Official Languages Committee on March 10th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you.

Excellent work.

I do not want to end the meeting right away.

We have to talk about two little things before we leave.

I need a motion to adopt the detailed budget that we proposed a while ago regarding the study of language regimes in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Nothing has changed, it is the same budget.

Do I have unanimous consent to adopt the detailed budget that we received?

Mr. Généreux, please go ahead.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I agree if we go in the first week of April.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

It will be when Parliament is not sitting.

I see there are no objections.

So we have unanimous consent. Thank you.

The last thing we have to discuss is as follows. With the incredible powers of our technicians, analysts and clerks, would it be possible to add a meeting upon our return? That would be the third meeting per week so we can speed up the process. We could hold it on the Friday.

If people agree, we could have a meeting on the Friday, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It would not be next week, but the following week when we return to Ottawa for two weeks.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

In other words, for those two weeks, we would potentially meet for the six hours that we added for the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We added six and a half hours for that purpose.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

During those two weeks, we would then have the time to meet for those six and a half hours and complete our consideration.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We would be meeting for four hours.

The meeting on March 24 is not a hundred percent sure, but once we request a meeting we cannot cancel it. Other people might want to use that time slot for a committee meeting. We would have the time slot that was used by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I cannot say for sure right now because I have not consulted my whip. I would be agreeable in principle, but off the cuff, I don't know if the Conservatives would agree.

What we do know is that resources are very limited.

If I understand correctly, Mr. Chair, we have another six and half hours left.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Six and a half hours or three and a half meetings.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

We agree that it is three meetings plus thirty minutes.

Let's look at our schedule. We return on March 20. On March 21, we meet for two hours, and on March 24 as well, which means four hours of meetings. With the meeting on March 28, that would be six hours of meetings. So we would complete our consideration on March 31 in the 30 minutes remaining.

We would have enough time. Our schedule is not limited.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

As committee chair, I am offering the committee some flexibility. If we want to consult our whips, we can do so. What I am saying is that this schedule is available to us if we want to speed up the process.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I will be in touch after I check with my whip.

That said, we completely agree with the idea in principle.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Ms. Ashton, you have the floor, followed by Mr. Généreux.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Chair, I completely agree.

I appreciate your efforts to find more time to meet. We want to complete our consideration of this bill as soon as possible, and that would allow us to do so.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Ashton.

Mr. Généreux, you have the floor.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I just wanted to mention, in case you were not aware, that the U.S. President will be here on March 24. I am not sure those two days will be normal days. The Americans become sovereign on Canadian soil so I am not sure we will be able to move about as we please.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

I have two points to make.

Ordinarily, it would take one and a half meetings to get to eight meetings after we make up the time lost owing to technical problems.

Will we stick to that or will we ultimately divide up the six and a half hours of the eight meetings?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We voted this morning on the motion calling for eight meetings to decide whether we had to request extra meetings. That is what we voted on.

The additional meetings total 6.5 hours. As I said at the outset, however, since I took into account everything that happened before, I considered that we were starting our eighth meeting today.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

If we were starting the eighth meeting, that would leave an extra hour.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We just corrected that by proposing 6.5 hours. That is what we did.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Yes, but the proposal did not stipulate—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

It is included in the 6.5 hours.

If there are no further questions—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Just to say that we will also see what happens in two weeks since Mr. Biden will be here on Friday, March 24.

I will consult my colleagues and, if necessary, we can come back to this at the next meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Let me just say that, if I see a possibility, I will let people know as soon as possible. I will do that of my own initiative.

Be on alert because it is possible that we will have an extra meeting. It is simply to make quicker progress in the committee's work.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Can we extend the meetings? Instead of meeting for two hours, can we meet for two and a half hours or three hours?