Fisheries Committee on April 21st, 2010

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

I was.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

The clerk advises me this is a dilatory motion that we need to vote on, if the motion is to adjourn.

(Motion negatived)

State your point of order, Mr. Byrne.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

I understand that the amendment has been ruled out of order by you. I should say, the sub-amendment has been ruled out of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I'll hear from Mr. Calkins first.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Chair, I would ask for some clarification on this issue.

I have a lot of documentation in my binder that I bring with me every time to the fisheries committee. In this binder I have a document prepared by the Library of Parliament, prepared for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, “Impact of the British Columbia Supreme Court decision regarding jurisdiction over the regulation of aquaculture”. I have information from British Columbia on the executive summary of sea lice management strategy and so on, and all of the witnesses that we've already heard from in regard to this issue.

At some point in time, this committee would have accepted a work plan in a report from the subcommittee coming back to this committee. Is that not true? Is that not the case? Because in that work plan—and if the work plan is consistent--the work plan had scheduled dates, which would imply a study on aquaculture.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

The situation is that we had a report that this committee would receive briefings from the director general from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with respect to aquaculture, and from representatives from the Cohen commission, to appear before this committee. Subsequently, we had a motion that was placed on the floor by Mr. Donnelly, as amended by Mr. Kamp—I believe it was—to hear from further witnesses, that being Ms. Morton and Dr. Sheppard. But as far as the work plan indicating a study, it has gone no further than what I've indicated.

I do have to rule that the amendment is invalid because it does refer to a study that does not exist. So the amendment, as proposed by Mr. Calkins, is not valid. Therefore, we move back to the motion, as amended.

Mr. Allen.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

Mr. Chair, do I still have the floor?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

No, the floor has been gone for a while for you.

Mr. Allen.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I guess I'm going to go back to my point here of when we talk about the scope of what we're going to try to do, Mr. Blais pointed out that we can probably do two things at once. I'm not sure we can walk and chew gum at the same time, but maybe we can.

We have started hearing witnesses on west coast aquaculture, and I guess the concern I have is implied in this motion, before I propose an amendment: if this motion is passed, does this mean it will go to the subcommittee to prepare a work plan? Because I'm not reading that's the intent here. And would that work plan that the subcommittee is going to do also reflect aquaculture so that the subcommittee would actually develop that? If it doesn't, then I want to propose an amendment to officially put this on the board.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Just a moment, please.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Chair, I'm going to propose the amendment. What the amendment would say is.... I'm going to read the whole thing through:

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans study the snow crab industry in Atlantic Canada and Quebec and west coast aquaculture based on a work plan developed by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure that would subsequently be approved by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and that the committee report to the House its findings and conclusions.

I'll just point out that this would officially recognize aquaculture as a study, and the subcommittee would then decide how we would blend these two things together and get them done in the time allotted. Because right now I don't know the scope we have for either one of these two studies.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you.

Mr. Byrne, you had a point of order.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

Is that in order to require or commit the committee to some unknown quantity or conduct of activity subject to the steering committee? It appears that we're binding the committee to an undefined steering committee.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

No, it says “and subsequently be approved”.

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

The steering committee decision actually has to be approved by the committee.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

That's what it says.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Mr. Byrne, as to Mr. Allen's amendment, it is in order because what is being proposed is something that would have to be part of a work plan that would be approved by this committee. As to whether it comes forward in a report from the subcommittee, all reports from the subcommittee have to be approved by the committee as a whole. The amendment as proposed by Mr. Allen would be in order.

It has been moved by Mr. Allen

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans study the snow crab industry in Atlantic Canada and Quebec and west coast aquaculture based on the work plan developed by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure that would subsequently be approved by the full committee, and that the committee report to the House on its findings and conclusions.

I call the question on the amendment as moved by Mr. Allen.

(Amendment agreed to)

We now need to vote on the amended motion, which is basically what we read. The amended motion now is:

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans study the snow crab industry in Atlantic Canada and Quebec and west coast aquaculture based on the work plan developed by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure that would subsequently be approved by the full committee, and that the committee report to the House on its findings and conclusions.

I call the question on the amended motion.

(Motion as amended agreed to)

Unanimously approved. Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.