Evidence of meeting #11 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was offence.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We'd be visiting, but we wouldn't be travelling there with translation equipment.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
That's right. That's not in the budget.
If anybody wants to be on the record, they'd have to travel to Edmonton or Calgary. If they just want to meet with us when we're on the ground in Fort Chipewyan or Fort McMurray, that's their choice as well. We'll be there to hear the discussions, of course, as will the analysts, but there won't be any recording of it.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
For further clarification, I believe it was discussed at the steering committee that we would be starting with a tour of Fort McMurray, see the oil sands, and then come back and have the hearings. Is that correct?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Yes, but we'd still travel on up to Fort Chipewyan as well by plane.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We fly into Edmonton, and we'd charter a plane up and then stay over and we'd be.... We're only travelling up and back and we're staying in Edmonton because hotel accommodations are always tight up there. So we're chartering up to Fort McMurray, then on to Fort Chipewyan, and then back down to Edmonton. And I believe we do still have the helicopter in the budget so we can hover and do good aerial inspection of the site.
I have Linda and then you, Justin.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Chair, I don't have any problem with the motion except it's rather stifling for me because it happens to be my jurisdiction and I likely will not return from Calgary, so I have a problem voting for it. I have no problem with using my points, but I will not likely be returning from Calgary. I'll probably be returning from Edmonton.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
I don't believe this would influence your personal decision on whether or not you return to Ottawa, or even--
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Okay, so long as it doesn't, because usually I would use my points to go. I could go to Edmonton via Calgary, but I would come back to Ottawa. So I just want to make sure that I'm not ending up having to do twice the points because of the way it's written. I'll just have to figure out my flights.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
No, your points only get used if you travel, and we're going to be coming to Edmonton, where you live, so you're not going to be using any more points.
NDP
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Normand Radford
It doesn't say “return from where”; it says “return”. It could be return from Calgary to Edmonton or return from Calgary to Vancouver.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Yes, you'll probably use your points to go to Calgary, home, right, unless you drive.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
That's what I'm saying, that I'd have to use my points twice. Anyway, I'll figure something out.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
And as a courtesy to the Bloc members, while we're saying we won't have a formal hearing, I'm a little bit worried, because I'm wondering how we deal with French.
Conservative
Liberal
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
So it's going to be a day trip to the oil sands and to Fort Chipewyan and to hover in helicopters? That's a long day. I understand the limitations on travel. I'm just worried that we're not going to have enough time, especially given helicopters, if there is weather infringement or anything like that.
The Clerk
I can speak to that very briefly. It's about an hour or an hour and a half from Edmonton to Fort McMurray, so you'll get there around 9 or 9:30. So from 9 to 9:30 is a meet-and-greet, and then you have a one-hour helicopter flight, which should be sufficient to give you a good.... That brings you to around 11. From 11 until around one you have two hours for meetings with officials and with some people who work there.
And we have a charter flight, so we're very flexible. The committee can then fly to Fort Chipewyan. We did check the airport, and it's no problem. It's about a 45-minute to a one-hour flight, depending which pilot you speak to. That brings us there about 2:30, so it still gives us an hour or even two hours, which is sufficient, because there are no hearings. You just want to see the place. You leave at four and you'll be back in Edmonton by six.
It is a long day, but that's the reality of committee travel.
Bloc
Christian Ouellet Bloc Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like it if we could be provided with a map, a fairly large-scale one, showing the locations of the tar sands operations. This way we'll be able to distinguish where the operators are, the river, and so on, and be prepared. If we're taken there by helicopter, we have to know where we're going and what we're seeing. I'd like it if we could have those as soon as possible, so that we can get our bearings.