Foreign Affairs Committee on Nov. 13th, 2007

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

But she wasn't here. The problem was that information suddenly appeared that members were not cognizant of. They were operating in their own world. We need to have better liaison, whether that is by the chairman or a colleague. I have no difficulty if it's one of our colleagues on that subcommittee, but there needs to be some continuity and awareness of what is happening.

Sometimes they were dealing with, shall I say, fairly explosive issues, which we clearly were not cognizant of. I would be more than happy to suggest what some of them were. The subcommittee often deals with very touchy issues, such as--let's put it on the table--the comfort women issue. That was one good example. We had a subcommittee report on China and human rights. That would be another. Quite frankly, as a member of the standing committee, I was broadsided.

I really believe we should have a colleague—and not necessarily the chairman, because he has enough to do—on this committee. If members are agreeable, I am more than happy to nominate somebody. I think that would be appropriate.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

There are so many groups and organizations that wish to appear before our committee, it becomes almost impossible to operate within the parameters of what we are wanting to study. So where we had an issue dealing with human rights or international development, we had this subcommittee--

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I don't have a problem with the subcommittee, but I just want there to be physically someone from this committee to be chairing it, and then we can always have them account here. I don't have a problem with the subcommittee; that's not the issue. It's just having somebody physically being the chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I think this would be the first time a standing committee would say, we will name the chair; we will do this. That's always been done in consultation with the whips. It's something they have worked out--who would chair, who would vice-chair, who would do the different things on the subcommittee. So now you're going--

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I just think that from an operational standpoint it would make it much easier.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I think there may be other ways to do this--

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I'm open to suggestions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

--and that would be that we would allow our steering committee to meet with the steering committee of the subcommittee and to sit down.... The chair would be here and we would say, you're on the steering committee of human rights and international development; you're a subcommittee of ours.

It's our responsibility to know, yes.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I just think it's cleaner if we nominate someone from this committee. I realize there may be, but because there have been problems in the past, I think it's a cleaner way to go. But I'm open to suggestions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I know that for your party, for example, Mr. Cotler and Mr. Silva serve on that. Neither of them are on this committee.

I was on that committee, as was Madame St-Hilaire. They were very focused on what they wanted to study as well, and I would assume that a subcommittee member would be in consultation with whomever is the vice-chair or whomever is their party representation on the standing committee. That's what we expect, I think.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

I wasn't the vice-chair, but--

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I'm not certain I would want to get into saying that government has the chair position of a subcommittee and this is our nominee and--

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

What I'm suggesting is that the communications need to be better--

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I agree.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

If that to me could be the approach--any member, I don't have a difficulty with whomever the member is, but I think in terms of the communications, that's what we need to address. If my suggestion is agreeable, then do it that way. If there is another way, then....

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Okay.

We'll go to Mr. Khan, Mr. Allison, Mr. Martin, and Madame St-Hilaire.

[Wajid Khan, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We had several members of this committee on the human rights subcommittee, and we discussed China, Cuba, and Iran. I really don't know what my colleague is referring to, but I think, as you stated, it is the responsibility of the party representatives to communicate with the parties. If they want to quote somebody on the subcommittee who is also on this committee, I think that's a decision made by the whips or the party itself. It's not up to us to decide who should be the chair of the subcommittee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Okay. Without my input on that one, Mr. Allison.

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

I agree with what Mr. Wilfert is saying, that there should be some continuity. I think what happens with a lot of subcommittees is that the main committee, which is actually responsible for it, never gets the information.

I don't think Bryon really cares who's on the committee, as long as there is some mechanism for talking back to this committee, and I think that's the point he wants to make.

So maybe not the chair, or whoever, but I think there should be some way, if our members are on it, where they can come back and be able to report, even at a high level, as to what is going on so that the committee is aware.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

We have to improve communication, undoubtedly. I don't think there is any whip who would be willing to say that the whips have no responsibility as to who sits on that committee. Mr. Cotler is on it, Mr. Silva is on it, Mr. Wilfert is on it, and they're put there by the party.

Mr. Martin, and then Madame St-Hilaire.

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Maybe the way to accomplish this--and I agree with Mr. Wilfert--would be to add this to the end of the motion, and it would read, “and that the Chair of the Subcommittee meet with the Steering Committee of the Foreign Affairs Committee at their mutual discretion”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

I think that's good.

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

In that way you're actually formalizing it here, but you're leaving it to the discretion of both groups to be able to meet when they see fit to make sure that communications improve.

Does that sound reasonable?

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

It's the communications part that I'm--

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Yes, I think that's a good addition. Maybe I'll just have the clerk read it out. She's faster.

Do you have it there?