Transport Committee on May 7th, 2019

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Chair, given that we've just heard more testimony today, I think we would appreciate the opportunity to come back with our recommendations, or expand our recommendations, at one of our meetings next week. As you've pointed out, we have until the 17th to get a letter back to the finance committee. Give us a chance to go back and look at the recommendations. Amendments were suggested today. We can provide anything we would like to see in a letter to the committee by next Tuesday.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

That would be the 14th.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

All right. Everybody's in agreement. If you have any suggested amendments or recommendations, please see that they are funnelled through the clerk, I believe, and we will deal with them on the 14th.

Will we take 15 minutes of the meeting, in the last hour, or would you like to deal with it following the one o'clock meeting?

Right now, we have the minister for an hour, and then we are dealing with colleagues' motions.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

That's this Thursday. Next Tuesday—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Tuesday, the 14th is what I'm talking about.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Right, but that would be the logistics strategies—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I'm going to take 15 minutes off.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

I recognize that we have two meetings instead of the four that were originally asked for, so I'm not sure how Mr. Rogers would feel about carving off 15 minutes from that study. Will 15 minutes do it? I'm not opposed to lengthening a meeting, if we have the opportunity to talk about it, and ensure that it fits with everybody's schedule.

If committee members indicate today that they are happy to sit for an extra half an hour and to have a week to discuss what's going to be in the letter, we'd be happy with that. It's up to Mr. Rogers or the rest of the committee whether they just want to carve off time from the study we already have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Mr. Rogers.

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Madam Chair, I'd be fine with an extra half hour, if that's agreeable to the committee. I think we need the two meetings to discuss the transportation logistics strategy with regard to the east coast, so I'd suggest an extra 30 minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

We will do our two-hour session, and then add an extra half an hour for our response to finance.

Is everybody in agreement with that? It would be the last half hour. Okay.

Mr. Jeneroux.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

I'd like to speak on a different topic, if I may.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Okay, we're still in open session.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

I don't want to cut into the time you're talking about the BIA.

I just want to recommend a small change to the motion that was passed here unanimously, inviting the Minister of Indigenous Services to the committee. He's apparently unavailable for the next 177 days. However, we have the officials from the department coming on the 28th of this month.

I would like to request that in the absence of the minister, the invitation be extended to parliamentary secretary, instead of the officials. I will quote from the Prime Minister's website on the guide for parliamentary secretaries. Under point 4, “Standing Committees”, the second bullet point says, “In the absence of a minister, [the parliamentary secretary's role is to] explain and defend the minister's position before the committee.”

I request that this be done for this particular meeting.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Do you mean invite the parliamentary secretary in addition to the officials, or just the parliamentary secretary?

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Invite the parliamentary secretary in addition to the officials. I accept that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Okay.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

In the proper protocol for a motion that's already been passed, you can't amend something. It would have to be a new motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

It would have to be rescinded, and we need 48 hours' notice.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

With all due respect, Madam Chair, the motion was for the minister. The minister wasn't available, so the clerk extended the invitation to the officials. However, I believe that a step was missed in that process. The invitation should have been extended to the parliamentary secretary, who then could have invited the officials if he wanted to, or come by himself. I believe it's more of an administrative thing, not necessarily a new motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Well, we adopted our work plan and it called for the departmental officials to be here. That was the work plan that was adopted in our subcommittee and then the committee as a whole.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

It's still a motion, though, Madam Chair. The motion is—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Regardless, at the moment the clerk is telling me that you have to rescind that motion and place another motion, which you have time to do.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Okay, Madam Chair. I'd like to move the following motion:

That the Committee invite the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services to appear on the Minister's behalf to update the Committee on the status of delivering infrastructure directly to indigenous communities, including the doubling of the Gas Tax Fund, announced in Budget 2019, and that the meeting on this study currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2019, be televised.