Health Committee on Oct. 17th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Hopefully we can get that consensus here.

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Can we have it recorded? Then we can decide how we're going to vote on this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Do you have a clarification?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Yes, the amendment takes out “at the discretion of the chair”, does it not?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Yes, because I'd prefer not to have it at the discretion of the chair.

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

I would like to add the word “final”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Well, not at the--

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Then I'll do a friendly amendment to put that forward, as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Do you want to add the word “final”?

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, where would you like that word?

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chair, I am somewhat disappointed. I would have liked us to amend my motion first. I thought I would bring it forward before this one. It was drafted first, and it is my proposed motion. I would have liked us to amend it so that we could schedule another meeting. Deal with this as you wish...

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I don't know how we can do it at this stage, because we have to vote on this one and get it done before we can get to yours.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

We can keep three meetings, and deal with the meeting with Health Canada afterwards.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

We will have three meetings plus one with Health Canada, and she'll define what Health Canada will be. How's that?

The motion is really to have three meetings, plus one with Health Canada. Yes, that is four meetings, including one with Health Canada. One of them will be about Canada's Food Guide.

Yes, Madame Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

I would like Ms. Davidson's motion to contain three additional meetings, as Christiane's amendment suggested. According to the amendment, there would be only three meetings.

After passing the motion, Ms. Gagnon submitted a motion requesting that we add a meeting with Health Canada to discuss Canada's food guide. That is what we want, because her motion already referred to Canada's Food Guide. She wants to maintain the motion and be able to broaden its scope in order to have a meeting with Health Canada officials on Canada's Food Guide. We give three meetings to Ms. Davidson and keep one for ourselves, is that all right?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

No, that's not what we're trying to do. If we're going to make this sort of final--and the amendment was that we have a final four meetings--then we will go to your motion. And one of those final four meetings will be with Health Canada about Canada's Food Guide. Is that fair enough?

But we'll do that after this motion. So is everyone clear on the motion? We'll have the clerk read it.

[The Clerk]

I'll just read out that paragraph, as it's amended, to be sure I have it right: “It is proposed that the committee undertake three additional meetings in addition to the current work plan and that during these three final meetings the committee hear testimony”--

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

No, it can't be the three final, because we're going to have four. So say “four final meetings”, and then we'll move that one of those be about Canada's Food Guide.

Let the clerk do this first.

[The Clerk]

We'll have to mention under.... We'll have to say “four” and include the one with Health Canada in there, otherwise it won't make any sense.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

That's fine, and she can define what Health Canada is.

[The Clerk]

Okay, and it continues: “and that during the final four meetings the committee hear testimony related to childhood obesity from experts and representatives from the following groups”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, are we good with that?

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

May I ask a question about the witness list? Why is it so definitive, and why is the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples on there, rather than a health group or a group that is involved with active living or first nations? Why are they there, and why is this list definitive?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, I'm going to go to the mover and say that perhaps you could leave it to the discretion of our research team, with the intention that these be there, but drop those names so they have some freedom, because there may be some that can make it and some that can't make it. Would that be fine?