Evidence of meeting #34 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was retailers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, Devolution and Territorial Relations Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I will hold people to account for passing on the subsidy. For the ones who overcharge on delisted products, the market will have to bear it out, and through personal orders people will be able to shop in other areas.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Thank you, Ms. Glover.
That completes the second round.
Now I have Mr. Bagnell.
We're tight for time, so you have two minutes or so. Then we'll try to get close to a wrap-up here.
Liberal
Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT
Okay.
Well, it's back to Old Crow. I'm delighted you're going to go, because nothing you have said now will work for them. Nothing you have said is helpful.
As you know, you have to register. You've all made it quite clear that we're reducing the choices for people, because now they must use a registered retailer, whereas they didn't have to in the past. In the past, the people from Old Crow had dozens of retailers in Whitehorse they could go to. The witness told us--maybe it has changed in a couple of weeks--not a single one has registered yet. So their choices are dramatically reduced. They can't do any personal orders yet because no one is registered, whereas before they'd go to all of them. They'd take them to the airport where they were inspected. If they were eligible they would go on for lower prices and they'd get them right away.
As you said--I'm glad you explained it--it's a totally different situation, and hopefully you will come up with a system that will be at least as efficient as the old one, which the new one is not turning out to be, at the moment.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We have made no changes to Old Crow.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Everything will still work as it currently does. We will be working with them to adjust the program to meet the needs of the people of Old Crow. There is also a retailer in Old Crow, and that retailer will automatically be eligible.
So yes, we understand it's a special situation, and we are going to be working with the community.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Let's go to that question now; we have a couple of minutes to deal with it.
Monsieur Lévesque.
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Mr. Chair, are we going to talk about the witnesses or the discussions before the other people get here?
Conservative
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Yes, one of my constituents volunteered to come as a witness. He received a call from the clerk. So he understood that he was automatically coming to testify and did not confirm.
Rob Clarke also wanted to have a witness who could not be invited because of the schedule. If we added one hour of hearing at the beginning of next week, for example, we could at least hear from those two witnesses and perhaps a third witness, if needed. Hearing from three witnesses in an hour is doable.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Is it your suggestion that we add an hour out of the existing schedule, or go to a third hour on one of the meetings?
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
No, it would be during the meetings already scheduled. For example, next Monday, one hour of the meeting could consist of continuing our...
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Is there agreement to do that, to make that change in the schedule? It will have the effect, possibly, of moving some of the schedule out forward by that hour.
I have Ms. Glover and then Ms. Crowder.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank Monsieur Lévesque for his suggestion, because we too have heard from other people who are seized with this very issue. Cargojet, for example, would also like to come and take part.
I would support having an extra meeting, in fact, because that's already three. I know that a meat processing person also sent some things, and we haven't heard from them. I think it's a very important thing to do, and I would support one extra meeting if that's the will of the committee.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
I'm going to be a contrarian here. Unless there's clearly new information to be had, I would suggest that we take written testimony from these witnesses, and then we could consider that. I'm not stuck on that if everybody else feels that we really have to do it, but what we end up experiencing is not any really new information coming forward.
If everybody really wants to do it, I would suggest one hour, not a full meeting.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Just so you are all aware, what we have done is exactly that. If there is not time for the witnesses to appear, we suggest that they submit a written document or proposal.
Go ahead, Monsieur Lemay.
Bloc
Marc Lemay Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Unlike Ms. Crowder, I feel those witnesses would have new things to tell us. Among others, we heard very little about the situation in northern Quebec and I think that's important. I agree with spending the next meeting on that.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
I have to reiterate what Monsieur Lemay was saying. Northern Saskatchewan has its own issues and its own dealings that we have to focus in on as well. If we have to sit down for an extra meeting, I would encourage that. I'd like to have someone from my constituency represented here in the committee.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Okay.
You had one request that we were not able to accommodate.
Liberal
Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT
Yes, I'm in favour of another meeting, and maybe the researcher and the clerk have had some people make requests that we haven't been able to accommodate.