Evidence of meeting #2 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was negotiations.
Director General, North America Commercial Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (International Trade)
Absolutely. I'll provide the names of principal trade contacts and who the consulate generals and consuls are, because I think that would be of use to you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you.
Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen, for coming today. I know you have a lot of work to do. We do appreciate very much your appearance here.
I would ask all the members of the committee to forgo the usual handshakes with the committee members at this time, so we can get directly to what should be five minutes of remaining business of the committee.
Again, thank you very much. Let's get right down to the further business.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Julian, please go ahead. Ignore these people on this side; they're out of order.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
We've invited the minister to come, and I'm very happy to hear that he will be here next Monday to talk about the softwood lumber agreement. Since there's been a little uncertainty around whether it's an in camera session or a regular standing committee meeting, I'd like to propose that it be a normal standing committee meeting. It's an important issue of public policy, so it should be a public meeting.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Julian, I believe at the last committee meeting we did decide to go in camera. I could just say that the depth of the answers certainly would be affected if it were made a public meeting, because all we have in place is a framework agreement. Negotiations will be ongoing for, I think the Prime Minister anticipates, at least a year. Clearly, we cannot be getting into the detail of what will be in this final negotiation in a public meeting. In an in camera meeting we can get into a lot more. So that was the reasoning. I believe that was what the committee agreed to at the last meeting.
Is that correct, gentlemen?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Are we going to go to a motion on this? We had agreed to go in camera.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Quite frankly, the minister had agreed to come. He's agreed to come very quickly; he's obviously cooperative on this.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Julian, if you are going to a motion, I think it is necessary to have the 48-hour notice. If it were something to discuss that we could deal with, that wasn't going directly against a decision made at the last meeting, I would say let's go ahead and try to cooperatively just do it, but I think this is something else. I would ask you to give the 48-hour notice.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Chair, we didn't have a 48-hour notice for the initial discussion. It's a minor procedural point--it's an important one--but I think we can discuss it now. We're present here in committee. It's perfectly reasonable for us to have the discussion.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Any further discussion on that?
Mr. Paquette, I belive you indicated you'd like to make a comment, and then Mr. Menzies.
Bloc
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
I want to say that, since we first started talking about it, I visited the department's website and I saw that the framework agreement is there. I also noted that the industry, particularly in British Columbia, is talking about this agreement. People have noticed that things are not very clear. I believe that it is in the government's interest to respond to the questions people have.
Here is one of those questions. There is no mention of interest being paid on the duties being repaid to the Canadian industry. As a result, I think that we should hold a normal public meeting. I believe that the minister will find the answers to reassure the industry.
I agree with you that, without unanimous consent, we will have to table a motion. Mr. Julian or I will send it to you. I wanted to tell you that we intend to do this.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
You could ask for unanimous consent if you would like, Monsieur Paquette.
Bloc
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Then I will ask if there is unanimous consent to forgo the normal 48-hour notice for notice of motions. Is there unanimous consent?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
No, there is not, so if you could send a notice in, we'll deal with it in that way.
Mr. Julian.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Chair, for Monday we would then need a committee room that is set up for a public meeting. I suggest we would have to meet earlier on Monday in order to resolve this issue, so that the public can be advised that the meeting is open.
