Health Committee on Dec. 9th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

I call our committee to order.

Welcome, everybody, to committee. I'm so glad you're here.

There are two things I want to address. First, we accommodated the Afghan committee that is in session right now. We changed to a smaller room at the last minute to make sure the other committee would have room for everybody to get in. I made that decision as a courtesy, so my apologies for such short notice.

The other thing I have to tell you is that due to the weather, people couldn't get here for the H1N1 briefing, but there will be a teleconference tomorrow. So the briefing will be done by phone tomorrow.

As a result, is it the will of the committee to have our guests continue for an hour and a half on their presentations on health human resources? We have them now scheduled from 3:30 to 4:30. Do I have permission to allow them to continue from 3:30 to 5:00?

Is there discussion?

Monsieur Malo.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Madam Chair, as you know, the Subcommittee on Neurological Disease was to meet at 5:30 this evening...

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Sorry, Monsieur Malo, I couldn't hear half of it.

Go ahead. Thank you.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

The Subcommittee on Neurological Disease was to meet at 5:30 p.m. this afternoon. However, there are votes scheduled in the House.

I wonder if we might use the time allocated to this committee to hold our subcommittee meeting earlier.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Absolutely. Are you saying we could have the health human resources witnesses from 3:30 to 4:30, and then our subcommittee meeting from 4:30 until 5:15, when the bells ring?

Is everyone in favour of that?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

It's carried. Thank you very much.

Dr. Bennett.

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

Madam Chair, as we have the first snowstorm of the winter, I think this afternoon the decision to not hold the briefing is an extremely bad example.

In fact, we'd said all along that we would be happy to have the briefing phoned in from Colonnade Road. Tomorrow morning is really not acceptable for a lot of us.

The minister happens to be having a media briefing at four o'clock, at exactly the same time, with the officials--meaning, of all the hours of the week, this is the time she has chosen to have her briefing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

I'm sorry, there was no translation.

Are you landing planes or trying to tell me something?

[A voice]

They'd like Carolyn to speak into the microphone.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Oh.

You're not loud enough, Dr. Bennett.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Go ahead.

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

I would like to suggest that the minister has every other hour of the week to do her media briefings other than when the officials are booked to be here at this meeting from 4:30 to 5:30. This is in virtual contempt of Parliament that there's been this obstruction put to our being able to do our job as we go to the parliamentary break.

This is an unacceptable precedent. As we move into winter, there has to be provision for a proper briefing, even if it's done by telephone.

I mean, why couldn't they do it by telephone at 4:30 today when we're all sitting here, as opposed to tomorrow at 11:30, probably the last day that Parliament sits, when all of our schedules are chockablock with meetings with people who have to meet with us at that time?

I need to register a complaint. I want it fixed by the time we come back.

It is not lost on us that so often the minister's weekly briefing ends up at a time that's completely inconvenient for parliamentarians or others. We are sitting in this committee at a time when we would normally be listening to the minister's press conference.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Might I address this?

First of all, the minister has always come to committee when we've requested her to. She has set up briefings on a regular basis to make sure everyone was kept informed.

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

No: your job is not to defend the minister, Madam Chair. Your job is convey to the minister--

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Dr. Bennett, I will bring this committee to a close if you can't let me speak.

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

But that isn't your job, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

I said I will bring it to a close unless I am allowed to speak.

Now, the fact of the matter is that today we have no control over the weather--I am not God--and we have a great deal to do.

The minister wanted to make sure--

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

Madam Chair, my point is that we're going to have weather for the next three months. What are you going to do?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Do I have to adjourn committee because you're being rude, Dr. Bennett?

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

I am not being rude.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

May I finish? I will let you talk. You can talk yourself to sleep today, if you'd like.

I need to tell you that the minister wanted me to say that she would be very happy to have that briefing presented to you tomorrow. She couldn't help the weather. She had no control over whether or not people could be here today.

That's all. I'm the messenger, and this is it.

Dr. Bennett.

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

I want you to be a messenger, and via Dr. Carrie--

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

You have a point of order, Ms. Davidson?