Evidence of meeting #30 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 point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Lebel raised a point of order, exactly what Mr. Dewar did last time when he brought it before the foreign affairs committee, where he asked that his motion be jumped up to the front. That was defeated by the committee.
Liberal
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
No, no, no; on a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dewar's motion has been on this order paper for a long time, number one. Last time, he jumped; he got his motion up in the front by asking that he be given permission to do that.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Of course it's a point of order. That's what Mr. Lebel asked. Why are you ignoring Mr. Lebel and not doing his motion in the same manner? He asked to be put up in the front because it is time-sensitive. That's the whole issue.
You can't play one game on that side and the other game on this side here.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Bernard Patry
I just want to let you know, Mr. Obhrai, that Mr. Dewar was the first one who asked to talk. I was really thinking that Mr. Lebel had something else, which is why I asked him to talk. Mr. Dewar has the floor for the moment.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Chair, I've simply tabled my motion, and it's in sequence with what our business is. I guess debate ensues.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Bernard Patry
We are debating the first motion. We've already read it, concerning the round tables on corporate social responsibility and the Canadian extractive industry.
Mr. Obhrai, you wanted to talk on this motion?
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Of course. I want to first of all register my protest that you did not see my friend's hand go up.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
No, this is not that important. It's not that time-sensitive. Mr. Lebel's is more time-sensitive. So that is the process. Anyway, now that you've made a decision, we'll have to proceed with the decision you have made.
Mr. Chairman, let's talk on this motion for a minute. The government introduced this round table conference that took place on this, and under the government's initiative--
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Good man; you want to give them credit. It started, and we continued with it. This government continued with it because we felt that this was an extremely important subject--corporate social responsibility of Canadian companies--specifically with regard to the issue of the global environment.
I want it put down, in terms of this advisory group and the ones that came out, that Canadian companies have played a very major leading role in corporate social responsibility, and have stood up to some of the stringent expectations of the Canadian public. Where there have been little cracks, the companies have policed themselves very well. Other companies have taken issue with these other companies that have not really stood up to this factor.
Going on that factor, the government welcomes the report of the round table advisory group, which presented a consensus on these recommendations on how to do it.
As I've mentioned, there are many companies down there, and one of them is Talisman. They have done a great job of policing themselves, and the government is pretty happy with the round table and the recommendations that have come out.
Therefore, the government is looking at the response. This response deals with the extractive industry, so therefore it falls under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Natural Resources. At the current time, both the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Natural Resources are studying this and preparing the government's response. Once this report is finalized and approved, it will be tabled.
Given the fact that the government is preparing the response to that round table conference at this time, it becomes very difficult for us to support this motion until the government's report is finalized. Once the report is finalized, the government will honour its commitment to report back to Parliament on the proposed course of action, which is what is required.
Mr. Speaker, for us at this time, it is premature to respond to this motion, considering the fact that the government is in the process of preparing a response.
What I would like to say is that we are going to oppose this motion, not on the basis that we oppose the content of the round table, but on the basis that the response is being finalized, and it has not been completed. Once the report is finalized, it will be presented to Parliament. We believe it's premature.
On that basis, Mr. Speaker, the government cannot support this motion.
Liberal
Liberal
Conservative
NDP
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Bernard Patry
The round table report was tabled on March 29, 2007. Today Mr. Blaney, one of your members, was speaking outside concerning a government response.
Mr. Goldring, and then we're going to end. We started a couple of minutes late.