Canadian Heritage Committee on May 12th, 2016

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

I agree with him on the last point. They have a great hockey team, and following our conversation at the last meeting, I even have the tickets already arranged for him for the game in September.

I believe we had agreed, because Brandon is in the middle of Saskatoon and Winnipeg. I think, logistically, it's a great place to be, because there is diversity in the opportunities for people to come to Brandon as well. I agree with that part of it. You certainly don't want to exclude anyone. Knowing some of those folks and some of the papers Mr. Vandal has indicated and some of the media outlets there as well, there are opportunities in Brandon. It's also a situation where we're looking at no Saskatoon. I will let Mr. Waugh speak to that himself. We're going to Edmonton, so there's an opportunity for Lloydminster, to go there, and anything on the northwest side of Saskatchewan. There is an opportunity here for many of the smaller communities, including Regina, to come to Brandon. Weyburn, Estevan, Yorkton have quite a news outlet there as well, for both radio and papers. Dauphin is the same, and we're trying to look at how we get media into rural and remote areas.

God bless Winnipeg, and I agree with it—I spent a lot of years there in the legislature—but it's not a remote area and it's certainly not rural from that perspective.

I agree that there is an opportunity to have those people come to Brandon. I also think there are many community newspapers, weekly and daily. With The Brandon Sun, there's a great story to be told by the Westman Communications Group in Brandon as well. Their co-operative has been a success in their whole process. In fact, I talked to their chair, David Baxter, when he was here just the other evening with the Canadian cable services group. He's the chair of Canada for them. He would make a presentation. He would be willing to do that as well. I've already spoken to some of them, and I said, of course, it was subject to.... There are some pretty good stories and pretty good opportunities there with local papers as well. That's part of the reason I suggested Brandon in the first place, and I appreciated Mr. Vandal's support for that the other day.

I appreciate just having the opportunity to discuss this openly. There is still a good opportunity to have Brandon as a major centre for the type of study we are doing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Nantel wishes to speak, but before we go any further, I would like to suggest that we had all agreed that, in the interests of efficiency and cost effectiveness, we would go to one place, not a major city, in each area.

So Mr. Vandal, I would put it to you that going to both Winnipeg and Brandon in Manitoba would not be in keeping with what we have done everywhere else where we've gone to one place and brought people to that place because it's cheaper to travel within a province than it is to travel across the country. Therefore, I would like to suggest that when we continue to discuss this, it be Winnipeg or Brandon. It cannot be both. It would be the only place in Canada where we would be doing that, going to both.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Winnipeg is a fascinating city with its many voices, whether francophone, aboriginal, Ukrainian or Filipino. The question is, could we hope to see people from Winnipeg in Brandon, as you suggest, Madam Chair? That is my question. Is that feasible and attainable?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes. In terms of travel plans, it is feasible, because we're doing it everywhere else. We're bringing people from elsewhere into the place where we are meeting, so it is possible. So as you discuss, think about those options you have.

Mr. Vandal, go ahead.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I think it is much more realistic to assume that people from rural communities will go to Winnipeg. It is not as clear that the Filipino Star or even The Streets FM will be represented in Brandon.

which is an FM station geared toward young indigenous people. In fact, I think it's unlikely. It is more likely that it would be the other way around, and we'd be guaranteed a more diverse group of witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Nantel.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Mr. Vandal, what you are touching on—and you know the Winnipeg media well—is that this community has a wonderful fabric. The problem you raise could apply to all the cities we visit, however. If for example it would be too much to expect people from a big city to go visit people in a small locality, we have a problem because that is part of the study we want to undertake. We want to study small media in the regions, and sometimes the nearest major centre.

In that sense, I think your concern is very valid. It means that the committee, perhaps in our capacity as envoys, we will have to convince the media in major centres to make the trip to the region for once. Unless I am mistaken, I think your concern applies throughout Canada and we need to address it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

What you have in front of you is what we agreed to at the last meeting for travel. We are now entertaining on Thursday, September 22, a departure from Edmonton to Brandon. Mr. Vandal is suggesting that it not be departure to Brandon, but a departure to Winnipeg instead.

This is what we're discussing, because we had agreed on everything else. That's in front of you, just for you to look at it for your own information as you make a decision on how to vote on this issue.

Mr. Vandal.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I'd simply like to call to question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right.

I'll call to question.

Yes, Mr. Maguire.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

There is another option that hasn't been here before. I see it in the packages that we've been given, in option 5. On October 2 we would go to Ottawa or to Brandon, I guess, and then to Windsor. We hadn't discussed this, but this is the first time I've seen it.

I've wonder if this is an option that we need to speak about before we vote on this.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

Madam Chair, I called to question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Which question do you speak to Mr. Maguire?

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

It's option 5 in the papers that we've just been given.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We'll have to deal with this motion first, because this motion does not pertain to option 5, really.

Let us deal with the question here. Those in favour?

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Madam Chair, I beg to differ. This does involve it because it makes quite a difference. I might make a totally different decision if I know we're going to Brandon in the third week, as opposed to option 1 being the only outlet for that area. We're combining Brandon and Windsor here, in option 5. That makes quite a difference, I think, to the schedules we have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I would just like to comment that what we have is option 1, and this is option 5, and it just means that we will take a different route. If you look at option 1, which is dealing with the western area, the departure is from Edmonton to Brandon—or it could be Edmonton to Winnipeg. I don't see there's a difference in the terms of where we go from where.

I'm just saying that the question is Winnipeg versus Brandon. I'm going to call the question, because it doesn't matter. If we leave Ottawa to go to Winnipeg, we're still going to be leaving in any option to go to Winnipeg.

Is it Winnipeg or Brandon, I will call the question Mr. Maguire.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

I just make the point that I might support Mr. Vandal if I knew we were going to, in option 1, if it was were even, as long as we were going back to look at option 5 and pass it, too. It does make a difference. That would be that third week of travel, but it's only two days. It takes in Brandon and Windsor, which wouldn't be in option 1, or option 2, then I'm assuming.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I will have the clerk explain the options, please.

When we discussed this in the last meeting, we seemed to have agreed on how we were going to do this, and he has developed a budget based on what is the most cost-effective way to travel to those areas.

Maybe he can explain it to you.

Before the question, the clerk needs to explain the travel so that everyone can make an informed choice. Shall we Mr. Vandal?

Yes, go ahead.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Jean-François Lafleur]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

At the last meeting, when we talked about travel, we agreed about all the cities that we would be visiting, tentatively. Options 1 and 2 were the ones we discussed. After revising this with the logistics officers, who are working with us, it seemed like we were going to Iqaluit first, in option 2.

Going to Iqaluit first saves us a lot of time. I will explain why. If we put Iqaluit in the middle of our trip, we have to plan backwards in adjusting for departure from, and arrival in, Iqaluit. With those two flights, we will have to work around this. If we do it first, logistically speaking, it will be much easier because we would leave on the Sunday, get there, arrange our meetings as we want, and leave afterwards. It doesn't have much effect on all the rest, as opposed to if it's in on Wednesday per se, when it would be really problematic. It could increase the costs of the airfare on top of that.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

This should be talked about in camera.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Not really. You guys wanted this to be discussed out of camera.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I wanted my motion to be discussed out of camera.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I thought it was part....

Mr. Vandal, may I finish? Thank you.

I wanted to discuss this in camera because it is part of our travel. You decided that you didn't want it in camera, because you wanted to discuss it out of camera. I listen to the consensus. It should have been in camera, but you all wanted it out of camera. I don't impose my will on you, unless I think it's in the best interest of what we're doing. You wanted it out of camera, and now we're discussing this.

Now, Mr. Maguire, did this answer your question?

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

I note that Iqaluit is in here, which we didn't agree to the other day. We were going to do it at a separate time by video conference, but I have no problem going to Iqaluit with this process. I'm assuming, then, that would move us back and that taking Windsor out of the second week and Brandon out of the first week must be how they came up with option 5. I don't know if we have a travel budget for option 5 or not.