Foreign Affairs Committee on Nov. 21st, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Welcome to meeting number 38 of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of June 23, 2022. Members are attending in person in the room as well as remotely using the Zoom application.

I'd like to make a few comments for the benefit of the witnesses and members. Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mike, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking.

Interpretation for those on Zoom is at the bottom of your screen, and you have a choice of floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use an earpiece and select the desired channel.

As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair.

In accordance with our routine motion, I am informing the committee that all witnesses have completed the required connection tests in advance of the meeting.

Pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the committee resumes consideration of Bill S-211, an act to enact the fighting against forced labour and child labour in supply chains act and—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

Can I just interrupt for one second?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Yes, you can, Ms. McPherson.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you.

I would just like a bit of clarity from you, if I could, because this meeting was not what I understood the committee was doing, and we didn't get the notice of meeting until Sunday night. We've never received the list of witnesses—which witness was brought forward from which party—and it makes it very difficult for us to do our work when we don't have that information.

I'm wondering if you could provide some clarity on why that was the case and if there are ways we can avoid that in the future.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Yes.

The reason why the notice did not go out is that, first of all, I think the calendar had been sent out to the members previously, so everyone was aware that that was occurring. However, insofar as the notice was concerned, the clerk was good enough to send it to me on Friday by email, but I did not see it until Sunday night. I am entirely responsible for the delay in sending out the notice.

As for the witnesses, I had no say as to which witnesses were selected.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Receiving the list is what I would like. Usually we receive the list of witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

For sure.

I'll ask the clerk to kindly clarify.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Ariane Gagné-Frégeau]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Indeed, I have not distributed the compiled list, because I have not received the suggested witness list from all parties. I'm still missing witnesses from one party.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Could we get the list of the parties that have submitted witnesses, then?

[The Clerk]

I can do that, for sure.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Thank you so much.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Yes, Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I wanted to raise something about the committee agenda as well. We had adopted a calendar on October 26, and the clerk subsequently sent out a proposed revised draft calendar, but the revised version was not adopted by the committee. In terms of what the committee has adopted, it was the original version adopted on October 26 that the committee had agreed to.

That agreed-upon version had a discussion of the situation in Ukraine scheduled for this coming Wednesday for the full two hours. I notice the meeting was published for Wednesday, but that does not align with the agreed-upon calendar. We're certainly open to a discussion about potential changes to the calendar—in particular, we have an urgent motion on the situation in Iran that we plan to give notice of today—but in the absence of agreed-upon changes to the agreed-upon calendar, I think it is important that we schedule meetings in accordance with the agreed-upon calendar, not with things that were not agreed on.

My suggestion would be that either we stick to the agreed-upon calendar, which is the two hours on the situation in Ukraine, or we try to set aside some time today for a discussion of committee business. Again, we're open to that discussion, but in the absence of an agreement.... The agreement was that this coming Wednesday we would have two hours of discussion on the situation in Ukraine.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

As you're well aware, and as was explained to you, Mr. Genuis, the clerk did change that last Monday, and that was out of a concern to make sure that the committee's time is being used efficiently, because as you know there are many issues the members would like to consider.

Yes, that did change, and Bill S-223 is now scheduled for Wednesday.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Chair, I understand all that. My point would just be, with great respect for the clerk, that the scheduling decisions are made by the committee. The committee has agreed, in the agreed-upon version, that we do consideration of the draft interim report—

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

I have a point of order, Chair.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Sorry, I am speaking to a point of order.

My point of order was this. We received a notice for Wednesday's meeting that is not consistent with the unanimously agreed-upon calendar of the committee. There may be good reasons that informed someone's opinion that we should adjust the calendar, but I think it is incumbent on the chair to schedule meetings in accordance with the agreement of the committee, unless that agreement changes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

That's fair enough.

The clerk is pointing out that the chair does have the power to move it around to make sure that we proceed in the most expeditious fashion and to make sure that all those issues that are being considered are considered.

That said, we will go to Ms. Bendayan.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

I simply wanted to see, Mr. Chair, if we could get to our witnesses.

I would like to respond to my colleague, and we can discuss the schedule, but given that witnesses are waiting, perhaps there is a better time for this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

For sure. My apologies to the witnesses.

Can we proceed with the witnesses?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Yes. Let's proceed according to the agreed-upon calendar for the rest of the month, and let's hear from the witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

No. We've moved it around just to make it more efficient.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

We can hash it out on Wednesday if we want, but we're going to have a problem on Wednesday if we are not proceeding in accordance with the agreed-upon calendar. That's my only point.