Evidence of meeting #28 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was families.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
Liberal
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Is it one [Inaudible—Editor] for each of the maritime provinces? Okay.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Well, the complaint I've heard for years and years is that when the finance committee does its work, it only does Halifax. I know there is the other side, in that do you get enough witnesses if you go to only one of the four...? But at some point in time, you at least should.
Then we have Ontario and Quebec left. You can do two locations in Ontario and two in Quebec.
Guy.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Let me go back to the Atlantic provinces. For the maritime provinces, we're talking about Fredericton for New Brunswick, Halifax for Nova Scotia, and what for P.E.I.?
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
We have one in each. In that case, I understand Fredericton, but I will make a pitch for maybe having it in northern New Brunswick, because that region is fairly far from Fredericton, still, especially if we're talking about Acadie—Bathurst and that area. Instead of having it in Fredericton, I would submit having it a bit more north. It could be in Edmundston, Bathurst, or Campbellton. I'm submitting it as an alternative to just having it in all the provincial capitals.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Sure. Edmundston is fairly large. Or Campbellton or Bathurst or—
Liberal
Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC
I worked for 20 years in New Brunswick, and I think Fredericton is where people who comment on public affairs and have points of view about public policy are quite used to going.
Liberal
Liberal
Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC
[Inaudible—Editor] legislative committees hold their hearings.
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
I understand that. That's actually an argument for having it in the provincial capitals, and we're not.... One of the arguments we've had in previous meetings is about trying to have it in places where we don't usually have it, to open up the possibilities. If we want to revisit that and basically go back to what we used to do, that's the choice of the committee, but I'm trying to open it up to the possibility of trying to do things a bit differently.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Then the other problem.... It may be a moot point, but anyway....
In Quebec and Ontario, before we get to that.... This is brainstorming, I guess, but for the theme of our hearings in the note we put out, which we're actually getting some positive feedback on, we're doing a theme along economic growth.
I actually think that if we don't travel, it kind of hurts us towards that theme, but in any event, would this idea be useful? There are a lot of regional development agencies across Canada. There is WED, FedNor, and P.E.I. ACOA and New Brunswick ACOA, etc. Would it be useful to ask the senior representative of each of those provincial regional development agencies to come before us and explain what they're doing for growth over the next 10 years?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Okay, we'll go there.
In Ontario and Quebec, for Quebec, Guy, what are your thoughts?
NDP
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
It depends on what we want to do. The natural locations, if we're having two meetings, would be in Montreal and Quebec City. Do we want to do anything for northern Quebec, or do we want to do anything for eastern Quebec, which is still going to be pretty far?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
I think, given the sizes of those two provinces, we probably should look at.... We have Ottawa, for sure, but should we do two locations in each?
