Environment Committee on May 26th, 2008

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Okay.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

And then we'll go on and move this additional amendment.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Let's start with amendment G-14.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Amendment G-14 is self-explanatory. We've moved from “National” to “Federal”, and that's what this does.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

So you're sticking with amendment G-14, or is that incorporated in the new one?

Are you saying to us that the motion you're going to propose will not need us to proceed with amendments G-14, L-15, L-15.1, L-15.2, L-16, and L-17? That's my understanding.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

You're absolutely right, Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Okay.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Maybe procedurally I would be amending or subamending--

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

But before you do, I gather that procedurally we would normally strike all these others.... Actually it's just a question of not moving them, isn't it?

Okay, we'd have to ask each of you to say you're not going ahead with these other amendments. But why don't you read it so that people are clear? Don't move it at the moment--move it shortly--but read it for the moment.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Okay. I move that Bill C-474, in clause 11, be amended by replacing lines 1 to 16 on page 7 with the following:

11(1) each minister presiding over a department named in Schedule 1 to the Financial Administration Act, or an agency named in Schedule 1--

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

You can't assume we're going to strike down the existing schedule 1 until we get there.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

It will have to be amended after the fact.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Yes, that will have to be cleaned up afterwards.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

At this point it's reading “Schedule 2”, but it will be amended later to “Schedule 1”.

So after the comma it reads:

or an agency named in Schedule 2 of this Act shall cause the department or agency to prepare a sustainable development strategy containing objectives and plans for the department or agency that complies with and contributes to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, appropriate to the department or agency's mandate and shall cause the strategy to be laid before the House of Commons within one year after the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy is tabled in that House under Section 9.

(2) A minister to whom subsection (1) applies shall cause the department's sustainable development strategy to be updated at least once every three years and shall cause each updated strategy to be laid before the House of Commons on any of the next 15 days on which that House is sitting after the strategy is updated.

(3) The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of a minister presiding over a department not named in Schedule 1 to the Financial Administration Act, or agency named in Schedule 2 of this Act, direct that the requirements of subsections (1) and (2) apply in respect of the department or agencies.

(4) The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the minister, make regulations prescribing the form in which sustainable development strategies are to be prepared and the information requirement to be contained in them.

So that will be replacing what we have as G-1, and procedurally--

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

With respect to the last line, “to be contained in them”, should that be “required”?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

You're right, “required to be contained in them”.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Thank you, Mr. Warawa.

Having heard that, now I'll ask if those who submitted the various amendments would indicate that they're not going to proceed.

I think you've already indicated that you're not going to proceed with G-14, so I can strike that.

The next one on my list is L-15.1.

Mr. Godfrey.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Sorry, let me check. I have a couple of minor suggestions. Just hang on a second.

This is a technical issue, and I'll ask folks whether this makes sense or not. The suggestion I'm getting for the first line is:

Each minister presiding over a category 1 department within the meaning of the Auditor General Act

--and then you carry on with--

named in Schedule 1 to the Financial Administration Act

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

What is category 1?

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

We have a definition...hang on a second.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Can anybody tell us what departments are named in category 1?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

The list is in the Financial Administration Act, isn't it?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

By the way, here's the Auditor General Act in front of me, and it says:

“category I department” means

(a) any department named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act,

(b) any department in respect of which a direction has been made under subsection 24(3)

It directs that the requirements of subsections (1) and (2) apply in respect of the department. This is about what strategies you have to table in relation to the Auditor General's work.

The Auditor General Act continues:

(c) any department set out in the schedule;

That isn't all that helpful to me, I'm afraid, but I appreciate the effort.

Mr. Warawa.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Could we have a moment just to consider the suggestions of Mr. Godfrey?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Mr. Cullen.