Okay.
Mr. Hardie.
Evidence of meeting #3 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 herring.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #3 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 herring.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Given the staging of our various issues, I think we should establish a March 4 deadline for witnesses for the Big Bar, which I think was suggested by the chair. I think we agree with that on this side.
Then, for the rest of the Pacific salmon study, we could make it for March 11, to allow time to pause and recalibrate. What have we heard so far? Are there other witnesses we should talk to?
This would be preferable to holding to an initial stack of witnesses who may not be as valuable as other people we think about later. I would just put that out there. We could allow for that provision as we go forward.
Based on the urgency of Jaime's situation, and Madam Gill's interest as well, we need to set a date for our witnesses. To Mr. Fast's point, at the very least when the department staff comes in we can deal with Big Bar and perhaps the herring issue. They should be told in advance to be prepared to talk to us about those two things.
9:55 a.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Yes, I think he was going where I was going to go. Maybe the first week back we should spend one day just on Big Bar, getting the briefing from the department. The next day we could go right to Mr. Battiste, because of the urgency of the situation, getting a briefing on the herring so we can get prepared.
We are open. I know I put forward an amendment that the salmon should be first. Given the pressing situation, maybe there's a way we can triage it and weave it in.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
There's lots of discussion around the witnesses and bringing them in for more than one study at a time. We have a number of studies now in the queue. When the time comes to hear testimony that we feel may is pertinent to another study, I hope that we will make note of that, ask the analysts or seek the support of the committee to include this testimony in studies further down the road.
We did some of that in the last Parliament with the study on marine protected areas and the study of government Bill C-55. We shared that information back and forth between those studies. I believe there was one other. Hopefully we will be able to get agreement within the parties to share information and testimony between studies.
I think we should get the salmon study and the herring bait study under way as soon as possible in order to make the best use of the analysts' time and ours. That's what I would support.
February 27th, 2020 / 9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
I think we're on the same page. I would just say that we're looking probably at the first week or second week of April when snow crab season starts in the Atlantic. I would like to have the ability to have some of the department respond to the study, so that we can understand any hesitations they may have about bait and so that we can call witnesses. If we could at least have two before mid-April, I would appreciate that.
I understand the urgency of the salmon and believe that's a good starting point.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Could I suggest that we invite the officials for the meeting of the 10th? We'll tell the officials that they will be here to answer questions on Big Bar as well as on the herring issue on the east coast.
Instead of getting officials back, we're talking about giving them the heads-up that questioning may be on both on that one day.
Mr. Calkins.
10 a.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Chair, it's very common that, at the start of a new Parliament, the very first witnesses are department officials to talk about the broad range of issues the department is facing and to give the committee instructions on some of the things that we could look at. There's no reason at all to think that the department officials shouldn't be prepared to come here and speak on a broad plethora of issues that are currently facing Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
I would like to, for the record, state my complete confidence in our analysts being able to decipher where testimony from our department officials ought to go.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
I'm just going to ask a question for the sake of having it on the record. Does the committee agree that, when witnesses are appearing, whether officials or otherwise, if any information is identified as being relevant to another study that we're doing, or going to do, the analysts have the permission of the committee to put that where it belongs in each of the studies?
I just want a consensus. I don't want somebody to come back after the fact and say, “No, this is not what we agreed to.” I just want it on the record.
I'll assume we have that consensus.
Let's go back to the deadline for witnesses other than from the department, because next week we're not here. We want to give witnesses at least a week to make travel arrangements. Could we say the deadline is 4 p.m. on Monday, March 2, for the list of the witnesses for the meeting on March 12 on Big Bar?
10 a.m.
An hon. member
Agreed.
10 a.m.
Liberal
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Yes, for the meetings on March 10 and 12, on the Big Bar and the herring, we'd like to have a list of witnesses other than officials by Monday at 4 p.m. We know we're inviting the officials, but if there are any other relevant witnesses, we'd like to have that list submitted to the clerk by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 2.
Mr. Johns.
10 a.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
You said the deadline was just for Big Bar. Are you now saying herring as well?
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Yes, because we agreed that we're going to do herring ahead of your salmon, or at least have a day of it.
Right after we're back for a week, we have another constituency week right behind it, so that gives us time to line up witnesses going forward.
Mr. Arnold.
10 a.m.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
This pertains to further down the road. In reference to Madam Gill's motion to study the fisheries in Quebec, it's important to get those previously tabled reports retabled and submitted so that we can get the government response back to that British Columbia licensing report. I think they will be very pertinent to the study that Madam Gill put forward. We may not want to start that study until after that government report comes back.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
That's duly noted.
We've done up to the 12th. Do we need meetings on the 24th and 25th, in that week?
Mr. Beech.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
Terry Beech Liberal Burnaby North—Seymour, BC
Could I just clarify? I'm sorry if this redundant. I want to make sure. There will be departmental officials on Big Bar coming on the 10th—
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
Terry Beech Liberal Burnaby North—Seymour, BC
—and there will be departmental officials attending for the herring issue on the 12th.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
No. The same departmental officials will probably be the people answering questions on both, so we will take—
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
Terry Beech Liberal Burnaby North—Seymour, BC
I'd actually suggest that the departmental officials will probably be different. Also, I think we probably have a full meeting's worth on Big Bar and we probably have a full meeting's worth on herring.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
We will send the invitation to provide the departmental officials for both cases. There may be overlap to some degree. We don't know.