Health Committee on Jan. 25th, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Kelloway.

Is there any further intervention or further discussion on Mr. Maguire's amendment?

Seeing none, I'll ask the clerk to conduct the vote on Mr. Maguire's amendment.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)

We will go back to the main motion as multiply amended. Is there any further discussion on the main motion?

Mr. Davies, go ahead.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I just wanted to clarify. I've heard everybody say something correct about this, but we probably should be, just for the sake of clarity.... I think Mr. Kelloway was bang-on, but Ms. Rempel Garner's point is accurate and yours too, Mr. Chair.

We can't force the ministers to come, of course, but when we invite them to come a week Friday, I think the motion should be clear, Mr. Chair, that you have the ability or the discretion to schedule them any time up to Friday if that suits their calendars. I think you should invite them for next Friday and if they can make it, that's great. If it's more convenient for them to come on a day prior to that, then you should have the discretion to set down that meeting prior to that. I thought we should clarify that for the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you. Did you wish to make an amendment as such? I should point out that the chair already has that kind of discretion, but I would also suggest that if we're too prescriptive, if we require that it be done before such a date and they're not available, it leaves it open for after that date. I would suggest that we want to be able to invite them at such time as they're able to come.

Mr. Davies, did you wish to carry on with your intervention?

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Those remarks leave me somewhat less certain. I know it's a bit odd, because we're trying to schedule our meetings and we're trying to have the ministers come on a set date that we can't actually compel, but I'm prepared to operate in good faith that what the motion means is that we want you to invite them to come next Friday and hopefully they will come. If not, then the next option would be that they come at a time prior to that, and if they can't, then I guess we would want them to come as soon as possible thereafter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

I certainly take that as implicit. That's what my desire would be, but I caution about the motion being overly specific. That's what I'm saying.

Is there any further intervention?

Ms. Rempel Garner.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Chair, I would just say that motions with dates for ministers' appearances are fairly routine and I wouldn't describe them as overly prescriptive.

I'll just be blunt. I would say “by next Friday”. That gives the ministers, in the middle of a pandemic where people are dying every day and we don't have vaccines, two weeks to come before the Standing Committee on Health. If we get the sense as committee members that is not going to be the case, that they won't be able to fulfill that basic parliamentary function, then I suspect there will probably be some ramifications from the opposition on that.

I would encourage you in your role of chair to perhaps communicate that to the ministers in terms of their understanding of what the gravity of this invitation would be, should it pass.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Ms. Rempel Garner. I can assure you that in my role as chair and as a parliamentarian I certainly will always stress to the ministers how important their interventions are, and I am totally confident that they themselves know as well. However, my point wasn't the specification of a given date, but about making it too prescriptive and requiring that it be only before that date and not allow that it might have to be after. I'm certainly willing to schedule the meeting whenever the motion requires, and certainly we'll try to do so in an expeditious and proactive manner.

Mr. Maguire, please go ahead.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Thank you. I just want to add, for my Liberal colleagues who have indicated the importance of this issue, that I think it's already in the original motion that it occur no later than February 5, 2021, and there are an awful lot of two-hour periods between now and then. Whatever time it can be scheduled in that period of time, I'm fine with as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you.

Is there any further discussion on the main motion as multiply amended?

Seeing none, I will ask the clerk to conduct the vote on the motion as multiply amended.

(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

Thank you all. I would remind everyone that we have the final meeting on mental health on Friday. I believe we are missing witnesses from the Conservatives, and possibly from the Bloc.

Mr. Davies, we may be missing one of your witnesses as well. I would certainly advise you to get those witness requests in as soon as possible so that they can be approached and brought up to speed on the technology in time for the meeting.

That being said, the business of the meeting is concluded. I thank you all.

The meeting is adjourned.