Evidence of meeting #33 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Normand Radford
Marie-Andrée Roy  Parliamentary Counsel (Legislation), Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel
Joann Garbig  Legislative Clerk, Committees Directorate, House of Commons

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

Mr. Warawa.

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

The government amendments to clause 18 address the relationship between the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development and the federal strategy. Requirements pertaining to the commissioner are better placed within the Auditor General Act through consequential amendments, as section 23 of the Auditor General Act already outlines the duties of the commissioner in terms of auditing and reporting.

A more sensible approach is to include section 23 of the Auditor General Act as a reference to the commissioner's responsibility pertaining to the auditing and reporting of the forthcoming strategy. So the government will be voting against this.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

What's the alternative?

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

We're voting against the amendment to replace the current wording with the wording laid out in the amendment. We will be voting in favour of an amendment to delete the original text in clause 14. We would like you to not move clause 14 as you proposed. We won't be supporting it.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

So we have lost clause 13 and we're going to lose all of clause 14?

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

It's referenced in clause 18.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

All right.

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

Could we have a break?

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

I'm going to need a little time to sort this out.

5:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

Okay. The committee will suspend for a few minutes.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

This meeting will briefly come to order.

We are just about out of time. I'm sure our colleagues, Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Warawa, would love to have a little more time to work out some of these issues, and I understand. I know Mr. Godfrey is going to propose that the clerk try to seek time for an extra meeting this week to conclude this matter.

Mr. Watson is anxious to be here in July, he says. I think he may be on his own on that one. He's going to find it a lonely place to be.

Is that the situation, before we adjourn?

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

We should find another time this week, because Mr. Warawa and I are anxious to get it done.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

Is it agreed that we seek an extra meeting this week to get this finished?

How much time do you think it will take? That's a dumb question based upon this....

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

It's very close. We're just into some technical issues.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

Are there votes on Wednesday night?

Mr. Warawa.

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

I suggest we do it on Monday. That will give us plenty of time to make sure we can very quickly move through this on Monday.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

There are no votes on Wednesday evening. At 6:30 we have the finance committee of the whole regarding the main estimates. That's all I see.

Monsieur Lussier.

May 26th, 2008 / 6:25 p.m.

Bloc

Marcel Lussier Bloc Brossard—La Prairie, QC

Objection. On Monday, we had decided to study Bill C-469 on blue-green algae.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

We have not decided on the agenda after Wednesday. We just got up to Wednesday.

Mr. Godfrey.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

Perhaps we could try to finish studying this bill as quickly as possible and begin the next study immediately.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

I hope that, by the next meeting, Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Warawa will have time to settle all these issues so that we can move forward quickly the next time.

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

To make it official, would you accept a motion that we meet on Monday to finish it up?

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

It's a valid motion.

6:25 p.m.

Liberal

John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON

It would be the subject of Monday's meeting, along with

the blue-green algae.

if there's time. That would be fine.

6:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Geoff Regan

Is that accepted?