Evidence of meeting #10 for Natural Resources in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was biomass.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Denis Tanguay  President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian GeoExchange Coalition
Sean Whittaker  Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Wind Energy Association
Tim Weis  Director, Renewable Energy and Efficiency, Pembina Institute
Jocelyn Lessard  Director General, Québec Federation of Forestry Cooperatives
Ted Kantrowitz  Vice-President, Canadian GeoExchange Coalition

5:05 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Yes. I appreciate that.

I suppose, then, my appeal is to Madame Brunelle. I'm supportive of the direction and the content of the motion. I think it's important. I was going to add a question about the economic impact. I see here that we have accessibility and environmental impacts of the ecoENERGY programs. I think the economic impacts would bear some understanding.

To be upfront, I'm a little uncertain, because if we proceed with this motion and say yes to this, it would behove the rest of the members to make our agenda through this type of process, which isn't necessarily the best way to make a committee's agenda. For instance, there's a topic that I want to discuss, so I bring it through in a motion and we discuss it next week, and Mr. Tonks or Mr. Anderson does the same thing. It makes a bit of a patchwork quilt of a committee's process. It might not have any intelligence to it in the end, because we would just have a stack of ten topics that we then have to run through. I'm hoping there's some way we can include this idea into that larger discussion of what the committee heads to next--unless Madame Brunelle is suggesting that we push aside some of the other meetings that we have already scheduled to have this first. Maybe I need some clarification on that.

My main point is to say that if the committee is going to start to go through different topics, we should do those as a collective conversation. That will lead us to a more intelligent and productive agenda for the committee at large.

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

I now have Mr. Trost.

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

Bradley Trost Conservative Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK

Mr. Cullen basically summed up what I was going to say, in the last portion. I'm curious as to whether this is the way we're going to start picking future committee topics.

Well said, Nathan. I basically agree with everything you said at the end.

5:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

We have to talk about the report and the writing of the report on the study we're doing now. We could set some time aside—and I would suggest next Tuesday—to do that. And could we also set some time aside next Tuesday to deal with future business of the committee?

I realize we have a motion before the committee now, so we have to deal with the motion, but let's see what happens with the motion.

Madame Brunelle, perhaps you could comment on your willingness to put this into the mix of discussion at a meeting where we also discuss, as another item on the agenda, the writing of the report—probably next Tuesday.

Mr. Tonks.

5:10 p.m.

Liberal

Alan Tonks Liberal York South—Weston, ON

It just occurred to me, Mr. Chairman—I understand the concerns that have been raised by Mr. Cullen and Mr. Trost—that this particular motion could be made as a bridge motion with the report. Your suggestion that we discuss the motion—and I would pass this along to Madame Brunelle for her consideration—is that because we have been talking about the integrated systems, there has from time to time been discussion on the programs that support or don't support, or on what direction would be sought through our report, for an analysis of the eco-green.... We had the green municipal funds and a number of programs. What we'd like to know is how effective they are pursuant to what we've been talking about, integrated energy systems. But the discussion we have next day could be a little broader than that, and it would help our researchers in the report they are seeking to draft.

So I think your suggestion is a good one. Perhaps we could deal with the motion then, but at this point it gives some direction with respect to the discussion we might have next week.

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Thank you, Mr. Tonks.

We have a motion before the committee. Is there any further discussion before we go to the vote?

Madame Brunelle.

5:10 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I've been a member since 2004. I've always been a critic on certain issues, and this is the first time I've seen an operating method like this one. In other committees, where we had a steering committee to establish the agenda, it seems to me that simplified matters. You've made the choice to do this differently, for the matter to be decided in plenary committee. Moreover, I must say that I'm not making a big deal out of this and that we must absolutely debate the issue. However, there is something I don't understand.

We are asked, in good faith, to submit suggestions for business at the outset—I believe that was done at the first or second meeting—subjects that we would like to see dealt with by this committee, which I'm doing. Colleagues from the other parties have had the opportunity to do so as well. We studied the QUEST program, and I would have to reread all the documents from the other committees, but my motion was introduced a few months ago, and it is now being shelved. Now I'm being told no, that I shouldn't come and impose future business. I never wanted to impose anything; I simply wanted to find an interesting subject for this committee, to fuel the debates. So I'm not setting a trap for the government, and I want to make that clear because it's as though people were afraid of the person I am. I've always worked with a great deal of good will. If you want to defer this and examine future business, that's not a problem for me, because it seems clear to me that I don't have the support of the other committee members regarding this study. I must tell you that I am disappointed.

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Actually, I think you misunderstood the discussion; that is not the way I saw it.

Mr. Anderson.

March 24th, 2009 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

Speaking on behalf of the government members, we're not asking that it be postponed. If you reconsider, that's fine; we're prepared to vote. We have brought the amendment forward and are prepared to vote on it, but if you want to leave it, we are fine with that as well. We are not in any way trying to convince you to set this aside.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Regan.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Chairman, I want you to know I support the motion. I would be happy to have this discussed as part of a discussion about the future. I'd like to go to this next, but I'd certainly be open, if we do it during a discussion Tuesday, to hear other topics, in terms of what other possible priorities might be considered.

Having said that, I'm prepared to vote for this motion.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Okay. And the way this motion is written it doesn't preclude that.

No further comments? Let's go to the question, then, on the motion as amended.

(Motion as amended agreed to on division) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

All right, and the bells are going.

There's no other business before the committee.

The meeting is adjourned.