Evidence of meeting #118 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Serge Cormier Liberal Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Chair, I have two things.
Look, I'm not sure if the Conservatives will talk all meeting long, but we have four officials at the table here. The Conservative members are asking for all sorts of information on the recommendations of the report. If they're going to talk all night, I think we should let the witnesses leave the room.
The second thing, Mr. Chair, is that Mr. Perkins is not the chair of this committee. It's you. If Mr. Perkins is trying to intimidate anybody, you have the opportunity to kick Mr. Perkins out of this meeting. I hope we can have respect around this table, because we're not going to solve any problems when it comes to fisheries by yelling at each other in this committee and trying to tell you how to do your job.
Thank you.
Conservative
Richard Bragdon Conservative Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Yes. On the point of order, I don't think anyone would have any objections if the witnesses would like to leave, but maybe they also want to hear what Mr. Arnold is talking about. I think it's very important. I think everyone in this committee, on this point of order, has a desire and a right to hear what Mr. Arnold is laying out.
I don't think anyone would dispute that report after report after report has gone in, many times unanimous, and that we've had very few updates and absolutely very little action done on the reports that have been brought forward. That is what Mr. Arnold is laying out. He has every right to do that, because that is the business of this committee.
Why would we get to amending the Fisheries Act when so much should have been acted upon long before this? Why don't we deal with what's already been authorized to be dealt with under the existing Fisheries Act?
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
[Inaudible—Editor] afraid of the Fisheries Act [Inaudible—Editor].
Conservative
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
On Mr. Cormier's point of order, I'm sure that Mr. Cormier must be feeling the frustration of the fishermen up in his area who asked for some extra bait mackerel to catch. I'm sure the request ascended to the high heavens from his fleet there, out there in New Brunswick.
Liberal
Mike Kelloway Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Chair, the last time I checked, the member opposite was not Kreskin. He cannot go into people's minds and know what they're thinking.
But if he has supernatural powers, can he let us all know?
Conservative
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
[Inaudible—Editor] and, quite frankly, the trivial manner in which their industry has been treated by the Conservative members here.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
I have a point of order from Ms. Barron first and then Madame Desbiens
Conservative
Conservative
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Well, if they're not points of order, I have the floor.
NDP
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
I'm pretty sure I have the floor. The chair has just acknowledged me.
NDP
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Thank you.
Chair, I would like to ask you, with much respect, to please find a way to cut off members who are clearly not following the rules. None of these have been points of order, on both sides. As frustrating as the situation is, Mr. Arnold has the floor. I completely understand that the chair is the person to lean on here, but right now I'm seeing point of order after point of order after point of order called when not a single one of them has been a point of order.
Secondly, is there a way for us to be able to allow the witnesses, who have been so patiently sitting and watching all of this unfold—which is quite embarrassing, to be honest—to leave so that they can do this important work that we're asking them to do?
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
With all due respect, Mr. Chair, this is a sorry spectacle for the four people we have invited here and who are sitting in front of us. They would probably have taught us a number of things and given us some answers to Mr. Arnold's questions. I don't know if you'll use your position to get us out of this deadlock.
I understand that we were rushed into this study and that we weren't prepared to look at it today. However, we must not go to the other extreme and abuse our position to waste the time of all these people who work for the taxpayers and have a job to do.
We should make it our priority to show the utmost respect.