Evidence of meeting #3 for Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was may.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Yes, that's what I would throw out. Let's leave a couple of days, the seventh and the ninth, to sew up a couple of the reports. Then we could start bringing in some of the other pieces, like the clean tech.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
You're the most experienced one on the committee in terms of parks. Do you think that's an adequate amount of time?
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
—there's some interest on protected areas, given the areas they represent. I don't see this as being one that goes on forever. It's about getting a sense of where we're at in our strategies, what needs to be done, and what actions we can take. I think five would be a good number to work towards.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
We may need something in the drafting instructions after that. So I would like to request one of these be held—
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Yes, and then there would be the review and, I guess, the report. That may take a full month.
1:20 p.m.
The Clerk of the Subcommittee Ms. Cynara Corbin
May I just clarify something about the reporting process? I know you've been through it. The analysts usually take a week or two to write the report, and then it is translated, and then we consider it in the committee. But following that, there are a few steps that take two to three days before the chair can present it in the House. If you're looking at June, I would just caution the committee that if you're adopting a report on the 21st, that's getting into dangerous territory in terms of the ability to present it in the House before it rises for the summer.
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
I guess this is a procedural question. If we adopt it without presenting it to the House, can it be brought forward in the fall? My concern is having something half done and forgetting where we're at, and then having to come back in September and ask ourselves what we talked about and rehashing everything.
I suggest we at least get it to the report level. I'm not as concerned if it doesn't get tabled until the fall as long as it doesn't disappear. In fact, I think there could be some benefit to that, because, otherwise, if it gets tabled near the end of June and we go away for three months—
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
John Aldag Liberal Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Yes, and the attention, or the ability to actually raise it.
Anyway, that's one of the thoughts I had.
April 12th, 2016 / 1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Jim Eglinski Conservative Yellowhead, AB
In quickly going over this, I see that we have five days for federal protected areas and conservation. Are you planning to do drafting instructions for the report on the 12th, or when were you planning on it?
1:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
That's kind of what we're discussing. It's really to see if five sessions is enough. If we are in a position, we can do what we're trying to do with the Federal Sustainable Development Act and add it into one of the sessions, which is what we're doing on Thursday.
But we just don't know. I just don't have a sense of how much time that's going to take. We can add 30 minutes to a regular session. We can actually extend the meeting. We can do a few things to try to make it happen.
I'm waiting to hear what witnesses have to say and the breadth and scope of what we'd like to do before I can feel comfortable that we would actually get it done. I'm willing to go with it as long as there remains some flexibility within the committee to make adjustments as we see it unfolding. We have a timeframe that we're trying to respect, but we need some flexibility if things don't quite go as planned.
1:20 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I think the idea of putting drafting instructions in on the 12th is a good idea.
As many members have said today as we were looking at this, these are conversations that could go on all day and all year. Any study, depending on your expansiveness, could be as long or as short as you want it to be. The sense I get from members across the way is that including drafting on the 12th would be good.
Chair, you're seeking some buffer and I think that's always wise. If we allow the buffer on the 7th as well as the 9th for unexpected things—
1:20 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
In June, yes, but with a proviso, knowing that the House could break with tradition and shut down early.
We would at least get our teeth into the climate study and allot those for the final four, with the full knowledge that it might not all happen.
1:25 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
The 14th, 16th, 20th and 23rd. It's going to be the environment commissioner on the 2nd, with two buffer days for language or drafting or whatever didn't come out of either FSDA or the other.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Listen, if we do well and we get the Environmental Protection Act moved forward and we don't need the buffer, then we'll have even more time.
1:25 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I may be off topic a bit here, but remind me of the chapters that the environment commissioner is including in her next report.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Well, do you have the chapters?
I don't have them in my head. Extreme weather, health, and infrastructure are a few.