Evidence of meeting #5 for Public Accounts in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was goods.
A video is available from Parliament.
The Clerk
As usual, it's always at the will of the committee what they would like to do. If the committee would like to write a letter with Mr. Sorbara's questions in it to the department requesting this information, that's certainly something the committee could consider and do.
Deputy Minister, Department of Transport
Madam Chair, we'd be happy to get the answers back as quickly as we can.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Thank you very much.
Would it be the will of the committee to follow up with our witnesses with some written questions?
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Madam Chair, one would think that my friend from the government side could potentially maybe even email a certain Liberal minister as well to get those answers. I'm sure he's very resourceful, but maybe there will be some questions I want to add as well.
Liberal
Francesco Sorbara Liberal Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON
In the spirit of cooperation there, Mr. Green and Mr. Bachrach, MP for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, that's where I was born and raised, so rail lines and rail yards and all that kind of stuff is food for....
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Seeing no other hands raised, or nobody giving me a thumbs down, we will proceed with making that request.
I will now—
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I'm sorry, Madam Chair, but can we not send the letter without seeing the question? I think Mr. Sorbara should go directly to the cabinet and ask the question.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Thank you very much, Mr. Berthold. I will take that under consideration.
This brings our questioning to a conclusion. I will now thank our witnesses. Thank you so much for joining us today.
We will be moving into committee business, so we'll give you time to log off the call.
Conservative
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Madam Chair, in our transition you may recall that we spoke at length at our subcommittee meeting. My hope is that we can move in an expeditious way to adopt its report, because I felt that there were perhaps more deliberations than may have been administratively necessary at our last subcommittee meeting. I would love to see this just be presented and moved on.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Thank you very much, Mr. Green. Of course, that will depend on the number of interventions our colleagues would like to make, given the report that is being submitted by the subcommittee.
With that, Madam Clerk, are we able to proceed?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Thank you.
Members, all of you should have received the subcommittee report. I would ask whether or not you would like us to go through it point by point. Perhaps we could leave the first two points until after we have gone through the work plan that's also presented in this report.
Would you like to proceed this way, going through the report point by point and leaving the first two points to the end?
Conservative
Liberal
Lloyd Longfield Liberal Guelph, ON
That sounds right.
It's great to hear that we will have two meetings a week. The schedule that André worked on is going to line up with where we're heading.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Madame Chair, if you ask, I think you will find unanimous consent on all the points after the first two points, about scheduling for the fall.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly Block
Thank you very much, Mr. Berthold.
Do we have unanimous consent for points three to nine in the report, as presented?
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Thank you very much for that.
It's very efficient. I hope it is to your satisfaction, Mr. Green.
Finally, we will look at points one and two. Perhaps I will turn it over to the clerk to provide some context for these two points in the report for the members of the committee who are not part of the subcommittee. Then we can move into debate.
The Clerk
Thank you, Madam Chair.
For the members' information, our committee has been a member of the Canadian Council of Public Accounts Committees for a number of years. Every year, the CCPAC hosts an annual conference of all members, which includes the members of the public accounts committee of each province and territory. They have asked us on a number of occasions to host it. We've never been able to. They've asked us to host the 2022 annual meeting. The previous rendition of this committee had agreed to do that. Because of the election and the prorogation, that is now for this committee to decide.
We've made some informal, tentative moves to move forward because of the time. I will provide members with information about the association. I was able to find some actual paper copies of programs; I couldn't find any electronic ones. I will scan them and send them to the members shortly.
Basically, it's a question of the committee deciding whether or not it will host the meeting and then giving the chair and me instructions to prepare a budget that the committee would then adopt and take to the Board of Internal Economy for approval. We then see what kind of situation we can set up in case there is an election before 2022 and members of a new committee don't have a chance to vote on hosting this meeting.
It's really the beginning process steps. Previous chairs of this committee who spoke to you a couple weeks ago were certainly very in favour of the federal committee's hosting this.
In a way we're a bit delinquent, not for lack of trying, but because of the circumstances of elections and prorogations. If it's the committee's interest in moving forward this way, we did take the step of having the chair of our committee elected to the executive board, which would give them an opportunity to participate in discussions for planning future meetings. Ms. Block would be that representative if the committee decides to host the 2022 meeting.
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.
Conservative
Liberal
Lloyd Longfield Liberal Guelph, ON
I think we should make it conditional to say that we can do this if we can do it. We should also have a plan B in which we could do some of the preliminary planning and know that there would be some other partner that we could turn it over to. If resources are needed for the planning, we could start down that road to help out with the provinces and territories, but if we do have an election, naturally we'd have to turn it over to them.
I think we should show some good faith in at least being there to start the process and, hopefully, we'll end it if we don't have an election.
Conservative
Conservative
Len Webber Conservative Calgary Confederation, AB
I would agree with Mr. Longfield, absolutely. I certainly would like to have an idea of what the budget would be for hosting something like that, though, Madam Clerk. I look forward to seeing that.
Thanks.
Conservative