Evidence of meeting #7 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was washington.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
My comments were going to be on something else, but I hadn't discussed number five with anyone. I haven't heard anything about the amendment you just proposed.
Liberal
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
That's fine, but I haven't discussed it with anyone. That's my point.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I'd like to stick to this for now, before we open something, because we're going and--
Liberal
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
We're actually making progress, which is good.
On the trip to Washington--the points thing aside, because I think we can negotiate that--this committee hasn't travelled for as long as I've been on it and since even a little bit before that, I guess. As we heard from testimony today and other days, I think it's really important that we engage, if possible, not just with present congressmen and senators but with officials, such as some of the previous secretaries of state.
I'm thinking of some of the people who were mentioned, Schultz, Nunn, and people like that. I think it would be invaluable to hear from them because they're not in office, and you tend to get a different perspective from those who aren't in office. I think if we could do that, it would be enormously helpful.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
I'll just interrupt you there, Mr. Dewar. We took the liberty of adding to Mr. Goldring's motion when he called for a meeting with American senators and congressmen, and we added other relevant people, recognizing that those would be the ones we would get in. We would also spend our next steering committee planning more of that trip and getting potential names down.
Who else do we have on the list here? Mr. Abbott.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
I took it from some of the comments that were just occurring that we're also talking about the other elements of this report. I think we need to have a more substantial discussion on number four, on the Sri Lankan thing.
I would still like to settle the issue of the Washington trip with respect to the expenses, because obviously that's a nuts-and-bolts issue, but I don't think it would be wise for us to have a vote on this entire report and accept this report without a fairly substantial discussion about number four. I think there are some serious problems there.
Mr. Chairman, I'm looking for your guidance.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Initially I tried to go point by point, but we had a motion to pass the report. I took that motion, and it was seconded. That's what we're debating now, and we're trying to do it within a tight timeline, which maybe we won't be able to accomplish. However, we do want to pass the budget so that we can get the budget in the works.
Mr. Rae.
Liberal
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
I wanted to congratulate the subcommittee for being very productive. It sounds as though it was a very productive meeting.
I would just say to Jim that for us to be able to travel to Sri Lanka, we'd have to go through lots of hoops to get there. It may or may not happen. I think we all know what the problems are. Nobody's saying we're going to go to Sri Lanka just to throw it off. I think it's just a logical thing that we might try to do after we've had the hearings.
For me, the key thing is that when we get back after the break in March, we're going to have a couple of meetings on Sri Lanka. We have to think about who would be the best people to bring in as witnesses and make that a productive rather than an unproductive discussion.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Actually, at that meeting we did ask that we have our witnesses in by Monday.
Liberal
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
--and I also will have some suggestions for my vice-chairman on the committee. My strong advice would be to make sure that it's a productive discussion and you're not just getting propaganda from one side or the other. Make sure we're bringing in the neutrals who really know what's going on.
There are a lot of NGOs that have a lot of information. World Vision has been there. Human Rights Watch has been there. The Red Cross has been there. There are people you can bring in. Then we can think about who would be the thoughtful people who might be able to enlighten us a little bit more as to what is really going on and what's motivating both sides, as opposed to an advocacy session from one side or the other, which frankly I don't need. I hope other members will feel the same way in terms of being productive.
I hope we can adopt the whole thing. I just want to reassure Mr. Abbott that I don't assume from this that we're going to get on a plane to Sri Lanka the next day. We have a lot of figuring out to do. It's just an expression of desire, I think, on the part of the committee.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
As Bob said, this is a sentiment that was expressed in the steering committee, completely, that this be on that portion and that we put this in here, but that we will see at the time we're doing the report whether it's going to go or not. At the same time, we also put in a suggestion that we could have two or three people going as opposed to the whole committee.
Those are part and parcel of the discussions that we had, and also that we would bring it here and put these things in there as part of the study so we know where we're going. It's not cast in stone or anything.
Conservative
Jim Abbott Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
We could shorten this, if I may suggest, if I were to propose an amendment that we accept the report with the deletion of the fourth clause.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
It was Mr. Obhrai's suggestion initially, but that's why we bring it to the committee. We can have an amendment to anything.
Do you want to move that clause 4 be taken out, Mr. Abbott?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Are we then ready for the question on the steering report?
Mr. Dewar.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Is that with number five, the way it was submitted to us, without amendment?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Yes. I think what's happening here is that Madam Deschamps has brought forward a motion to specify which area of Africa. I haven't read the motion yet. I think it's around the Great Lakes of Africa.
