Evidence of meeting #110 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was journalism.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Sue Gardner  McConnell Professor of Practice (2021-22), Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University, As an Individual
Jen Gerson  Co-founder of The Line and Independent Journalist, As an Individual
April Lindgren  Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University School of Journalism, As an Individual
Colette Brin  Professor, Department of Information and Communication, Laval University, Centre d'études sur les médias
Jaky Fortin  Assistant director of studies and student life, École supérieure en Art et Technologie des médias du Cégep de Jonquière
Annick Forest  National Union President, Canadian Media Guild
Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Geneviève Desjardins

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

There are ways for the House of Commons to set up trips that exclude an act of God or unforeseen circumstances, in which case you're not having to pay for the stuff you've booked.

I think that's it. We shouldn't presume anything to happen or else we would not plan anything at all. Every other committee is bringing in their budgets for travel. Let's not jump the gun on this one.

Are there any other comments?

Michael, go ahead.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Are we asking them to bring it forward and come back to us? Or is it that once it goes forward it's a done deal?

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

No.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON

How does it work?

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

When it goes forward, the Liaison Committee, which is made up of the chairs of all the committees, decides if they want to fund it. They may say no.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Okay.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

They've said no to lots of budgets that have come to them. We're just submitting something. It's not a given at all.

February 13th, 2024 / 5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Okay. Thank you, Chair.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Is there anything else? No.

I'm sorry, Niki. I didn't see your hand.

5:50 p.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB

Thank you.

I don't think there's any harm in asking if there's an openness to this on the committee. I'm also on another committee, and every trip we've proposed in the last couple of years has been rejected, so I don't have much hope.

I also have some concerns around the cost and, frankly, the timing as things move forward, but I think expressing an interest in finding out what's going on in arts and culture to those who review travel plans is not a bad thing. If they say no, then I think that's it, and perhaps we can look at other travel studies down the line if in fact we're still here.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Okay.

I belong to another committee that has had a rejection each time by the Liaison Committee. They wanted to travel to Africa and they wanted to travel to Ukraine—this is the foreign affairs committee—and have been told no each time.

This is not a guarantee we're going to be told “yes”. It definitely isn't. It's just a submission. We're saying that we'd like to do this, and they could come back and say no.

Shall we call the question on sending this off to the Liaison Committee? This is the proposal. Maybe they won't like some of the communities we say we want to go to and will want us to go somewhere else.

Are there are any changes to the proposal?

Yes, Ms. Lattanzio.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

I just had a question on this draft. Is my understanding correct that we want to submit this right away, or are we waiting for you to fine-tune the details—for example, the price and the dates—of the information missing in these documents?

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Go ahead, Geneviève.

5:55 p.m.

The Clerk

Yes, you are correct. It's more to give you an idea of the destinations, as well as the different site visits.

If you have anything you want to cut or if there is anything you absolutely want, we can adjust that. Then, on Thursday, we would bring you a detailed budget to adopt. We are waiting for a few quotes, so some of these aren't exact. They're high-level estimates.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Yes. This is a high-level estimate, as the clerk said.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Madam Chair, can I have a follow-up?

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Yes. Go ahead.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Would it not make more sense that we obtain more information before we move on to consider the draft? I would suggest that perhaps we wait until Thursday, when we get more information, and then we can make a decision.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

We have a deadline to present. It needs to be adopted on Thursday or not, because we have until Friday to send all submissions to Liaison.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Will we have all the information by Thursday?

5:55 p.m.

The Clerk

Yes.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Okay.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

Thank you.

Go ahead, Anna.

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Anna Gainey Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC

I had a similar question. I thought perhaps we could have more time and get more information before supporting or not supporting the proposal. If we could submit feedback over email or something between now—

5:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry

I think you can let the clerk know.

How do they contact you, Geneviève, other than on the website? Is it by email?