International Trade Committee on Feb. 4th, 2016

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We have some motions, and they're suggestions as to where we should go. I think this is good.

I would like to see a motion come forward dealing with our next meeting. It would be like this, I guess. We would invite the officials. If the officials come, we should ask them, besides their giving us the big picture snapshot, to make sure some of those issues that were brought.... They can also give us a little bit about the Detroit bridge and a little about..., because they might not know that....

Clerk, if we go down this road, we would like them to make sure they have some of those issues also in our big snapshot.

Go ahead, Mr. Dhaliwal.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

On this, Mr. Chair, I would also add that another part of it should be the European free trade agreement, because some of the members on this committee are new and are not familiar with that particular free trade agreement. It would be good if they could brief us on that as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We're working towards the first meeting after we come back, which would be a Tuesday. We have a full two hours with officials, I'm guessing.

The other thing I'm suggesting is that, before that meeting, because there's a whole week, the officials get some broad information to some of the MPs during the week, some of the background.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

It should go to the clerk and be distributed to the MPs.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

For instance, I'm trying to be flexible here, but it would be nice for some of the MPs, especially new MPs, by next Thursday, to receive some sort of, just a little bit of—so they can prepare for questions when the time comes.

Is that possible, clerk?

The clerk just brought up something good. Sometimes we deal with officials, but the library is there for us, too. There are two different things. The library could get the stuff to you. Either way, I don't think it matters, as long as you have something in your hand later on in the week. It can help to get our head around where we're going and then you can ask questions.

Can we move along with where we want to go?

I'll go to Mr. Hoback, and then who wants to go next?

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I was going to add that there were some studies done on TPP and CETA in the previous government. I think the clerk can distribute those to the committee members. It's some good background information.

I'm not opposed to doing the CETA study. I think CETA is plugging along in the background here as they do the translation in Europe. You may want to look at your timing as to when you want to do that. We'd be okay with that, too.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Do we need a motion on what we're going to do the first day back?

Go ahead, Mr. Dhaliwal.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I bring forward the motion that the first day back here, we should bring the officials from the department so they can brief us on the issues that we've brought forward—TPP, the European free trade, the issue that Mr. Van Kesteren brought forward, and also the softwood lumber deal.

[An hon. member]

And Ukraine...?

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

And Ukraine.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

And any others, really.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

And any others, yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

[Inaudible--Editor] something in China we don't even know about, right?

We need a snapshot, and to make sure those things are included.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Right.

We would also request that the library analysts here bring any information forward and distribute it to the committee members as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Next week, then, try to get something, just as kind of a background on issues, to the committee members.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Before we get back here so that we can utilize the time....

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

That way we'll have a couple of days to look at it before we come back here on Tuesday.

The clerk has brought it to my attention that in the week of March 21 or 22, there could be an EU delegation coming here. I'm just giving you a heads-up on that. That might be a week that could be chunked up there.

Is it my sense that following our meeting Tuesday we will have to come to some sense of where we're going right away? We should have a sense, but we'll still have to talk amongst ourselves after Tuesday, and say, “Okay; now we've heard it, so....” We really have to know, by that following Thursday, where we're going in the weeks ahead.

Mr. Hoback.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Yes, Chair, I agree with you. I think we need to do that by Thursday for sure. But I was hoping that maybe even on Tuesday we could slice off 15 or 20 minutes to help lay that down. I think that would be wise. We could entertain motions at that time too.

Perhaps you could get that into the committee agenda for the Tuesday meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

We'll see how Tuesday goes. If everything goes really good, and everybody's getting her going....

You guys know the way it is around here. We have to be out of here at a certain time: boom. Sometimes there are votes that really mess things up, and then we have to come back and forth. But if everything's going good, I have no problem with that. We have a good sense here.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

You might even want to do another meeting of the committee on Wednesday or Thursday just so that next week we have our lineup done and completed and actual studies started. We'd be game for that. We just think it's important that the committee get active. There is lots of work to do.

If you start travelling, your days get sucked away very quickly. If that means you have to spend some extra time getting everything prepared next week, we're here ready to do that. Or if you want to do it the first week we're back, we're also ready to prepare to do that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Yes. I think that week will be a big week.

If I may, members, I'm not trying to prejudge where we're going, but there's no doubt that TPP will be big. We all know that. I'm asking you guys to probably start thinking about witnesses. It's just a a good idea. If we're going to hit the ground running, we might need a witness list sooner than later. Sometimes it takes a while to get the witness list. Sometimes you can draw from Ottawa for the first couple of meetings.

I have no doubt that TPP will be dealt with in the next few months. That said, just get ready for that. When you're back in your ridings, think of who you want, from here, or go back to your party people and your own caucuses.

Madam Lapointe.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I have something to suggest regarding the agenda.

I heard what you said about the need to start thinking of our witnesses and I agree. If we invite the officials to appear on February 16, I suggest that we meet in camera on Thursday, February 18, to discuss again what we heard during the February 16 meeting. That's my suggestion.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

I was hoping we'd do that on Tuesday, after the officials.

[The Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Yes, but if we can; I don't know.

I don't want to be that strict on it. If we're really into something, I don't want us to say that we're going to cut people off 15 minutes before the end of the meeting. If we're really into something and we want them to finish it off, I'd sooner us have another meeting later on, to be flexible. I want to go as quickly on it as you guys do, but I just don't want to have a really good conversation going, with a few more questions, and then we have to cut them off and say, “You know, we just didn't finish it right because there's a lot on the table here.”

That's all I—

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Again, for assurances, I'd like to see Thursday as a working meeting, where we actually start bringing witnesses in, whatever the study is.