Natural Resources Committee on Nov. 15th, 2007

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

That's practice. That's not set.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

That's right. The committee determines its destiny.

Yes, Madam Bell...or do you go by Ms.?

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Ms. Bell. Madam Bell is my mother.

Just for clarification, are we now putting forward items for study for future committee meetings, or is that...?

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Yes, we've gotten into the future business of the committee.

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Then I have a number of proposals.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

I might suggest, members, that we've had several items brought forth already, and we want to make sure that everybody's items are allowed and that those who don't have items they would like to see discussed here be given a chance too. Could we decide today on the business of the committee for next week maybe, or for Tuesday certainly? If everyone could send their suggestions for future business to the clerk, we could come back and discuss where we go from there. So if we could take care of next week maybe, then we could decide on the agenda beyond that at a future date.

Ms. Bell, you have the floor.

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

But if I don't put my suggestions out there, I'm not sure, they might be the things we want to talk about next week....? So I should put them out there?

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Yes.

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Okay.

First I'd like to suggest a comprehensive, in-depth study of the forest sector. Given the problems that are coming up in Atlantic Canada, in Ontario, in Quebec, and also in British Columbia with forestry, I think it's something we should study. We've spent a lot on energy and oil and gas and electricity. This is a big chunk of our natural resources and I think we need to look at it for the future. I'd like to suggest some meetings on that.

Also, in British Columbia we have a moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling and tanker traffic. There is some controversy around that. I'd like an opportunity to put that on the agenda of the natural resources committee to talk about the moratorium. I think it bears consideration. It's part of the oil and gas overall study, I think, so we could maybe add it to those discussions. I think it's an important piece that we haven't talked about at this point.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Thank you, Ms. Bell.

The minister apparently has arranged that he could come on Tuesday on the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act. Rather than getting into everybody's lists here, should we get agreement on that first or discuss that and then have everyone send in their suggestions for future business beyond that? I think it would be quite difficult to pick from a long list of things. Of course, legislation usually is what the committee deals with first, but that's up to the committee.

Regarding the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act, you'd indicated that the minister actually said he would be available, Mr. Anderson?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

He's available on Tuesday if the committee would like to have him come. He'll give us an hour, and then there would be an hour with the bureaucrats involved with the act.

My question for the committee is, would that hour with the bureaucrats be enough time, or do you want to use an hour on Tuesday and two hours on Thursday? Do you want to give them Thursday's meeting? Do you want to move on to something else? Do you want to start hearing witnesses on that on Thursday? What would you like to do? We're all familiar with the act--it's not that complicated--so I'm not sure if you need more than an hour with the bureaucrats to meet your needs.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Okay, we're going to continue with the list.

Madame DeBellefeuille.

[Christian Ouellet, Bloc, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

She wasn't through.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

You weren't finished the list, Ms. Bell? I apologize for interrupting.

But could we agree that rather than making lists here, members send them to the clerk and deal with them in that fashion?

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

I have just one more, which would be the estimates, which we haven't talked about yet. I think that's something we should bring to the committee. I also wanted to support the Keystone pipeline hearings. The other one was the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act. That one was on my list as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

The supplementary estimates have been tabled in the House, so the committee will be expected to deal with those normally at some time.

I will continue with the list. The clerk has suggested that if you could have your suggestions for future business into him on Tuesday...should we agree to have the minister and the officials from the department on Tuesday, then on Thursday we could have a discussion on that.

Monsieur St. Amand.

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

This is not a list, but I just wanted to agree with Mr. Anderson's overture vis-à-vis the minister. I think the minister should properly be here next Tuesday. I think an hour is adequate, and I think that's the only time available to him. I don't think the complexities of the act are such that we need to hear from the bureaucrats for more than one hour. So I think hearing the minister and the bureaucrats next Tuesday is adequate, and perhaps Thursday, if there are witnesses available on the act, we can deal with the witnesses a week from today. Again, because it's not extraordinarily complicated, I would prefer that three meetings from now, on Tuesday, November 27, we begin a study of the motion that's been brought by Mr. Boshcoff and concurred in by Ms. Bell, that we begin to review the Keystone project, which has a tight timeframe.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

I'm hearing a suggestion here—and I think there may be agreement, so I want to put it to the committee—that we have the minister on Tuesday for an hour and officials for an hour on the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act. Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Beyond that, Monsieur St. Amand is suggesting that we schedule the Thursday to deal with the legislation as well. What if the committee decides at that time that we need more time? If the committee decides we need more time, should we leave it open then to go into the Tuesday after or maybe Tuesday and Thursday to finish the discussion on the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act?

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

I considered that possibility, but I discounted it. I think on Tuesday, the 27th, we should undertake a study of the Keystone project.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Okay, the committee has heard the suggestion. Let's go to the discussion on the Tuesday after then.

We'll continue with the list, though, as it was.

Madame DeBellefeuille

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I support Mr. Anderson's proposal that we study the bill. However, I really want to make you aware of our responsibility to question the minister on the supplementary estimates requested. I would be remiss—I believe Mr. Anderson would agree with me—if I did not invite the minister to free up some time before the deadline right away, so that we can welcome him and question him. I think it is important.

I'm really emphasizing this because during the last session, the Minister of Natural Resources was very busy and was often called up to travel across the country and abroad. It was therefore very complicated to mesh the committee and the minister's timetables, and I understand that very well. If he is quickly made aware of our intent and our wish to study the estimates responsibly, I believe the parliamentary secretary could make him aware of the issue and plan a meeting that will take the deadlines into account, so that we can support the supplementary estimates or not.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Thank you very much for that suggestion.

I will put that to the committee. It has been suggested that we request the minister come to the committee with respect to the supplementary estimates. Is there any discussion on that? Is it agreed that we request the minister to come?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

This is in addition to Tuesday's meeting.