Evidence of meeting #92 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A video is available from Parliament.
8:25 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Iacono. For the time being, though, we'll have to rely on Ms. Bennett, who has been kind enough to come and join us here while you look for candles, sir.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
We'll let you do that.
We will now go to a vote on CPC—
Excuse me, Mr. Savard‑Tremblay, the floor is yours.
8:25 p.m.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
I want to jump in, if you don't mind.
I'd like to check one thing with our witnesses. My colleague Mr. Barsalou‑Duval is an accountant under normal circumstances. He sent us the information to the effect that the 60‑day period is in line with international accounting standards.
Could we have that confirmed?
8:25 p.m.
Director General, Marine Policy, Department of Transport
I can't speak about international accounting norms, but I believe that is the case. I know that, under the Financial Administration Act, departments, agencies and Crown corporations are required to publish their quarterly reports within a 60-day period. That would be consistent with other practices across the federal government, including agencies and Crown corporations.
Now, Canada's port authorities are a bit removed from that, but it would be consistent with other practice.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
8:25 p.m.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
No. In fact, with the information confirmed, I'm going to prefer the New Democrats' proposal over the Conservatives' proposal.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Mr. Savard‑Tremblay.
We're going to proceed with the vote, Madam Clerk.
Mr. Badawey.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
I want to be clear here.
We're voting on CPC-8 right now. Is it the intent of the NDP to withdraw NDP-15?
Are you still going to move forward with NDP-15?
8:25 p.m.
NDP
8:25 p.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
If this is carried, we will go to our amendment and talk about it for a while—hopefully not for too long.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
More than likely, it will be redundant, so it's going to be turned down.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Badawey.
We have one last thought that Ms. Murray would like to share.
8:25 p.m.
Liberal
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Thank you.
I found it a bit confusing to talk about quarterly reports, which assumes every 90 days...within a 60-day period. I guess each of those reports has to be submitted within two months, but there are four of them throughout the year. That's what we just heard is the international norm: quarterly reports within a 60-day period.
Then I'll have another comment.
8:30 p.m.
Director General, Marine Policy, Department of Transport
Currently, the standard is, generally, that there is a quarterly report. It's produced three times a year. The fourth report is actually the annual financial report, which would summarize the entirety of the year.
8:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I'm sorry, Ms. Read. I apologize for cutting you off, but we have a problem with interpretation. I think the English and the French are inverted. We want to rectify that before we continue.
Okay. You can now proceed, Ms. Read. I apologize.
8:30 p.m.
Director General, Marine Policy, Department of Transport
Thank you.
That is the standard. Every quarter within a 60-day period, there is a quarterly report. There are three quarterly reports. The fourth report is the annual report, which summarizes the entirety of the financial year.
8:30 p.m.
Liberal
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
I'm just wondering if we're conflating the quarterly report, which is every 90 days or three times a year, with the 60-day period within which it has to be submitted. I'm not sure if that's true, but my comment would be to keep things simple. Doing more reports when we're not absolutely clear that it's necessary just costs money and keeps people busy.
I don't see that having a report every 60 days will improve the performance of the port, necessarily, so I'm supportive of the 90-day approach.
8:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Ms. Murray.
I just want to inform colleagues that we will have to use Ms. Bennett's vote. We do not have the approval to have Mr. Iacono vote. I want to apologize to Mr. Iacono, but it's not getting the thumbs-up from the team here.
My apologies, Mr. Iacono. Until you get power back, we're unfortunately not going to be able to count your vote. You are lucky, though, because our colleague, Ms. Bennett, has joined us. She will be replacing you for the purposes of this meeting, until the power comes back.
Thank you, Mr. Iacono.
With that, I'll turn it over to Mr. Strahl.
8:30 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
I think if we're going to wish to align with the international standard or the governmental standard, then everyone needs to do it within 60 days. I just don't know; if this standard is suddenly now the new thing that we are primarily concerned about, then everyone else will just to have to buckle up and get it done in 60 days. If we're allowing flexibility or if we're....
The standard should apply to everyone, or we should allow everyone to go outside the standard. I don't know how we have it as our logic for going.... The big ports can comply and the smaller ports can't, but it's still an international standard or still a government standard. I'm not sure how we can say that it's a very important standard, but here are the criteria for which it is no longer very important. It's either important or it's not. We can adjust around it, as has been said, so that the port authorities do not have to and they have more flexibility, but again, I think what we're getting down into is that the need for the two classes of reporting kind of evaporates if we're able to do it this way.
I think we should either abandon this collectively.... We can say about the international standard that the department was right and the legislation is correct: It must be 60 days; we've all heard from the ports, but they need to just deal with it. I think we need to either abandon all these attempts to give flexibility and stick to the international standard—or whatever standard we're saying is 60 days—or go to 90 days to allow simplicity and allow everyone the flexibility to report within 90 days.
That is my opinion.
