Canadian Heritage Committee on May 18th, 2022

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I certainly understand Mr. Nater's concern, but we do have these spots available. We do have interpretation lined up. We've heard from I think all four parties that there are witnesses who are eager to come forward, so I don't think that time frame is unrealistic.

I will have to adjust my constituency week accordingly, and I probably will have people in my caucus replacing me from time to time, but it seems to me that if we don't start with the blocks that are already available to us, given what we've seen over the course of the last few weeks, particularly on Mondays and Wednesdays, that's just delaying the legislation until the fall.

It seems to me, as people pointed out, that we need to jump on this, hear from the witnesses and make decisions around Bill C-11. It would seem to me that the best way to do this is to take two time slots that are already available to us. In my case, if I absolutely can't change local events, I'm going to make sure I have a good replacement who's well briefed and available to ask the questions of the witnesses.

The witnesses have been waiting for some time to come forward. I think we should accommodate them. We have these spaces, so let's start next week when we have that availability so we can get a jump on this and finally respond to the witnesses' needs.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

I am entertaining discussion on what Mr. Julian has just said.

Madam Clerk?

[The Clerk]

Mr. Waugh has his hand up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Kevin, go ahead.

[Kevin Waugh]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

On Tuesday, I have the eye surgery that I've been waiting the last six months for, so that's not good for me. As you all know, when you schedule a specialist, it can take eight to 12 months. It just so happens that Tuesday is my day, but I understand.... I just couldn't make Tuesday. I have to be honest with you. After surgery, I am not to drive and I am not to look at a computer screen. That would not work for me, but I am one person in this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Kevin.

Are there any other hands up, Madam Clerk?

[The Clerk]

Mr. Julian has his hand up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Go ahead, Peter.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I'd like to move, Madam Chair, through you, that we have the five-hour meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week to start things off. The witness lists are submitted. The witnesses are eager to appear, so I would move that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

There is a motion on the floor. If anyone wishes to discuss this motion, please raise your hand or speak now.

I can see the floor and I don't see any hands raised.

Clerk.

[The Clerk]

Mr. Nater has his hand up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

John.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I do have to push back a little on doing 10 hours' worth of meetings next week.

Our role as Parliamentarians is multi-faceted. We have commitments here in Ottawa, we have commitments legislatively and we have commitments in our ridings. I have a real trouble with devoting two days'—five hours—worth of meetings during the busiest times of the day, when we have other commitments. I'm not saying I'm opposed to any meetings next week. I think we can be reasonable.

My own schedule is to meet with stakeholders, visit school groups and do that role as a representative of our constituents. I'm also dealing with the case work that has been piling up for the four weeks we've been here and the four weeks upcoming. I don't think it's practical for us to do that.

I'm open to compromise on that. I don't want to see us not move forward. We have witnesses. All of us around this table want to hear from them, but I would much rather see the bulk of this discussion take place during our regular sitting weeks when we have time here blocked out.

We've been planning for this constituency week for many weeks. Like Mr. Waugh said, we have medical appointments, family arrangements and family commitments. I have three young kids who need people to get them on and off the bus when my wife is working as a nurse. There are obligations there. If we're willing to have half-hour breaks while I run down to the bus stop and half-hour breaks while I prepare the youngest some “cheesy noodles”, as she calls them, we can make something work.

I just can't commit, on behalf of not only the three members here, but the members who aren't on this committee who are going to have to give up their own engagements, to five and a half hours straight with a half-hour break for interpretation changes.

I don't want us to have to leave this committee without having made a decision. I want to be able to move forward. I don't want to be here talking about this for the next two hours.

I see some staff looking surprised by two hours. I said that metaphorically. If we can come to a compromise, I'd be willing to entertain that. For the sake of our members, families and work commitments in the ridings....

Perhaps, Madam Chair, if you would be entertaining an opportunity to suspend for five or ten minutes, we could have some discussions off line here among different parties. There might be a compromise we could come to, if it's worthwhile. If it's not worthwhile then we can discuss it further.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, Mr. Julian.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I think we should take a cheesy noodle break.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right. We will suspend for five minutes.

We only have an hour left, actually, John. We don't have two hours left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I think we can begin, because we don't have very much time left in this room, and we need to get some of this work finished.

Mr. Nater was the last person with the floor. If we can get an agreement on these public meetings with witnesses, I would love to hear that right now from someone.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Nater, go ahead.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

There is an eagerness in the room to get going. I believe it's Niagara day on the Hill, so I don't want to keep Niagara Falls from waiting.

We've come up with a compromise, so I'm going to state what has been agreed to, and if I state anything wrong, Mr. Bittle will throw a computer cable at me.

We've agreed that we will have our witness lists in to the clerk as soon as possible, by tomorrow at the latest. We would like to do a one day five-hour meeting on Tuesday of the constituency week, and there's agreement that the Tuesday meeting would be on autopilot, so it would not be acceptable to move motions during that meeting.

We would then request that the clerk, with her very best resources, schedule meetings in that first week back to the best of her ability, and to have the remaining meetings that week, whether they are for five hours on Monday or three hours. This isn't in a good motion form, but the direction is hopefully clear on that sitting week back for a total of 20 hours of witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I wish to clarify. We do have a motion that has not been voted on. It's on the floor, so are you amending that, Mr. Nater?

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Julian, go ahead.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Nater is offering a friendly amendment, which I accept. The friendly amendment would be to meet for five hours on Tuesday, and we would eliminate the five hours on Wednesday, so we'll have five hours on Tuesday on autopilot, and then the following week, which is May 30 to June 2, up to 15 hours of committee time, preferably Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday evening, or whatever the clerk finds available in that period.