Evidence of meeting #4 for International Trade in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was agreement.
A video is available from Parliament.
1:40 p.m.
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
Madam Chair, if I could comment.... This was an article today that said, “A contentious motion that Justin Trudeau characterized as a 'near miss'”. Trudeau said, “There are certain messages that could be passed...that might be playing some challenging games”.
With regard to my motion, which the Liberal House leader—
1:40 p.m.
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
—February 6, said it was quite appropriate to do. Madam Chair, I'm just asking the parliamentary secretary, maybe she could....if we're dealing in good faith. I know we want to pass this. We want to give families, businesses and sectors that are going to be negatively impacted an idea of how this is going to roll out and what support packages we can provide for them. If we're going to be dealing in good faith, take a message back to the Prime Minister and let him know that we're prepared to do a good-faith deal, but he needs to stop playing these challenging games, because, on the record as I've read it in, it's not us doing this; it was him.
1:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much for your comments.
We have Mr. Carrie's motion on the floor.
(Motion negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])
We now have Mr. Kram's motion. Does everyone have the motion?
1:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
The individual has been invited by the clerk to come before the committee. We're certainly very hopeful that the individual will be appearing before committee.
Do you want to vote on the motion? We have it in both official languages. It's duly before us.
(Motion agreed to)
We'll move to Ms. Bendayan's motion.
1:45 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
May I make a friendly amendment and we can consider it?
I'm just looking at the timetable. I agree with you on the number of committees, writing a letter—that's all fine. I still think those other committees need just a little more time. Could we change Tuesday, February 25, to Tuesday, March 3, just another week during the break week, and then let the committee deal with it by March 5?
The reason I say that is that we can come back on the break week. I have no issues with coming back on the break week to deal with this. It gives all the committees a fair chance to hear witnesses and.... It's a compromise. We've gone from April 2 now to March 3, so we're doing everything we can, but in the same breath we do have to listen to them.
The point I'll make to my colleagues across the floor is that the Prime Minister hasn't even reached out to our leader to say this is urgent. I know the Deputy Prime Minister has been very active and working very hard. I give her credit for doing all the work she has done in the background on this, but you're pushing something through very fast. Historically this is faster than we've ever done it before. In fact, if you look at just this coming to committee, historically it takes 16 days and we did it in six. We're going to do this in basically nine sitting days under your motion. All I'm asking for is that weekend and another seven days.
It would allow those committees that haven't been struck yet to actually be struck and organized, to hear witnesses and then do a proper report back to us. Like I said, they can do extended sittings. We're ready to sit on extended sittings. If they can come back sooner, then they come back sooner, but let's give them enough time to do the work so that nobody can come back to this committee or to the government and say we didn't do our due diligence on this piece of legislation.
1:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Here is a suggestion as we move forward. When we were dealing with Bill C-100 in the previous Parliament—on this particular legislation—there were 15 witnesses from 12 different groups. There has been a fair amount of consultation prior to its coming before us. In fact, it's my understanding that CETA and so on moved through much faster, just in the essence of time here.
If we are going to have extended hours next week in addition to this week, we should be able to accommodate most of the witnesses. The letter—in anticipation of that comment that Mr. Carrie mentioned—is ready to go. The clerk has it. I just have to sign it with the approval of the committee.
The letter will go out to standing committees very quickly. As you know, most of them are fully aware of the process and so on, and I think they can probably meet the date, the February 21 date. They know this is coming as well.
1:45 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
The Liberal members may know it's coming, but nobody else outside the Liberal Party knows it's coming.
1:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I think it's general conversation among all of us on the Hill.
Right now I have a proposed amendment from Mr. Hoback. All those in favour....
Sorry, go ahead.
1:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Could you specify which paragraph you're changing today, because I think we have a—
1:50 p.m.
Conservative
1:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Is that part (ii)?
1:50 p.m.
Conservative
1:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Then would clause-by-clause take place on February 28 in (e)?
1:50 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
No, it would be March 5. We're using the same window to deal with it.
1:50 p.m.
The Clerk
So both (d) and (e) would be March 5.
1:50 p.m.
Conservative
Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK
Yes, and then I'm committing that we would come back during the break week to deal with it.
1:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I'm really glad that you're committing to coming back. We'd all be very happy to be here too, if that was what was to work out.
Is everyone clear on the suggestions that Mr. Hoback is making?
All those in favour of the amendment, please raise your hands.
(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Motion agreed to)
We will now adjourn until 3:30.
I do hope that our future meetings will be smoother as we get to know each other and spend a little more time working with each other. We will see each other at 3:30.
Thank you all very much.
The meeting is adjourned.
