Evidence of meeting #30 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was meeting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
All right, thank you, Mr. Bouchard.
Mr. Bouchard has suggested that if we do have the meetings on Friday, they be held between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. as a way to try to assist Mr. Lake, who has a significant autism fundraiser in his riding on Saturday morning, I believe it is.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Mr. Lake would otherwise have difficulty getting back to the west, to the prairies, to meet that commitment.
That's a helpful suggestion. Thank you very much for that.
Mr. Lake.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Before I make my comments, Mr. McTeague talked about the Liberal caucus retreat; I'm just curious about what the dates are, maybe, so that when we're having this conversation we know that we're not conflicting with anything.
Liberal
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Is that the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of that week?
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Okay.
It is the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of next week. So....
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
As chair, I'm not available the Monday and Tuesday either, because I have commitments in Vancouver, meetings that I've committed to with members of the Chinese community.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Just to be clear here, the event that I have on Saturday is not the reason I'm opposed to this motion. It's my job to be here. If I have to be here, I'll be here. The point is that the notice is too short to be inviting witnesses.
We don't have the luxury--for our witnesses, the Canadians who actually want to speak in favour of the decision--of having the numbers on this committee that the coalition has. So we can't give them a heads-up, give them notice, of an agreed-upon date that we're going to hold a hearing. We don't have that luxury.
Conservative
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
So the idea of having a quickie meeting like this, as proposed by the partners over there, is something that is completely political. If we're going to try to take a reasonable approach on this issue in terms of hearing this, we have to work to compromise.
I think any reasonable person understands that in the middle of summer, this is not.... Some of the members have said that we do this all the time. We're not talking about a meeting that happens in October or February, when people generally are working and are not on vacation with their families. It's a lot easier for them to come on short notice then. I would point out that typically when we do that, it's one meeting of several. It's not usually the only meeting that you're going to have on an issue, when someone gets called three days before.
If I'm not mistaken, we're probably planning on having several meetings with many witnesses. If we really want to get a good...I'll use this terminology--maybe the honourable member on the other side doesn't understand it--“representative sample” of witnesses, perhaps there's a fairer way to do it.
We're not looking for a significant number of witnesses here. I think what we're trying to find is a representative group of witnesses on both sides of the issue so that we can actually give a fair hearing and make educated and informed decisions as parliamentarians.
Bloc
Serge Cardin Bloc Sherbrooke, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I find it hard to support Mr. Lake's comments. In fact, the government decided to announce that decision in June, which is when a session normally ends. We know that Canadians are especially divided on this matter, and so people reacted. The matter is of an important and urgent nature. Meanwhile, the government and the department continue to move the issue forward.
I want to reiterate the fact that the government decided to make the announcement in June. You know how many people accepted the invitation to attend the July meeting despite the very short notice. Unfortunately, I was not at the July 27 meeting. Someone volunteered to take my spot, and he did good work. The meeting was held despite the short notice, and right in the middle of the summer holidays. It was not at the beginning or the end of the holidays, it was in the middle, during the most intensive period. You had no difficulty in finding witnesses in such a short time. Why would we now, three to four days before a meeting, have trouble getting witnesses?
I can understand that it would be hard for you to find witnesses who support the government's decision. I understand that, as I have not seen many supporters, aside from the few loyal Conservative activists of the constituency, who are a rare breed. We have the ability to react quickly. At times, when a parliamentary session is in full swing, we may meet on a Tuesday and decide to hold a meeting on Thursday that same week. And we succeed in getting witnesses to appear on two days' notice.
This is a very hot topic, and it is clearly causing controversy. You can obviously get your witnesses to appear if you want to. Regardless of that, we should not lose sight of the key issue, which is that the government is trying to postpone these meetings because they put it in a bad position. I understand that, since the decision under discussion is a bad one.
I think that while we are debating this and the government is trying to postpone this meeting, officials are going on with their work, under the direction of the government. They have perhaps even gotten to the stage of printing the documents. The only compromise I would agree to is to postpone the meeting in return for the government's commitment to postpone or stop the printing of the documents.
The government is saying that our actions are political. So they are, but in the truest sense of the word. Canadians have spoken against the government's decision, and we feel that we must represent their position because time is running out. The government would be quite happy to take up the debate as of September 20. However, how far will the government have gotten by that time? Will the documents already have been printed?
The situation is urgent, and you can get witnesses to appear on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. I think that we have no choice, this is what we need to do. It is unfortunate for those who can't be there, but that's politics. When there are emergencies, we have to meet; when we can't make the meeting, someone else takes our place. It's that simple.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Could I start my conversation by having you or the clerk read the motion that was passed by this committee at the last meeting? I'd like to know what it said.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
There were two motions adopted by this committee. While the clerk is getting the actual text of the motions, which I will read into the record for you, Mr. Wallace, we'll go to Mr. Brown--
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
No, no, it's still my time. While they're looking, why can't I speak?
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Thank you for providing me the floor. You can just interrupt me when you're ready.
First, I was unable to be at the last meeting as an active member of this constituted committee, and I would like to be here for these meetings.
I'm looking at the schedule. You'd like to have a meeting on Friday. I didn't know about the Liberal caucus meeting. I don't follow when your caucus meetings are, so I didn't know about it, and I appreciate that clarification, because I had said something about that week of September before the long weekend.
If the Liberal meeting is, let's say, on the Monday and Tuesday, if we had it on September 2, that's one day less than two weeks from the day that you're going to have the meeting--based on the motion that's in front of us, where it would be August 20, which would be this Friday. I'm saying, why can we not compromise? Nobody on this side is saying that we.... We're not putting our backs up against the wall and saying, “Oh, no meeting, no meeting, no meeting”. We're offering to be there, and I'd like to be there. As I said earlier, the chances of me both staying married and coming back here on Friday are probably relatively slim. And I want to stay married, by the way.
I think I have some things to add to this discussion. Since I'm a member of this committee, I would like to be able to add to that conversation and to question the witnesses that I was unable to before.
Do you have the motion in front of you now? Is that why you're looking at me like that, or...?
After you read that, I will come back. Is that okay, Mr. Chair?
