Veterans Affairs Committee on May 11th, 2009

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Chair, when will we be receiving the report?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

This Wednesday we'll simply be giving some very specific instructions to our researcher, Michel. Then he will be drafting it.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Okay. He'll have one week to do it.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

That will take at least a week, I would think. There's a lot of evidence, which I'm certain he's already been working through but is going to have to finalize.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Chair, will our researcher be giving us the beginning of a draft report to go through, to see what we think is missing? That's usually the way we do it, isn't it?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

No. The point this Wednesday will be simply to direct the researcher on what we want to make sure is in the draft report.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Mr. André.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Usually, we receive a draft report. Then, we make comments and add things. I think it might be better to proceed as the committee usually does, instead of going over all the notes and making suggestions. I would rather receive a copy of the draft report, so that we can consider it and then make suggestions. I have a problem with the suggested procedure.

Sunday May 24 poses a problem for Mr. Gaudet and myself, because we have political commitments. I would like to discuss this at the next meeting, because we don't have enough time to do so today. As concerns the report, I think it would be easier to proceed as I have just described rather than as you have suggested.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you.

Are there any other speakers on this topic? Madam Sgro.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Usually the practice has been that we're given the draft report, and then we discuss it and see what we think is missing and want added. I think it's a much faster way of doing it, rather than having the researcher just ask us what we want in it. I don't want to waste the time of a meeting. It's usually done that way: we get a draft report and then see what's not in it that we think should be in it.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

I understand there are two traditions. That has been my past experience as well. But I understand that there are other traditions of directing the researcher. I'm certain the researcher can do this.

If there's no other dialogue, and if everybody is unanimous on that feeling, then we probably will not have a meeting this Wednesday, because it's going to be too difficult to get witnesses for it. Then we'll be coming back....

Let me get an answer from Michel.

Will we be able to have a draft the following week?

[Michel Rossignol, Analyst, Political and Social Affairs Division, Library of Parliament]

There's the break week.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Our next meeting will be the first Wednesday back after that. Do we have that—

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mrs. Catherine Millar]

On the Wednesday we have, hopefully, the ombudsman, then the departmental officials in response to the ombudsman. So the draft report won't be until probably June 8.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

All right. Michel will have a lot of time to get the draft ready.

Yes, Mr. Stoffer.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Here's one thing, Mr. Chairman, that could be done, if everyone agrees to keep it confidential. If we each get a private copy of the draft, then in our own ways we do the homework and submit, through you to Michel, what changes we'd like to see, or additions or deletions. That way, most of the argument could be ironed out by the time it gets to us. But we'd have to agree to keep it so that nobody else sees it.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

There are two things. First, I have no problem with getting the draft to you prior to the meeting, under the understanding that every members knows that it's confidential. But I think any addition or subtraction from a report should always be done in open debate in the committee. There's just no way to do it electronically, fairly.

I don't have any issue about that. Does anybody have an issue about distributing it, if Michel has it ready before the meeting?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

That's providing it's confidential.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

It's up to the members to do that.

Mr. Gaudet, and then Mr. Kerr.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Have you finished discussing the report? I don't want to mix up the topics. Settle the question of the report first, and then I'll ask my question.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

No, on this point I think Mr. Kerr wanted to speak.

Mr. Kerr.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Obviously we try to deal by consensus, but in no way would I want us to be discussing the report unless the whole committee is here together. That's not meant in any disrespect. So I think whenever we get it, we set time, even if it means a special meeting to deal with the report, because we owe it to the report to do that.

So I would say that we get it confidentially and then set a meeting to discuss the report here.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay. Is everybody agreed on that?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.