Health Committee on Feb. 28th, 2007

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Well, I think what—

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Is it that the motion be deferred until after the CDR hearings?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

That's right, after the hearings. It supports the intent of the motion, but it's that it take place after we've actually had the four sessions for the review.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

The clerk is having difficulty in actually getting the wording down so that we can defer this motion, or change the wording in such a way that we would examine this.

Or are you just saying that we will ask the Auditor General to review it after we've listened to the hearings? I think that is the amendment that would be appropriate.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mrs. Carmen DePape]

To write a letter to the Auditor General after the study?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Yes, after we do the study.

[The Clerk]

That's fine.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

At least we're not prejudging before we've heard, which I think adds some credibility to it.

The discussion now is on the amendment.

Yes, Carolyn.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

I don't see it as a friendly amendment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

No, it's not a friendly amendment.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

I feel, speaking to the amendment, that it means that the study's different. I think what Madame Gagnon is saying is that the study might take a different track if we knew the answer to what the Auditor General thinks about this thing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

I don't think we're going to get an Auditor General's report on CDR within the next month.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Well, I still don't think there's any problem in her looking at it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

No, and that's fine; I don't think there's argument there. I think all we're arguing about is the timing.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

The job is about value for money, right?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Fair enough.

Yes, Madame Gagnon. You're speaking on the amendment, is that right?

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Before we vote, I would like to say that The Best Medicines Coalition is very interested in the motion that I have tabled today. They deplore this situation. We must go and find out how this organization operates and obtain real answers. Mr. Chair, you know that this committee will not be given the answers. Health Canada cannot give us an answer. An independent organization manages the review. We want to find out how this independent organization spends its money, what kind of management it has, how effective it is. That is what we did with Health Canada and how we discovered certain truths that were never revealed to this committee. It is an altogether different type of inquiry.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Okay, we understand the position. I'm going to put the amendment to the question.

(Amendment negatived)

(Motion agreed to)

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Can we go for a recorded vote on that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

It's too late.

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB]

Can we note that it's not unanimous?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

On division. Fair enough.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Let's move in camera now.

[Proceedings continue in camera]