Environment Committee on Jan. 30th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

My proposal was to give you basically a week to work through it. It may not be a week, it may be eight days or whatever, but we'll try not to conflict, obviously, with what else is going on.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

My question, for clarification, is, when we then address this document, does it remain as a confidential document?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

It does.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

And we will again be dealing with it in camera.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

As all committee documents are in camera until they are tabled in the House.... What day we start that...obviously those meetings will be in camera from that point on, for the CEPA report.

Tomorrow's meeting is not in camera. I'd just like to make sure that everyone is clear on that.

Are there any other comments about the CEPA report?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Who wrote the report, sir? Our researcher?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Yes, the researcher has been here throughout all of the hearings.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

We have worked together before.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We can talk about him after if we want him to leave the room.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

He has suffered through us before.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

I have a lot of confidence in his work.

We can now revert to public hearings.

Of course, our discussion at this point is about ideas members might have on where we go after we've finished the CEPA report and after we've finished the two private members' bills. I haven't discussed those two private members' bills with the proposers, but I don't believe there's a lot of controversy there and that they're going to take very much time. I do believe we'll be getting on to future business relatively soon once we've finished the CEPA report.

Mr. Cullen.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

As a suggestion along the lines of looking at the private members' bills, one of them is mine and another one comes from the Liberals. They're of a similar nature. I'd suggest that we almost may consider doing the witness testimony on the same day—many of the witnesses will be exactly the same ones—and then the clause-by-clause following, or over following days. Neither bill is big, so I think we could do them quite expeditiously.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Having looked at them, I believe that is a good proposal. I assume most of the committee will probably agree with that. I hope they will, because there's no point in having the same witness come to testify about chemicals on the same basic issue. As you say, they're small and there's not much controversy there. Some of it has already happened, so some of it's history.

I think that won't take much time. That's why I think it's important, beginning a new year and certainly welcoming the new members on the committee, that we look at what we want to accomplish in this spring session.

Mr. Warawa, you have a comment.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Chair, we have no problem with dealing with them quickly and efficiently, as was proposed by Mr. Cullen, and with having the same witnesses dealing with both bills at the same time.

I do have a question for you and the clerk. When are you proposing that we deal with those private members' bills and to call the witnesses?

As was pointed out, we have those two private members' bills and the CEPA review as the main....

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

April 16 and 17 are the dates on which they must be reported back to the House. If we don't report them back, they are deemed to have been reported back, so we do have some time.

I would like to see us get the CEPA report, but I don't know how long that's going to take. I don't believe anyone does at this point. We could get into that, and then there would be no reason why we wouldn't deal with the two private members' bills, along with the CEPA report. We'll allot a meeting or two, or whatever it's going to take. I don't see it taking very many meetings for that report, so I would see us getting to the bills as soon as possible, really.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

The CEPA review continues to be a priority of the government.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Yes, definitely.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

When are we proposing, then?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Next week we will begin the CEPA review. Tuesday has been mentioned as a problem day. Therefore, we'll maybe try to look at what we can work out.

I think the clerks can talk about when the meetings on Bill C-30 are, and we'll try not to conflict.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

We'll be meeting on Bill C-30 Thursday morning, if I remember correctly, but not in the afternoon, so that may be an option.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We'll take a look at what works.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Right, but right now, we will not be meeting again.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

I would like people to have some time to go through this CEPA review. I don't think it's fair to say we're going to start it tomorrow. My thinking is that it won't be Thursday either, Mr. Warawa. It would in fact be next week that we'd begin that. Okay?

Yes, Mr. Cullen.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I don't want to rush things too much, but we've suggested that next Tuesday is too packed a day to go into the CEPA review, but the two PMBs are not complicated. Would it be possible to bring witnesses to look at them then? The committee has had three months with these bills around.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

You're suggesting that we start with those two bills and try to—