Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Fisheries and Oceans
Issue 1 - Evidence, October 7, 2004
OTTAWA, Thursday, October 7, 2004
The Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans met this day at 9:37 a.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Mr. Till Heyde, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. Would there be a motion for the election of the chair?
Senator Hubley: I nominate the Honourable Senator Comeau as Chair of the Fisheries Committee.
Senator Watt: Seconded.
Mr. Heyde: Are there any other nominations?
The question is on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hubley that the Honourable Senator Comeau do take the chair of the committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Senator Gerald J. Comeau (Chairman) in the Chair.
The Chairman: Honourable senators, I appreciate your confidence. As in the past, I will attempt to work with members of this committee to respond to the needs of the members and to the problems in individual communities. We will try to do the best we can on behalf of our fishing communities.
Having said that, we will go on to the election of the deputy chair. I will accept nominations at this time.
On this point, I would like to do something that I have never done before. I will move a nomination from the chair. I move that Senator Hubley be the deputy chair of the committee.
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Congratulations, Senator Hubley. I know that you will do a fine job. You have been a longstanding member of the committee.
We will now move to Item No. 3 on the agenda, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. I would accept a motion that the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair and one member of the committee to be designated after the usual consultation, and that the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses and to schedule hearings.
Senator Adams: I so move.
The Chairman: All in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: I see consensus around the table, so it is passed.
Next is a motion to print the committee's proceedings. It is the usual motion that the committee prints its proceedings and that the chair be authorized to set the number to meet demand. As in the past, we have a number that we calculate.
Mr. Heyde: I do not have the figures, but I think it is around 200 to 300. It is adjusted to meet the demands.
The Chairman: To meet demands and as requested.
Mr. Heyde: That is right.
Senator Watt: I so move.
The Chairman: All in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Senator Adams: Mr. Chairman, I just came from the Energy Committee. We started with Item No. 3 and went up to Item No. 13. Committee members understand the motions and everything we have to do. Instead of proceeding item by item, perhaps we could go from Item No. 3 to No. 13. Would that be agreeable?
The Chairman: Motion No. 4 is passed, then.
We can do five and six together. These are the usual motions. I would accept a mover.
Senator Hubley: So moved.
The Chairman: All in favour of Motion Nos. 5 and 6?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Senator Watt: You are combining Motion No. 5 and Motion No. 6.
The Chairman: Motion Nos. 5 and 6 could be combined.
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
The next item relates to research staff. I would like to use the same formula we used in the last Parliament. The wording before you is the standard wording for all committees. I propose that we agree to modify the first paragraph to read that the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign Claude Emery as research staff to the committee.
Senator Phalen: So moved.
The Chairman: The rest of the motion would be unchanged and reflects the wording that the committee has used in the past. All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Thank you very much, Mr. Emery, for agreeing to continue on as the committee's researcher.
Would it be agreeable to move Item Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11 and 12 as one block of motions?
Senator Adams: I so move.
The Chairman: All in favour?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
We are up to Item No. 13. I will just use this as a point of information for the time being. There is no motion. Our regular time slots are Tuesday when the Senate rises but not before 5 p.m. and Wednesday at 6:15. We continue to have conflicts at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Our practice has been that we have dinner at 6 p.m., followed by a meeting at 7 p.m. Can I instruct the clerk that such meetings will continue until such time as we may wish to change the time or modify it?
Senator Phalen: Did we determine that 5 p.m. is a conflict with other committees?
The Chairman: Yes. The deputy chair has a conflict with the Agriculture Committee at that time.
As in the past, I will look at all of the various committees that members sit on to find out if there is any other possible way. We do that on a regular basis as well when committee members move around.
Senator Phalen: It would be acceptable if we could sit at 5 p.m., but the way the committee has been doing it for a while seems satisfactory to everyone.
The Chairman: It would not be possible. Trust me: 5 p.m. is not a good time. Rarely do we adjourn before 6 p.m. in the Senate on Tuesdays. For the time being, we will continue with these two time slots and see what happens.
We will not do other business this morning, if that is agreeable. Over the coming week I would like committee members to consider items that you would like to see as part of our order of business. At the next meeting, if this is agreeable, we will go through everything and the steering committee will try to come up with a proposal.
Senator Watt: Timing is important.
For the first time since I have been in the Senate, the throne speech mentioned the ocean. The committee should take advantage of that in planning future business.
The Chairman: It was specifically mentioned. Given that this committee is now the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, I think that is an excellent point.
Senator Watt: The fact that we have been making a little noise here and there on that issue would probably help to keep it before the eyes of the politicians.
The Chairman: We will certainly be discussing that item at the next meeting. Please pass along your ideas to myself or Senator Hubley. I hope to be able to contact Senator Hubley over the coming week to get her ideas as well on where we might want to go. I suggest that we not make a final decision at the next meeting but simply determine where we wish to go.
Having said that, I thank you all for continuing to serve on the committee. It has been a joy and a pleasure to serve with you in the past, and I look forward to doing it in the future.
The committee adjourned.