Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Fisheries and Oceans
Issue No. 19 - Evidence - October 17, 2017
OTTAWA, Tuesday, October 17, 2017
The Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans met this day at 5:03 p.m., in public and in camera, to study Maritime Search and Rescue activities, including current challenges and opportunities; to study Bill S-203, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts (ending the captivity of whales and dolphins); and for the election of the deputy chair.
Senator Fabian Manning (Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Chair: Welcome to the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. My name is Fabian Manning, and I am the chair of this committee at the present time. I will ask my colleagues to introduce themselves beginning on my immediate right.
Senator Downe: Senator Downe.
Senator Munson: Senator Munson, Ontario.
[Translation]
Senator Forest: Éric Forest from the Gulf region of Quebec.
[English]
Senator Bovey: Senator Pat Bovey, sitting in for Senator Sinclair.
Senator Dyck: Senator Lillian Dyck from Saskatchewan.
Senator Enverga: Tobias Enverga from Ontario.
Senator Plett: Don Plett from Manitoba.
Senator Poirier: Senator Rose-May Poirier from New Brunswick.
Senator Gold: Senator Marc Gold, Quebec.
Senator McInnis: Senator Tom McInnis, Nova Scotia.
The Chair: Thank you, senators. I forgot to say that I’m from Newfoundland and Labrador, as you may know by now. The interpreters certainly do.
We have a new arrival. Can you introduce yourself, please.
Senator Raine: Nancy Greene Raine from B.C.
Senator Christmas: Senator Dan Christmas, Nova Scotia.
The Chair: Welcome everybody. Our agenda this evening is part in camera and part in public.
As you all know, Senator Elizabeth Hubley retired in September. She served as our deputy chair for many years. In my humble opinion, it is a tremendous loss for our committee and for the Senate of Canada. She has been a wonderful lady to work with over the number of years she was here, and I had the opportunity to pay tribute to her at our meeting back in June. She is one of those people that you don’t meet every day. As I said, it is a major loss to us, but I hope she is enjoying her retirement. I just read an op-ed that she had in the paper, so she is keeping active, which is wonderful. Her opinion is something that we certainly should take into consideration at all times.
With that, we have to elect a new deputy chair for our committee. That’s our first order of business this evening.
Honourable senators, I would ask for a motion for nominations for deputy chair.
Senator McInnis: I do have a person in mind. I’m hoping that they will be able to match the talents of Senator Hubley. I’m quite confident that this person can.
I nominate Senator Munson to be deputy chair of the committee.
The Chair: Are there any other nominations? I’m not going to comment on his abilities.
Senator Forest: I propose to close the nomination period.
The Chair: That is democracy at work.
I am going to ask one more time: Any there any other nominations?
Senator Plett: Chair, not that it matters, because I support Senator Munson, but I think the proper procedure for electing a deputy chair is to first vote on whether or not we accept Senator Munson. If he doesn’t get the vote, then we nominate somebody else. I don’t think this is a runoff, but since there are no other nominations that’s really a moot point.
The Chair: We were hoping for some competition.
Senator Munson, do you accept the nomination?
Senator Munson: I do. I always looked up at Senator Hubley.
The Chair: You had no choice.
Senator Munson: I always looked up at my father and mostly everybody else. Everyone has said I never filled my father’s shoes. I couldn’t because he had size 10. And I cannot fill Senator Hubley’s shoes, but I can try.
Yes, I accept.
The Chair: If you had kept on talking, you may have had competition.
It is moved by Honourable Senator McInnis that the Honourable Senator Munson do take the position of deputy chair of this committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Senator Munson: Thank you very much.
(The committee continued in camera.)