SENV Committee Meeting
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Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
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EVIDENCE
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]
[Translation]
It is about the interpretation. When you speak, could I ask you to do so slowly and to take pauses. Sometimes, the discussion…
The discussion among the participants goes on quickly, but I need time to grasp what is being said. I was wondering whether people could just speak more slowly, and I will do the same in French.
No problem. I will do that. Thank you.
[English]
Mr. Redekopp, have a seat. We have to thank the members for agreeing to having this meeting in public for the time being while you present your motion.
I'm just going to give some information. Your motion is an unusual request because it's with regard to an advocacy group that is coming onto the Hill to advocate. However, talk about your motion, and then after you're gone, the committee will decide how to proceed. Fair enough?
Thank you.
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to present this.
Water Day on the Hill is something done by a bunch of universities in Canada. There are actually 11 of them participating: U of S, McMaster, Université du Québec, Guelph, Dalhousie, Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo, UBC, McGill, UVic and University of Alberta. It's a large conglomeration.
It's led by the Global Institute for Water Security, which is based at U of S.
May I suggest that if you read the motion, it will be recorded. It's up to you, but if you would just read the motion....
Okay, I'll do that first.
My motion is:
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), that the committee invite witnesses from the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security to appear before the committee for one hour on March 10, 2020. That the witnesses be given 15 minutes for their opening statement, that 45 minutes be allocated for questions from committee members and that this meeting be televised.
As I was saying, it's a bunch of universities together, led by the Global Institute for Water Security, which is based at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Jay Famiglietti was recruited to Canada as a Canada 150 research chair from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. He would like to appear, along with two other scientists from some of these other universities.
I wouldn't necessarily call them advocates or an advocacy group. They are a research group and have a lot of knowledge in the area of water security in Canada.
It seems like a very relevant topic for this committee. They are in Ottawa at that time, so that's a convenient, simple time for them to come. I'm not asking for a lot of time, and not a multiphase study or anything, just an hour for them to present.
I feel that what they would present would be helpful to us for things that we might be looking at in the future.
That's all I want to say about it. I think that it would be great use of an hour.
I'm just giving you some flexibility because normally witnesses present for 10 minutes and then there are questions and answers. However, that day we have agreed to have the office of the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. I'd like to check the blues on whether that's when we agreed to bring him in to give us some advice. Probably what we could do is get that and then fit in your professors there.
I also want to check the blues as well because we had agreed that we'd get a little briefing.
It's Tuesday that we are coming back, correct?
We'd get a little briefing on estimates because we are pushing for the minister to come on March 12, and it looks very likely that he will be here to talk about the supplementary estimates (B) and the main estimates. I know accounting, but I know that these estimates drive everybody crazy, and it is so important to ask the right questions of the minister so that we make him accountable and make the departmental officials accountable.
If we can juggle the time, you'll be flexible, correct?
No, it's to juggle the time for his witnesses. I just want the witnesses to be flexible with the timing because we have the office of the CESD. The commissioner's office has a huge interface, and they have asked to come before committee as well. Then we'll have half an hour for the estimates guy because people don't want too much technicality. We'll say, “Show us how you come up with these figures, and take us through the bouncing balls.”
If we could be a little flexible with your time, we would appreciate it.
We will work out the timing and we will notify the scientists as to what the timing will be so that everybody has an equal opportunity, the environmental commissioner, the guys at the estimates process, and the scientists.
Committee, can we take a vote to say that we can do this as a first study on Tuesday, March 10? If we do, then we can at least put it in the calendar.
Yes, the motion that Mr. Redekopp has presented.
Is everyone in favour?
Everyone is in favour. Thank you.
(Motion agreed to)
An hon. member: [Inaudible--Editor]
It says one hour, but I asked for flexibility so we could change it to probably 45 minutes.
Everybody gets 45 minutes. Are you okay with it?
Thank you, Mr. Redekopp.
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