to be talking numbers.
Conservative
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Jacques Lahaie
The budget was presented two weeks ago. The overall budget amounted to $97,000 and we were asked to reduce it. That exercise having been done, it now amounts to $50,000. We cut it in half.
If the members of the Committee accept the chair's suggestion to send one representative per party, it would be yet another budget, this time of $34,000.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
I will read the motion:
That the proposed travel budget in the amount of $34,774 for the committee's meetings with the Industry stakeholders during the Banff World Television Festival be adopted and the Chair present the said budget to the budget subcommittee of the liaison committee.
That was for five members and four staff.
Mr. Bélanger, go ahead, please.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Chair, first of all, I don't know how many of the full complement of members will want to go. That's an imponderable that could be rendered ponderable in knowing, but as it is, it's imponderable.
I do not have the figures in front of me, but if I've just heard right, for $50,000—which is half of what we originally proposed, and that is in accordance with the wishes of the committee—the entire committee can go. For $34,000, four plus one can go. Is that it?
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Fine. I'd have a problem with the second proposal. If we have accepted, after fairly significant discussion, the importance of participating at this event—and I think our research officer has distributed a document that attests to that, and the fact that the minister is going to be there in the afternoon of Sunday making an important speech, I gather, attests to it as well—I would argue that only sending a few members of committee would not be helpful, in the sense that the idea was that we all might be brought up to speed and to the same level, so that we can function better as we embark upon a fairly extensive round of discussions and considerations of broadcasting regulations, of CBC mandate review, terms of reference, and so on. For just a few members to have the opportunity for discussion with the representatives of every group involved in the production and broadcasting of television—and cinema, in this case—and not others would I think be counterproductive.
That's why I'm wondering at the sagacity of sending only five members rather than all of those who may wish to go.
I have many more, Jim.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Chair, I have to be careful, because I haven't had a chance to speak with my other members, who didn't come today, regarding whether they'll be left behind.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
But I would say, on the principle that my tardy colleagues who didn't come.... Well, I won't ask them to come to Banff now.
On a more serious note, the only thing I would suggest is that perhaps we could do this in a more collegial manner. I recognize we may not need to have everybody there, but there are people from each of the parties who have played a role in the past, and who continue to play a role, who would otherwise not get the opportunity. It's not to say four people or twelve; it's to ask whether there are people who really feel they want to be there. Let's count up how many that makes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Let's just start off with the original one, then, that we wanted, which is half of what it was the last time for everybody to go. We'll have a vote on that, and as far as the motion is concerned, we'll just change the figures. For three days for 14 people, it is $50,811.
So it would be:
That the proposed travel budget in the amount of $ 50,815.00 for the Committee's to attend the Banff World Television Festival and meet with Stakeholders of the Industry be adopted and that the Chair present the said budget to the Budget Subcommittee on the Liaison Committee.
That is the motion.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, I suggested we could do a show of hands to see whether there's even any point in bringing this forward. I don't believe we are talking about 14 people right now. If we're talking about six, it's quite a different story, so I would prefer to get a general sense to know whether this motion deserves to even be discussed or whether we're moving on to a much smaller number.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm curious. With the number of people who are going to be in Banff, and given the fact that this event is going to be taking place next week and that there are, I presume, going to be a couple of thousand people coming to Banff, could we presume there's even going to be accommodation for us, deciding to go at the last minute, in any event? That's a practical question.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Perhaps that could be directed to the clerk, but it's not next week; it's the week after.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
As another practical question, I'm assuming that the committee will not be meeting during that week. Is that correct?
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
No, I think that would be inappropriate. I'm not sure that's part of the original motion. I haven't heard that articulated here.
Conservative
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
I understand that, but they'll not be formal committee meetings such as we have today.