Evidence of meeting #136 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was farmers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:35 p.m.
The Chair Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
All right, everybody, welcome to today's session.
I'd like to begin with a very important announcement today by acknowledging it's our colleague Will Amos' birthday. It's very important.
3:35 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
Happy birthday, Will.
We're going to continue for about the first hour and a half, up until five o'clock, on the existing study, which is agriculture, forestry and waste. We were to have four organizations today, but unfortunately, there was a technical issue with First Carbon Credits Corporation. We're trying to see if we can get that resolved by next Tuesday to bring them in.
Today we have the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canola Council of Canada and the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Each of the presenters will have 10 minutes, and then we'll go into a series of questions for six minutes each. Then at five o'clock we're going to go into a closed session to do committee business.
Mr. Warawa, do you have a point of order before we get started?
3:35 p.m.
Mark Warawa Langley—Aldergrove, CPC
I do.
Very quickly, in Bosc and Gagnon, on page 875, is says it's typical to include a minister as a witness regarding estimates and supplementary estimates. Chair, my understanding is that you invited the minister. Today is the last opportunity for the minister to come. The estimates will be deemed reported back, accepted, if we do not vote on this today.
I have two procedural questions. Did you invite the minister? Can you confirm the minister will not be coming today, and is today the last opportunity to interview the minister?
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
We did invite the minister. She indicated she was not available. Now, given today is the final opposition day on the supply cycle, the estimates have already been reported back. The time was three sitting days prior to the last opposition day, and so the last day we could have done anything was last Thursday. Now, the supplementary estimates (A) will be reported back deemed adopted. The window we had to try to bring the minister in closed with today's opposition day.
3:35 p.m.
Langley—Aldergrove, CPC
Okay. So, Chair, there will not be a vote on whether or not the opposition agreed with the supplementary estimates—
3:35 p.m.
Langley—Aldergrove, CPC
I think that is not transparent, not fair, and does not fairly represent where the opposition is, both on the supplementary estimates and also on the minister not appearing. I think it is very inappropriate.
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
Okay, thank you.
With that, we're going to move now into today's session.
Does anybody want to go first?
You have a point of order, Mr. Godin.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like to come back to my colleague's comments, considering that, in your response, you mentioned that the minister was not available.
We should set the record straight. In fact, the minister did not make herself available. We, the members of the committee, made ourselves available, and we were very open and flexible. We think it's very important—
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
That's not a point of order, so I'm going to cut that off. I've answered. The minister was invited; the minister wasn't available in the time frame, and now it's closed.
We'll go into the session now with our witnesses before us. Who would like to go first?
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
If it's truly a point of order, but not debate. We've heard the point, so—
3:35 p.m.
Huron—Bruce, CPC
No offence, Mr. Chair, but I think if you check with the clerk, if you give Mr. Godin the floor, you can't take it away until he's done.
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
If it's a point of order, and truly a point order, but if it's debate, then I can rule that it's—
3:35 p.m.
Huron—Bruce, CPC
I don't know that it was a point of order. It doesn't matter. You ceded the floor to Mr. Godin. I don't know if he was done or not, but when you cede the floor to him, the discussion continues until he's done. I'll leave it at that.
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
I can make the ruling if I decide it's not a point of order.
To your point, I'm willing to give Mr. Godin another few seconds to indicate that it is a point of order.
Mr. Godin, the floor is yours.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I would like to thank my colleague Mr. Lobb for his remarks. He is better versed in the procedure than I am.
Mr. Chair, let the record show that we were available and that the minister did not agree to come and meet us. That is what should be written in the documentation.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
3:35 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
This is getting into debate, so bring it back to the ruling or the standing order or something that makes it a point of order, please.
Do you have a point of order?
3:40 p.m.
Langley—Aldergrove, CPC
Yes.
Page 870 of Bosc and Gagnon states:
Supplementary estimates are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees immediately after their tabling in the House. The supplementary estimates must be reported back, or are deemed to have been reported back, not later than three sitting days before the final sitting, or the last allotted day, of the supply period in which they were tabled.
Could you share why they were already deemed reported back and approved before the end of today?
3:40 p.m.
Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)
According to Standing Order 81(5), as per the direction I've been provided by the clerk, the clarification is that we go back three sitting days prior to the last opposition day, which took it to Thursday. Essentially, Thursday would have been the last day that we could have done anything on them. With today being the last opposition day in the supply cycle, it's closed.
3:40 p.m.
Langley—Aldergrove, CPC
Chair, last Thursday was the last day and opportunity. Did you call a vote on that last Thursday?