Evidence of meeting #6 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.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Initially, Mr. Chair, I was going to table an amendment that the minister appear before the committee by June 12. I just wanted to make sure that we talked about a date in that motion so it's not open-ended.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
That would be another amendment. We have to deal with the first amendment first, Mr. Johns.
Hearing nothing else, we'll vote on the amendment.
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Chair, before we got to the amendment, I was going to propose that we have the minister appear for this meeting. Additionally, I was going to propose another motion that we have the minister appear once per month until the COVID situation ends, or between now and September 21, when the House resumes. I don't know if that would satisfy the others if we did a second motion to have the minister appear once per month and got this motion done and out of the way to have her appear as soon as possible.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
We do have to deal with Madam Gill's amendment first.
Hearing nothing else, we'll vote on Madam Gill's—
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Yes, but she shook her head after that, so I thought she meant to cancel it out.
Madam Gill, did you have anything else to add?
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
I just shook my head for no reason. It has nothing to do with what was happening. I was talking to myself.
I stand by my amendment.
The Clerk
Mr. Chair, in order to respect the orders of the House, we do have to go with a recorded vote.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
On a point of order, can you reread the amendment for clarification?
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
I would suggest that we add two hours for the minister's appearance, as the first two hours were for matters already before the committee. I was proposing that two hours be added for the COVID-19 portion, for a total of four hours.
It can happen on different dates. I suppose we will set them later.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Everybody has heard the amendment. This has to be done in a recorded vote.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 9; nays 0)
The amendment as presented has passed, so now we will vote on the motion as amended.
Liberal
The Clerk
May I first suggest, Mr. Chair, that you verify whether or not there is debate on the motion as amended or members are ready for the vote.
Liberal
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Chair, while I agree that we need to cover more than just the COVID-19 issue and that there are other issues as well—Big Bar, Pacific salmon, east coast issues—I caught from Madam Gill's amendment that she wanted those other issues dealt with first and COVID-19 after that. I would prefer that we deal with Big Bar first, then COVID-19, and get into the rest of it.
If I misunderstood the nature of her amendment, that's fine. If it's still open for us to schedule or sequence the issues that we deal with with the minister, that's fine. I just wouldn't want to leave the COVID-19 issue to some later date, because it's so current.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
To clarify, Mr. Hardie, the amendment has already been voted on and passed.
Now we're debating the amended motion. To determine when the minister will come will all be part of setting up the schedule as we move forward and we know when the minister is available.
Mr. Beech.
Liberal
Terry Beech Liberal Burnaby North—Seymour, BC
Mr. Chair, could you please repeat the motion as now amended?
The Clerk
Yes. I can repeat the motion as amended.
The motion would read, “That the minister be invited to appear for four hours”, instead of two, “to cover the studies on the Big Bar Pacific salmon and other studies of the committee, and two other hours on the COVID for a total of four hours at the earliest opportunity.”