Evidence of meeting #39 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site.) The winning word was amendment.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I think we've covered that.
On LIB-15, do you want a recorded vote, Mr. McKay?
Liberal
John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON
Yes.
(Amendment negatived: nays 5; yeas 4 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Amendment NDP-16, Monsieur Caron will move.
(Amendment negatived: nays 5; yeas 4 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
For amendment NDP-17, recorded vote...?
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Yes, please.
(Amendment negatived: nays 5; yeas 4 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Conservative
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
No, a recorded vote....
(Clause 211 agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I want to thank Mr. Wu for being with us here this evening. Thank you for your participation.
We'll move to division 15, colleagues, Regulatory Cooperation, clauses 212 to 238.
I do not have an amendment from clauses 212 to 230. Can I group those together?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Okay.
Shall clauses 212 to 222 carry?
(Clauses 212 to 222 inclusive agreed to on division)
(On clause 223)
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Oh, you need the officials.
Okay, we want to welcome our officials. We have officials here for this division from Transport, from CFIA, and from Agriculture.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Chair, can I ask questions about different parts of the bill?
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Thank you.
I want to welcome the witnesses.
I don't know who among you is responsible for clauses 223, 224 and 225, which pertain to motor vehicle safety.
Donald Roussel Acting Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport
Mr. Chair, Kash Ram will answer any questions on that issue.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Thank you very much.
Regarding clauses 223 and 224, which concern the Governor in Council's powers in terms of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, could you quickly tell me or remind me what the government's objective is or what the consequences of the proposed amendments are?
Kash Ram Director General, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation, Department of Transport
Certainly. Mr. Chair, with regard to clause 223, that clause amends the Motor Vehicle Safety Act by removing the requirement to prepublish regulations. This existing requirement to prepublish regulations is already addressed by the cabinet directive on regulatory management, and that existing requirement is considered out of date. There is also an explicit [Inaudible--Editor] to incorporate documents or any reference.
With regard to the cabinet directive on regulatory management and its predecessor directives, since 1986 federal regulatory policy has made prepublication mandatory, has made consultations with stakeholders mandatory, and the only exceptions would be those that are approved by the Governor in Council, and those would be restricted to certain situations such as emergency situations where the Treasury Board can grant an exemption or where there are proposed amendments that are very minor or editorial in nature.
Therefore, this removal of a mandatory publication merely aligns the act with many other acts out there and aligns it with the cabinet directive on regulatory management.
To summarize, consultation is necessary. Prepublication is necessary under most circumstances. In rare instances where it's justified, Treasury Board can allow us to avoid that step where it's in the interest of doing so.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Who determines whether it is preferable to do so?
Director General, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation, Department of Transport
Basically there are situations where, in the interests of aligning in a swift and efficient manner with other international regulators with whom we work, the part I prepublication could be unnecessary, could be an impediment when there is broad consensus among the regulated industry, among our safety stakeholders, and there is large agreement to go forth and avoid an extra step. This could save us time. It also reduces red tape within government.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
However, that reduces transparency and accountability toward Canadians.
The purpose of publishing regulations in the Canada Gazette is to make them official and to ensure the participation of the public or stakeholders, as you mentioned, in the process of developing, amending or eliminating regulations.
This is a matter of motor vehicle safety. Consequently, a large portion of the population will be affected by the various regulatory amendments proposed by the government. Regarding what is proposed, I am glad to hear you confirm that this is indeed the case. You are actually proposing to eliminate the publication in the Canada Gazette. That is currently a required step.
You said the publication is not a mandatory step for several regulations, but it is for most proposed regulatory amendments. Once again, in the interest of transparency, I would like to know whether the government is not providing itself with flexibility,
Some would say flexibility. Others would say expediency
by sacrificing public interest and transparency.