Environment Committee on Dec. 7th, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Is there any discussion?

(Subamendment agreed to)

Now we're voting on NDP-14 as amended.

(Clause 14 as amended agreed to on division [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

You voted for that. I saw your hand go up. You voted for your motion and then said “on division”.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

It's on division.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Is it on division? She just said “on division”.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I was putting up my hand to be seen, okay? It's on division.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We have to catch what people are doing. It's not fair otherwise.

Next is NDP-15.

You were busy.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

We were working very hard. We listened to everything the committee recommended, even if I wasn't there, and everything all the witnesses said. That's what my amendments reflect.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We appreciate it.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Oh, no, we don't.

Okay. This would amend proposed section 12.1 of the act.

This is again a recommendation of the committee, recommendation number 4. This amendment was recommended by the commissioner when she testified during your study of the bill. She recommended it again on Tuesday, and this committee also recommended very specifically that the draft federal sustainable development strategy be submitted to all appropriate committees of each House of Parliament and that a federal sustainable development strategy tabled in the House be deemed to be referred to all relevant committees.

I don't know why we bother doing studies. If we vote it down, this will be another recommendation of the committee that they now don't agree with.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

All right. Who's up? Who wants to talk?

Go ahead, John.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

We would like to propose a subamendment to simply change “environment” on line 15 to “sustainable development” as Ms. Duncan has suggested, but then to delete the rest of the proposal.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Just to be clear, her amendment has “sustainable development or to any other committee that that House may designate for the purposes of the section.” You're suggesting your amendment would stop at “sustainable development”.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. That's clear in my mind.

The subamendment is that we delete everything after “development” and leave “sustainable development” as the subamendment. Are you following me?

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

The committee is called “environment and sustainable development”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Yes. Okay. Let's focus on the amendment.

The subamendment is to delete “or to any other committee” and everything after that.

(Subamendment agreed to)

Now we're going to vote for NDP-15 as amended.

(Amendment as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

What? Oh, it was taken out. I misunderstood.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. It's getting late. We're going to keep moving.

Shall clause 8 carry as amended?

Wait. My apologies. I jumped past Ms. May.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Chair, I'm here because of the motion passed by this committee. Just so you have an insight into how onerous and manipulative and unacceptable it is that every single committee passed identical motions that only give me opportunity at clause-by-clause study deny me the opportunities I would otherwise have at report stage, I am simultaneously in clause-by-clause study for Bill C-57 and down the hall at Bill C-55 on the Oceans Act, so I may not be able to stay longer than just to present my amendments.

I know you all passed that motion a long time ago, but it does have an impact, and I'm sorry I can only run in and run out again, because these bills are being studied at the same time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay—

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Fortunately, they're in the same building. On this amendment that I propose, I really think this committee has done terrific work. I go back to the committee's report on federal sustainability for future generations and note that in the committee's report, there was a recommendation that performance-based contracts should meet standards.

To clarify, I'll quote the committee report, which said that in respect of all targets for which a department or agency is responsible, revising the provision to ensure performance-based contracts meet sustainable development goals is “an effective means of holding people to account for meeting targets”.

The Green Party amendment PV-1 proposes to insert after what we now have on page 7 of Bill C-57, at proposed section 12.3:

“12.4 Performance-based contracts with the Government of Canada shall include provisions for meeting all of the targets referred to in the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies.”

The committee has already studied this and determined that it makes sense. I hope to have support for this amendment to strengthen Bill C-57 by giving performance-based contracts with the Government of Canada the mandate to meet targets.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. Are there any comments? There's no discussion.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

You love it, right?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Perhaps I have a question. We had the discussion about performance contracts versus performance agreements—

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

It was an earlier discussion.