Evidence of meeting #16 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was afghan.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Scott Reid is the chair. We congratulate him on that position.
Do we have any questions arising out of the steering committee report?
Madame Barbot.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
Mr. Chairman, since I will be away on a mission this coming April 8, would it be possible to change the date that we are supposed to consider the report on Haiti to April 3? That was the date scheduled to discuss the Sudan and Burma. Could we switch the schedules around?
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
The calendar that was prepared lays out very clearly all of our timing, and it goes all the way down to April 29. Am I right?
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Unless we want to decide to change the thing, right? But the steering committee is already done with this thing here.
The question, with due respect to Madame Barbot, is that we have all the other ones here, and I don't see why we should change April 8 to.... I'm sure she can let the colleague who is replacing her do the Haiti study. I know she's from Haiti and would like to be involved in that.
Don't shake your head, Madame, when I'm putting something forward. You have never agreed to anything that I have put forward.
Well, that's the way it goes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Mr. Obhrai, thank you for that intervention.
If we can accommodate that, let's try. My feeling is that we'll try to accommodate that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
You don't know?
Well, I'm going to make the decision here that if it can be accommodated, just as a courtesy to Madame Barbot, we should do it. We'll try to switch those days. The witnesses haven't been contacted or confirmed yet.
Are there any other questions coming out of the report?
Monsieur Patry.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Chair, not on the last one, but on the last before the last motion concerning the Japanese ambassador, I just have one question.
Are we going to invite the Japanese ambassador and the officials to the same meeting? For me, it's relevant. You invite either the ambassador or the Department of Foreign Affairs, or you've got one hour for each.
The way it's drafted, we're going to get both together.
Conservative
Liberal
Bryon Wilfert Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
I'm going to let you know the Japanese ambassador won't be available then, so I'm going to put it off for now. But I'm doing another venue with him, anyway, which you'll be invited to, so we can leave that open.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Okay.
The intention was never to put the department together with an ambassador. I don't think they'd even appear. That may be changed anyway.
Anything else there, Mr. Patry? Good point.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
“Diplomatic relationship”, what do you mean by “diplomatic relationship”? Is it economic? Is it social? What do you mean? Just diplomacy, about the closing of Osaka? Consular? I have no clue.
Liberal
Bryon Wilfert Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
But if he is, I will make sure you're there. I'll have another venue for you.