Evidence of meeting #62 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was antibiotics.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Andrew Morris  Chair, Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance Committee, Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
Karey Shuhendler  Policy Advisor, Policy, Advocacy and Strategy, Canadian Nurses Association
Shelita Dattani  Director, Practice Development and Knowledge Translation, Canadian Pharmacists Association
Michael Routledge  Medical Officer of Health, Southern Health, Regional Health Authority, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Yoshiko Nakamachi  Antimicrobial Resistance Nursing Expert, Canadian Nurses Association

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

All right. So where are we going to go? Is there something we can conclude today?

Mr. Oliver.

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

Let's soften this down. I do want to stay with the idea of themes. I've been a bit disappointed at times with having presentations on longer topics, as they seem to be a bit meandering. You hear one presentation from one person, and then three weeks later you hear a counterpoint to it. I would like to get consolidation around the themes if possible.

So if we're saying “that the Chair be empowered to coordinate the witnesses”—we're adding an extra day, so it's now September 15, and we're adding another 18 witnesses—and we could say “scheduling necessary generally in compliance with the following guidelines” rather than “in accordance”.

“Witnesses are to be organized to speak to the following...”, and I'm going to suggest we do two- or four-hour blocks. If it's easier for you to break the topic down into two-hour blocks, then it would be four people, and if it's the four-hour block, we can get nine in.

We have a fairly substantive list now. We've added municipalities. We've added labelling and packaging. We've added edibles, and we've added medical marijuana usage. If you want to have a stand-alone one on international considerations, we could have a stand-alone for that as well, because we can do these in two-hour or four-hour blocks.

I would suggest, “That witnesses for each topic generally be proportional to committee membership”. I know you always do a very good job of balancing the witnesses according to who has presented them. Perhaps you could continue to follow those general guidelines, but as Mr. Davies said, he might have two or three around one topic, but then none on others, so let's be respectful of where one of the committee members has an interest in a topic. I think that's it.

For “That the Minister of Health...be invited to appear before the Committee...”, let's just say “in the following week”, so that we can hear from the ministers after that intensive week. It mandates it, and it gets it going, but it does organize it in a structured way.

I'd be happy to move the motion with those amendments.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

If we move the motion, we can pass the budget for this. It helps the thing move along.

I really believe there is consensus here that we want to do this right. Nobody is trying to hide anything. Nobody is trying to avoid anything. I'd like to see us, if we can, move Mr. Oliver's motion with the flexibility. The chair will be flexible and watch and make sure that everybody's interests are addressed and we complete the study.

Yes, Dr. Carrie.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

I actually agree with you. That's why I'm saying that we shouldn't rush about the themes. Let's pass the general motion. Let's allow you to come back next week. I'd be happy to sit for another two hours to just do committee business next week and iron this out, get it figured out. We want to make sure that this is the best bill we can possibly get. My concern is that if it's too prescriptive and it's in the motion, it's binding. We passed it: if we change our minds or if we get some things we want to add or move around a little bit, we can't do it. If we pass the general motion, and then we're allowed to talk about it next week....

It's pretty much that top part, with a little bit of the verbiage that you have in there, which I'd like the clerk to read back to us, if he wouldn't mind.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

There's a motion on the floor.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Yes, but could he read it back?

1:30 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Don't make him.

1:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

You're on the speakers list, Mr. Oliver.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

Well, I've requested that the motion as amended be passed.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Okay. And that's with the list that you have here?

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

Yes. I've added labelling and packaging, edibles, international considerations, medical marijuana, and municipalities.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

You've added international...?

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

International considerations.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Okay.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

We've added six topics. It can be either two-hour or four-hour blocks, depending on how many witnesses come here. There's more flexibility around which witnesses for which topic, depending on submissions, but it's generally following the committee structure.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Dr. Eyolfson.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

I move that the debate be now adjourned.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

No, no, you can't do that—

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

John Oliver Liberal Oakville, ON

That stops the motion.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

That stops the motion? I was stopping the debate. I thought that's what we were talking about.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

No. That was a good try.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

I'll withdraw that.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Okay.

Mr. Davies.

1:30 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

There is a difference between the number of witnesses in proportion to the members of the committee and in proportion to the of seats in the House of Commons. It's the difference between my getting 10% of the witnesses or 13%. The reason we get only one seat here is that 13% rounds down to one, but 13% is the difference between my having nine witnesses or 11 witnesses.

Can we do that?