HESA Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Health met at 11:04 a.m. this day, in Room C-110, 1 Wellington Street, the Chair, Joy Smith, presiding.

Alain Beaudet, Glenda Yeates and David Butler-Jones made statements and, with the other witneses, answered questions.

At 12:28 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:31 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Ujjal Dosanjh moved, — That the Committee request that the Government of Canada, the Minister of Health, Health Canada, the Privy Council Office, and the Prime Minister's Office provide forthwith the following, in electronic and paper form starting from January 1, 2004 to date:

• Detailed information on how much money has been spent on the research, focus group testing, consultations, design and all other activities related to the renewal of the warnings on tobacco products, including any funds transferred to provinces or territories;

• All of the briefing notes and research documents that have been written by Health Canada about the implementation of new tobacco health warnings;

• A detailed list of names of all the lobbyists and a description of all the lobbying that has taken place related to the implementation of new tobacco warnings, and copies of all the materials provided to the government by these lobbyists;

• All of the written and verbal input the government has received related to the implementation of the new tobacco warning labels from the tobacco industry, from experts in tobacco control, from retail organizations, and other representatives of commercial interests, including the communications from their lawyers, lobbyists or other representatives;

• Any and all deliberations that the Government has undertaken regarding the implement of new tobacco warnings; and

That this information be provided to the committee within seven (7) working days.

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 5.

Colin Carrie moved, — That Ujjal Dosanjh bring forward his own records and information as described in the previous adopted motion, for the period between 2004 and 2006 while he was minister.

Debate arose thereon.

A point of order was raised regarding the procedural admissibility of the proposed motion.

RULING BY THE CHAIR

The Chair ruled that the motion is inadmissible since a Committee cannot order a Member of Parliament to produce documents.

It was agreed, — That on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, the Committee meet in camera to discuss the scope of its study of healthy living and that on Thursday December 9, 2010, the Committee meeting be devoted to the study of the examination of Health Canada’s development of new regulations for tobacco packaging warning labels.

At 12:57 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.