Evidence of meeting #7 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 sector.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm assuming that our committee business is going to be done in camera. Is that right?
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Good. I just wanted to make sure that my notice of motion is dealt with.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
It will be.
I think all the witnesses have signed off. There are just a couple of things I want to report.
We've heard back from the minister on her availability to appear before committee. The minister has told us that she would be available for two hours on June 9 to come and talk about Big Bar and she would be available again for two hours on June 10 to come in and discuss COVID-19. I just wanted to let the committee know that. Our two meetings next week will be attended by the minister on those two topics.
As well, for witnesses for the study we just started—more witnesses than just the officials, I guess—the deadline to submit those names is 5 p.m. tomorrow. Some people may say that's a little bit quick, but the reason we had troubles today was due to the short time we had to get witnesses lined up and get them equipped properly to do this, from where they are to where we are. It caused some problems. We want to make sure that the staff, the clerk and everybody has enough time to get those witnesses lined up and prepared with the equipment they need to make sure the back and forth goes okay, and we don't lose time in the future, hopefully.
That's it from me.
Mr. Fast.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and in the spirit of the eagerness that our committee members have demonstrated in bringing forward issues for study at committee, I want to join the bandwagon by highlighting the shrimp-by-trawl industry on the west coast of Canada.
This industry is pulling its hair out trying to get the attention of DFO, to no avail. My notice of motion reads as follows:
That the committee undertake a study of at least two two-hour meetings to investigate DFO’s management of the shrimp-by-trawl industry on the west coast of Canada; that the committee hear from industry stakeholders at the first two-hour televised meeting; and that the committee invite [DFO] officials to appear at a second two-hour televised meeting of the committee to provide up-to-date information and respond to concerns raised by industry stakeholders over the government’s management of the shrimp-by-trawl fishery and answer questions from members.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. Fast.
Are you putting that on notice of motion or are you actually making the motion?
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
All right. I misunderstood earlier.
Thank you for that. It will be up for discussion at a later date, since it's only a notice of motion. It won't be voted on today.
Is there any further committee business?
Go ahead, Nancy.
The Clerk
Mr. Chair, as we have confirmation of the minister for next week, I would appreciate it if I could have direction on what the committee plans to do at the meetings after that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Okay. I think that's why we want the witnesses by 5 p.m. tomorrow. Isn't it to continue on with COVID-19?
The Clerk
If it is the will of the committee to continue with witnesses on this particular study, that would be great, but I would like to have specific directions from the committee or the chair.
Liberal
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My comment was actually on another issue. I'll let this carry on for now, but I have something else before you adjourn.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Just to clarify, we are going to have the minister here Tuesday, June 9, and Wednesday, June 10, and then we're going to continue studying the COVID response on June 16 and June 17. As well, again for clarity, we're to give you a list of witnesses for tomorrow by 5 p.m. Is that eastern time?
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
You're saying we're good to go to 5 p.m. Pacific time, I think.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
I'll be asleep by then.
We have that resolved then. We'll continue on with the COVID study on June 16 and June 17.
Mr. Arnold, you had something you wanted to raise?
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to suggest that once we've had these meetings on COVID with the minister on June 16 and June 17, we start looking at bringing in witnesses for the previous studies that we had already started and continue with some of those other studies, or at least the one we started on the west coast salmon. It's very relevant, I think, that we carry on with that study. I would like to promote that idea with the rest of the committee, the idea that we start to alternate in our meetings between COVID and the west coast salmon study.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Okay, no problem. We'll make a note of this, and I'm sure we'll manage to get through it along the way.
Before I adjourn, I would like to remind members to please try to get online early, before the start time. It gives the clerk and the interpretation and technical people the opportunity to test the sound. When anybody is joining very close to the start time, it makes it difficult to do this and to do it with any sort of satisfaction or confidence, because we're anxious to get the meeting started. We lose time doing the committee business, whereas if people signed on a few minutes early, it would make it that much easier to start on time and get through what we want to get through in any given meeting. I'd just ask for everybody's indulgence and co-operation on that.
If there's nothing else, I'll adjourn the meeting.
Thank you, everyone. The meeting is adjourned.