Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Transport and Communications
Issue 10 - Evidence for February 15, 2005
OTTAWA, Tuesday, February 15, 2005
The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, to which was referred Bill C-4, to implement the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment, met this day at 9:37 a.m. to give clause-by-clause consideration to the bill.
Senator Joan Fraser (Chairman) in the chair.
[English]
The Chairman: Honourable senators, this session of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications is now in session.
Before we get to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-4, I would draw to your attention some of the correspondence we have received. You will recall that there was discussion in at least one of the meetings last week about the provincial government's role in connection with this bill. We wrote to all the provincial and territorial governments asking if they would like to appear today and if they had any input for us.
Three of those governments responded. The Government of Saskatchewan says that it supports the bill and that it is their intention to pass parallel legislation in an upcoming session of the Saskatchewan legislative assembly. The Government of New Brunswick thanked us for the invitation but said that they were not going to appear before us or provide written comments. Silence, then, is consent.
[Translation]
The Government of Quebec, which was closely involved in the negotiation of these instruments, informed us that the Minister would be unable to appear. They will be sending us their written comments on the proposed legislation and on the odds of adopting legislation that could apply in Quebec. They also advised us that we should contact the Minister of Justice and that the motion before the National Assembly should come under the authority of the Minister of International Relations. That is strictly an internal Quebec government matter. However, they have not voiced any objections to the wording of the bill as such.
[English]
Finally, we also heard from the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, which urges us to support speedy passage of Bill C-4 in order to assist the industry, and from Air Canada, which says, in reference to the submissions made by the Canadian Bar Association, that it is not disagreeing with the Canadian Bar Association submissions but that it would be entirely appropriate to address those suggestions in the context of the ongoing reform of the bankruptcy and insolvency law.
I would also draw to your attention the research paper prepared by Allison Padova. We had among our documents last week an intensely technical economic paper on the financial benefits likely to ensue from this bill. Ms. Padova has translated it into English for us. It makes very interesting and intelligible reading.
Does anyone have any questions?
Senator Tkachuk: I do not. I have no comments.
The Chairman: In that case, it is agreed that the committee proceed to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-4?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall the title stand postponed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall clause 1, which contains the short title, stand postponed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Senators, would you like me to group together clauses 2 to 19? We can vote on them individually, or group them.
Hon. Senators: Let us group them.
The Chairman: Shall clauses 2 to 19 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall schedules 1, 2 and 3 carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall clause 1, which contains the short title, carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall the title carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall the bill carry?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Shall I report the bill to the Senate without amendment?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Thank you very much.
The committee continued in camera.