Evidence of meeting #97 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was contract.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Order, please. I want this type of reciprocal exchange to stop in committee. I will no longer tolerate it.
Please keep your comments to yourself. When you have the floor, you have the floor. Otherwise, one member is speaking.
Go ahead, Mr. Turnbull.
Liberal
Ryan Turnbull Liberal Whitby, ON
Thanks, Chair. I appreciate that.
It's interesting that we've heard quite a lot. I've heard a lot of numbers about how much the global clean economy and clean energy investments are increasing dramatically. In fact, recently I heard an expert in this area talk about how clean energy investments globally have actually surpassed the fossil fuel-related investments by 1.8; that's almost double. The tides are shifting, and we want to make sure Canada gets its fair share of that global economic growth.
What we're seeing to date is that we are well positioned to get that, and we're competing through our investment tax credits and the Canada growth fund. Our government is securing those essential investments for building that future economy. The key for us is to acknowledge at the outset that those investments are good for the Canadian economy and good for workers.
We've seen investments right across the electric vehicle supply chain. I'm referring now to the fall economic statement. I know we missed it, in some sense, because members felt they needed to have this debate today, but that's fine. Here we are.
In mining and refining, there have been significant investments. There have been significant investments in processing and components, and in battery manufacturing, which we're discussing today. Those are sizable and really important investments. Parts and assembly, and even recycling, are in development. It really is the whole value chain, which is great to see. We can all agree that it's good news for this country.
I would like to propose an amendment. I'm uncomfortable with the preamble to the motion. I don't have the amended motion in front of me, Chair, because members have been amending on the fly, so please excuse me if there's anything out of order, and maybe we can rectify it. It would probably be good to have the amended motion sent around, but I'll make my best effort to amend it one more time, and we'll see what happens. Hopefully members will agree.
I would like to strike a lot of the wording.
I move, “That the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology undertake a six-hour study on the use of foreign workers at the EV battery manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ontario, to support the implementation of a new EV battery industry in Canada and the training of Canadian workers, and that the committee invite the following witnesses.”
That's the amendment I'd like to propose. It eliminates the very biased preamble that I think would inhibit us from getting to consensus on doing some work on this topic. It's less biased. Hopefully all members could agree to it. It's an honest attempt to try to amend this motion and maybe get to some consensus today, if members are serious about doing this work. I'll leave it at that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Basically, what you're proposing would come right before two dots, and then we have the witnesses listed, the minister.... That's the part that would....
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Okay. Have all members heard the terms of the amendment proposed by Mr. Turnbull?
Go ahead, Mr. Perkins.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
I know we're all doing it on the fly. Is there some way to get that preamble emailed around to us? I think it goes to where it starts with witnesses. Is that basically where it ends?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Can you read it again? My understanding is that instead of “Given that the Government of Canada”, it would start with what you just read out. Mr. Turnbull, can you read it again?
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Just so I understand, what part is taken out? Is it from the beginning to...?
Liberal
Ryan Turnbull Liberal Whitby, ON
We're basically replacing a lot of the language. The whole preamble is basically taken out and replaced with language. I will read it out.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
It would be starting at “Given” and go to the two dots where the witnesses are taken out, other than the hours.
Liberal
Ryan Turnbull Liberal Whitby, ON
The hours are going to be six hours.
It would say, “That the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology undertake a six-hour study on the use of foreign workers at the EV battery manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ontario, to support the implementation of a new EV battery industry in Canada, and the training of Canadian workers; and that the committee invite the following witnesses”.
The witness list is consistent with what was already there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
The witnesses list remains as amended by Mr. Masse.
I recognize Mr. Masse.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Briefly on the amendment, I do support it in terms of our committee trying to be constructive. What we all want are good jobs at the end of the day for this. If we can find some consensus on this, it's something that is important for me in the sense that we go forward, because this is a difficult thing to deal with.
I think we're being responsible here. It was responsible to have the debate here and the discussion. I appreciate Mr. Perkins' motion and I appreciate Mr. Lemire's amendment and also Mr. Turnbull's. I think we can do some good work. The history of this committee has really been centred around consensus, and I think this is appropriate.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Thank you, Mr. Masse, for your comments.
The clerk has just received the text of the amendment, and we'll circulate it to the members.
Has everyone heard the terms of the amendment, and are you all in agreement with it? I just want to make sure we're all on the same page.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
That will take a couple of minutes.
Mr. Turnbull, if you want to, read it again.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
We can suspend. Just for members to know, we have a hard stop at 5:52.
Conservative
November 21st, 2023 / 5:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
That's not what the clerk has told me, but I appreciate that I have a second clerk in the person of Mr. Perkins.
We'll suspend for two minutes for the email to reach your inboxes, and then we'll come back.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Joël Lightbound
Okay, colleagues, the amendment proposed by Mr. Turnbull is out, so you can have a look at it in your inboxes.
Liberal
Ryan Turnbull Liberal Whitby, ON
Yes, it's supposed to be “undertake a six-hour study”. Sorry about that.
I said it, but it was wasn't in the text, so I apologize.