Evidence of meeting #2 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Nancy Vohl
Michael Chalupovitsch  Committee Researcher

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think this one should be fairly straightforward. I have another motion that I'd like to put forward.

9:50 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

We hope.

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

This one really deals with the previous work of the committee.

Whereas the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans did not receive responses from the Government of Canada to four reports tabled late in the 42nd Parliament of Canada, I move:

That the Chair of the Committee re-table in the House four reports for which the committee did not receive government responses before the 42nd Parliament was dissolved:

(a) Report 21 (West Coast Fisheries: Sharing Risks and Benefits, tabled May 7, 2019)

(b) Report 23 (Striped Bass in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Miramichi River: Striking a Delicate Balance, tabled May 28, 2019)

(c) Report 25 (Aquatic Invasive Species: A National Priority, tabled June 17, 2019)

(d) Report 26 (In Hot Water—Lobster and Snow Crab in Eastern Canada, tabled June 17, 2019); and

That the Chair re-table these reports and request government responses for each.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

The only way that we can report them back to the House, instead of just tabling them, is to have them readopted. We'd have to readopt them first and then bring them back to the House. The committee would have to readopt them. This is not just a matter of re-tabling them in the House. They have to be readopted by the committee first.

9:55 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

As an amendment to this, can I simply put forward a motion that the committee readopt those four reports as originally tabled?

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Yes.

Mr. Hardie.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC

First of all, thank you for bringing this forward. These four reports represent very good work that was done by this committee. There are a lot of us who are back, and we all have a little ownership of this. I'm totally in support of this motion.

I suggest that there are two things we have to do. We have to readopt, and then we have to re-table. That's really the nature of the slight adjustment to your motion, Mel. Then we're good to go.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

The slight adjustment is already done.

I hear no further discussion.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

When we get the reports back, that also opens up the ability for dissenting reports. If there's going to be a dissenting report on any of these, we would have the issue of needing a date for the dissenting reports to be in by.

We have to agree on a deadline now to receive dissenting submission reports. What should the date be?

Mr. Arnold.

9:55 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

Are you asking for a date to require any dissenting reports?

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Yes.

9:55 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

We are at February 25 today. I would say our deadline should be by the end of the break week: Friday, March 5.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Mr. Arnold has moved that the deadline for dissenting reports would be March 5 at 3 p.m. EST.

Mr. Fast.

9:55 a.m.

Conservative

Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC

On that motion, is there any merit to asking around the table whether any party wants to submit dissenting reports? If everyone is clear that there isn't, then we can forgo this motion.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

The only difference in membership party would be the Bloc.

Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

9:55 a.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

We want to take some time to consult with each other.

9:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Let's suspend for a couple of minutes.

10 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Whether there's a dissenting report coming or not, we have to adopt the actual date suggested by Mr. Arnold, that is, March 5, regardless of whether anyone is going to present a report or not.

Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

10 a.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

I want to move a subamendment.

We need more time for reports 23, 25 and 26. Instead of March 5, the date would be March 19. We may wish to submit dissenting opinions. This would give us more time to submit everything.

10 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB

I don't know how a dissenting report could be tabled on behalf of a political party that wasn't part of the committee study in the previous Parliament. Can I get some clarification on that?

10:05 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

It might be because we're readopting it as a report of this committee. When it gets presented in the House, it will be a report of this committee, not of the previous committee.

10:05 a.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB

Fair enough.

10:05 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Of course, we have everybody at the table.

Mr. Johns.

10:05 a.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

In talking to my colleague from the Bloc, I think he was fine on the “West Coast Fisheries: Sharing Risks and Benefits”, and he was fine with the date initially proposed of March 5. However, he wanted some time on the other reports, just to examine them thoroughly. We support that.

10:05 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald

Basically, the amendment is to have the date changed from March 5 to March 19. The deadline for report one stays March 5. For reports two, three and four, the date would be March 19.

(Amendment agreed to)

Now we'll go to the motion originally entered by Mr. Arnold with the amendment added.

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