Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 7th, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Thank you.

We'll move to Monsieur Simard.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

I want to make a quick comment.

Mr. Chair, you clearly explained why it wasn't possible for the Net‑Zero Advisory Body to give their presentation today. Right now, we're wasting valuable time debating motions when we could be doing so later in the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. The subcommittee was already scheduled to meet after this meeting anyway. It would be much more efficient that way. It would give us the opportunity to hear from the witnesses here immediately.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Yes. Unfortunately, the reality is that we now have an amendment and a motion before us that we need to dispense with so that we can go on to the business at hand.

I have Mr. Angus and Ms. Rempel Garner next. Then, if nobody else has anything, we'll go on to dealing with the amendment and then the motion, and then hopefully we can go on to hearing from our witnesses. I'm sure they will have many interesting things to say, despite not having the net-zero group coming before us first.

Go ahead, Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

I haven't seen the amendment, so I don't know what the amendment is. I think that would be helpful.

I would have said that I trust the goodwill of the chair to negotiate for us, I trust the goodwill of the clerk and I trust the goodwill of Net-Zero Advisory Body. Now we have a motion about this. If we have a motion to invite them back on Wednesday this week, if possible, yes. If it's not possible, then there could be an explanation. I trust that you'll be able to get that to us as soon as you're aware of it.

I have to assume that we're all working in good faith here. Let's make it known that we want them to be invited as soon as possible. If there are problems with finding translation or finding that hour, we can work around that, but I do think we should get to work. I think we're starting off on a really important study, and I trust the goodwill of everybody here.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Thank you, everybody, for your comments.

What we'll do is we'll go to the amendment. Then we'll go to the amended motion of Ms. Rempel Garner—depending on whether the amendment carries or not—and then we'll get into our testimony.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I'm sorry. I couldn't hear any of that.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I'm just getting.... We're just clarifying this with Mr. Maguire.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

The amendment is that the committee re-invite today's witnesses after the Net-Zero group testifies.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Yes, Mr. Maguire.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

The latter part of that says that it's if anyone on the committee asks for it. Otherwise, they don't need to come back.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Okay.

So it's if anyone asks for it. That's where we're at.

Go ahead, Ms. Rempel Garner.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Chair, I think that actually changes the entire substance of my motion. My motion was for you to find an hour this week, be it on Wednesday or outside of regularly scheduled committee time, to get the Net-Zero Advisory Board here. If my colleague is asking for that to be tacked on to the end of that motion, that would be correct.

I think that's how I interpreted his intervention. It was not to replace the substance of my motion.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

No. That's absolutely clear.

Mr. Chair, I was not negating anything. My amendment was to be added on to the end of Ms. Rempel Garner's motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

So then are we in agreement that...?

Go ahead, Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Well, you know, they do say that a camel was a racehorse that was designed by a committee. Now we have maybe two or three humps on the back of the camel.

As much as I respect Mr. Maguire, I'm not going to support an amendment that says we're going to make an invitation for witnesses to appear twice. If we want them to appear twice, we will call them back. It seems we're giving an extraordinarily extra amount just over a mistake with the first panel.

So I can't support the amendment, but I'm willing to support Ms. Rempel Garner's motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Go ahead, Mr. Maloney.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I suspect that these witnesses will not want to come back here ever again after witnessing this. But that's neither here nor there. I guess we have to vote on Mr. Maguire's amendment and then go to the original motion. Is that the way this needs to go now?

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Yes.

Mr. Angus, is your hand still up? No. Okay.

I think we've had all of the interventions, from what I'm seeing....

Go ahead, Mr. Maguire.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

There seems to be agreement on the first motion from Ms. Rempel Garner. If there isn't agreement on the amendment, I can withdraw it.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Do we have unanimous consent for Mr. Maguire to withdraw it?

We have received unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment, so now we go to Ms. Rempel Garner's motion. I'm just getting it from the clerk, so we can share that out.

Ms. Rempel Garner, tell me if this is what you had put forward: “That the committee re-invite the Net-Zero Advisory Board to appear for one hour this week.”

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

That will do.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Are we ready for the question? Do you want a recorded vote?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I think that in this format it helps if we do.