Environment Committee on June 9th, 2021

Evidence of meeting #39 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill C-12

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Émilie Thivierge Legislative Clerk

Vincent Ngan Director General, Horizontal Policy, Engagement and Coordination, Department of the Environment

John Moffet Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Protection Branch, Department of the Environment

Clerk of the Committee Ms. Angela Crandall

Samuel Millar Director General, Corporate Finance, Natural Resources and Environment, Economic Development and Corporate Finance, Department of Finance

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

I call the meeting to order.

Mr. Lewis, I welcome you. After an afternoon with us, I think you'll want to transfer permanently to this committee. Obviously there is not always consensus, but it's a very friendly committee and we're fortunate for that.

Before we get started, a point was brought last week that perhaps the chair could withdraw, at the request of a Green Party member, a Green Party amendment. I looked into the matter a little more. My previous understanding was that once a Green Party amendment has been sent to the clerk it's deemed moved and therefore belongs to the committee, and the chair cannot simply withdraw it but it has to be withdrawn by unanimous consent.

My inquiries led to the following example from April 22 at the indigenous and northern affairs committee, where Ms. Atwin said, “I will withdraw it,” meaning the amendment, “since it has the same context as others”. The chair said, “Okay. PV-7 is not brought forward.” The clerk said to the chair, “Mr. Chair, if I may, PV-7 is deemed to have been moved, so it would require unanimous consent to withdraw it. That's my understanding.” Then the chair said, “Do we have unanimous consent to withdraw? I see that we do. Thanks, Ms. Atwin.”

I just want to close the loop on that, and—

4:50 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Well....

Sorry.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

Yes, Ms. May.

4:50 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

I appreciate the chair looking into it again. I've had different experiences with different committees, but I'm not questioning what has been determined.

I'd like to again put it forward. I'm not sure where we were exactly, but I think I still had about seven or eight amendments relating to the expert advisory body independence of the committee where I was prepared to try to say that my amendments were no longer deemed put forward in favour of the Bloc Québécois' amendments.

I see Mr. Albas' hand is up too.

Maybe we could try for unanimous consent again, but I don't know what Mr. Albas would think about that.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

When we get to it, you can try.

Mr. Albas.

4:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

Based on this, I'm glad that MP May got a chance to respond. She and I have communicated back and forth. I have a better understanding of what she was trying to do.

Obviously she best speaks for herself, but I seem to get the indication that she feels the process from the very beginning on this particular clause-by-clause—and Mr. Chair, please don't take offence—has been steamrolled or compressed and it has been very clear that members haven't been accepting of MP May's amendments, nor the Bloc's, nor the Conservatives'. Thus, it's becoming very apparent to me that she was just saying she doesn't want to be participating in a process in which she doesn't have faith that she is even going to receive a fair hearing.

Whether that's fair or not, I'll let members themselves decide, but I will make the motion that PV-26, PV-27, PV-28, PV-29, PV-30, PV-31 and PV-33 be removed from consideration by unanimous consent.

I just hope that the MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands takes from this that I appreciated her communications with me. I have great respect for her and her contributions to this process, as bad as it has been.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

Mr. Albas, let me pause for a second.

It's unusual. Usually it's the sponsor who does this, but if there is unanimous consent, we can—

June 9th, 2021 / 4:50 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

To clean it up, Mr. Chair, I'm perfectly happy to move it again, as I attempted to do last time. I would just say that I appreciate Mr. Albas' speaking for me. The process has been unpleasant and I don't think there was good faith, but my reason for withdrawing these amendments is that I think it will speed things along, and I'm confident the Bloc Québécois amendments really make.... If there's still a good case to do this, I would hope the Bloc amendments pass. I do have a few more amendments, but I want to speed this along and assist in getting Bill C-12 out of committee.

Those are my reasons.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

Could you just read again which ones they are?

4:50 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

They are amendments PV-26, PV-27, PV-28, PV-29, PV-30, PV-31 and PV-33.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

You're asking that these amendments be withdrawn.

4:55 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

They were deemed moved. I'm asking for them to be deemed to have been withdrawn.

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

I'm not sure if a non-member can make a motion at committee. That's why I made it, but I—

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

No, that's okay. That's understandable, but she can withdraw them because they're her amendments.

Do we have unanimous consent for Ms. May to withdraw these—

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

There's just one quick thing, Mr. Chair.

Ms. May did mention PV-26, and I believe that we already dealt with it in the last meeting. I don't know if that should be included or not, from a technical perspective.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia

I think you may be right.

4:55 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

In that case, start with where we are, which I think would be PV-27.

Thanks, Brad.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia