National Defence Committee on Dec. 9th, 2010

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

We're going to name one.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

We'll name one for sure, but I'll make you say his name, not me.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Oh, well, I don't need to say his name. Everybody knows his name. He's the most knowledgeable lawyer on military law in Canada.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Good Lord.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Merci, Jack

So I think we have to decide.

For next Tuesday, we have a proposal to have the minister for an hour and the steering committee for another hour. We also have a proposal to have a full steering committee for two hours.

Mr. Wilfert.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Chairman, I think it might be helpful if we could get in to the clerk by early Monday a list of any of our suggested witnesses and any suggested topics we want to see for the next term, and give the clerk some idea in terms of a calendar suggestion. That way, when we come in, we can deal with it in the steering committee—and here I like Mr. Harris's suggestion—and then go into a full committee and ratify it. Then we can then go forward with our trip at the beginning of February, followed by the minister, followed by our dealing with the bill.

It's a suggestion, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Okay.

Mr. Harris.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

I don't disagree with that in a general way, but I want to go back to the debate we had very early in this committee. The chair will remember my concern, as a new member of this committee, at seeing our calendar always full and at seeing important things and breaking news happening all around us and the committee being unable do anything about them, because we were committed to this, this, and that, because our calendar was full.

I think we've got away from that a little bit over the last year, which is a good thing. If something happened, we had either the minister in or someone responsible or someone else to tell us about it. I'd like to keep that flexibility. So if we're talking about filling up our calendar, I think we should be a little bit wary of that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Yes, I understand that.

I understand that on next Tuesday we'll have two hours for the steering committee. Also, as Mr. Wilfert said....

I'm sorry, Monsieur Bachand.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

It would be very important that we have an hour for the steering committee to meet, followed by an hour for the full committee to meet, so that it can approve what the steering committee has decided. Otherwise, we'll get held up.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

We may not be here, anyway.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

The best solution would be for the steering committee to meet for an hour, which isn't very long. Then, the full committee would meet.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Get your suggestions in. That would give you an idea, and then we could go for one hour.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

That would be good.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

One hour and another hour, yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Okay, so do we have a consensus on that proposal?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Okay, Monsieur Bachand?

Next Tuesday it will be the steering committee in the first hour, and the full committee for the second hour. The full committee will be able to approve the report.

Also, as Mr. Wilfert said, if you have any suggestions before Monday about the witnesses—

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Before Monday or by Monday? Do you mean Sunday night?

Hold on. I don't like these deadlines that end up being Friday afternoon.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

No, no, I'm sorry, that's not a deadline. It's just a suggestion.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

A suggestion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Think about it.

The goal of our meeting for next Tuesday is to have the discussion on that Tuesday, just for your information.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

So that's on Monday.

[Bryon Wilfert, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

On Monday, yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maxime Bernier]

Yes.

Thank you very much.

That's it. That's all.

This ends the 39th session of the Standing Committee on National Defence.

The session is adjourned.