Evidence of meeting #9 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was finance.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
In the interest of time, I'm not going to rebut Mr. Lake's long political statement about the accomplishments of this government, because I know he probably sincerely believes that. Seriously, I think it's entirely appropriate for this committee to study this motion. I have no question about that. I also think it's appropriate for the finance committee to do it. They've determined they're going to do some kind of a study on the motion that involves hearing some witnesses. I would like to table this, but not indefinitely.
I would like to ask our chair to discuss with the finance committee what their schedule is for examining this issue. If we don't think that will happen on a fast enough timeline, then maybe we should be doing a study on this issue. I think we should put a timeline on when we're going to bring this back.
With regard to Mr. Lessard's point, he's correct that our leader has been very front and centre on the manufacturing crisis issue. We do believe it's a crisis. He's put some ideas out there, and if we do discuss this motion, we will have some of our own ideas that we would want to put in and discuss back and forth. I'm sure that among us we could come up with a very reasonable motion that would go to the House. That would take some time, but we're prepared to engage in that. I do think that since Finance is looking at this first--and I think Ms. Sgro actually proposed a motion to table in her comments--I would like to add to that motion, Mr. Chair, that we have some kind of timeline on that. Perhaps it would involve your discussing with the chair of the finance committee when they're going to have a look at it. Maybe you know that now?
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
On a point of order, is the motion on the table a superseding motion?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
If he makes it, yes, it will be. But we'll get to that one.
I'll just let you know that they're finishing up their pre-budget consultation draft right now. That has to be reported back to the House by the 8th. They are committed to two meetings to handle that. It looks to me like within the next two weeks they'll be getting to those two meetings, if the draft is done before that.
It must be back in the House by the 8th, I've been led to believe, and they are committed to two meetings for after the draft.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Yes. I will confirm that with them, but that's the information I have right now.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Chair, in essence, then, I propose that this motion be tabled for a period of perhaps two weeks and that we come back and determine what the finance committee has done with it and whether we should proceed with this motion, call some witnesses, or whatever we decide to do to further Mr. Lessard's motion.
January 31st, 2008 / 9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Yes, to relook at what Finance has done with it in two weeks and determine whether we need to pursue this motion.
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
I don't want to interject anything sensible into this Parliament....
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Okay, I still have people on the list. I would just remind you that we have now gone to a new motion, so we're talking about this particular motion.
Actually, my mistake. This motion is not debatable.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
On a point of order, now that there's a timeline attached, it's not necessarily a superceding motion, right? So with the condition, it is debatable.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Okay.
I have on the list Mr. Komarnicki, Ms. Yelich, and Mr. Lessard.
Just keep in mind, we are talking about the new motion. Try to frame your comments in that context, or we could start a new list.
Mr. Komarnicki.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I'll be very brief.
Certainly this motion is along the lines that I think it should go. I'd like to say, with deference to Mr. Martin, that there's no question that the present announcement of $1 billion—not a small amount of dollars for issues that relate to what we're talking about today—for a community development fund and national initiative to help vulnerable communities and laid-off workers is a significant thing.
That's tied to the budget. There may be other things tied to the budget. I wonder how Mr. Martin can seriously say—and I know there's a measure of politics being played in this—that we need to do something when his leader, and in fact the Bloc Québécois as well, said they're going to oppose the budget before they've actually seen the budget, before they know what's there. How can you find yourself opposing something that does offer relief to the very issue that's pertinent to this motion? I find it somewhat hypocritical to say that we need to do something and then say, at the same time, while something is being done, “I oppose it”.
That's the comment I'd like to make. Thank you.
Conservative
Conservative
Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK
I would like to remind the committee that we are all faced with these issues. We also have a forestry industry in Saskatchewan that has really been affected, even before this more recent crisis. We have been trying to deal with it provincially and federally. There are many of you who have cattle producers and hog producers who are also in crisis. It's even more of a crisis. We're trying to deal with all of these through programs.
That's why I'm surprised that this motion is so broad, and in some ways even vague. It's just about dollars, it's not about real.... As Mr. Lessard said, he wants to see a genuine, authentic will. I would say this is exactly what the government has been doing for a while. These issues have been escalating to a crisis level, and I think we have been working very hard. That's why I would like to see more of a building on.... Instead of just a blanket $1.5 billion for this, $60 million for that, and $1.4 billion for that, why don't we look at what these community development trusts have and help our finance minister deliver programs that are really going to very quickly get into the hands...? As my colleague said, this makes it really easy for you to vote on this and get a budget through quite quickly. If you wait and there are those kinds of dollars in the budget, you have your $1 billion. Plus, I think you should be working very hard on the target initiative for older workers.
We also have the other issue that is at a crisis level, and that is shortage of labour, and that is big in British Columbia and the oil sands. Right now, we're having issues with that. If we're going to look at this kind of motion, I think you should go back and do some work on trying to build on programs.
If you really do have the political will, as we do, as our party has shown.... The Conservative Party has a political will to address these problems because we are the government and are going to do prudently what's best and what can be done.
As Mr. Lessard even said, he doesn't even know, possibly, from this standpoint. He's talking like a finance minister. He doesn't really know what the surplus is. He's assuming there's going to be a surplus, without even suggesting that there might be a downturn in the economy. He's already presuming these programs aren't going to work, so I'm assuming he should maybe work a little harder and maybe put a little political will to this motion.
Thank you.
