INDY Committee Meeting
Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting.
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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
(Meeting No. 42)
Thursday, May 7, 1998
The Standing Committee on Industry met at 3:30 o’clock p.m., this day, in Room 269 of the West Block, the Chair, Susan Whelan, presiding.
Members of the Committee present: Eugène Bellemare, Tony Ianno, Jim Jones, Francine Lalonde, Walt Lastewka, Eric Lowther, Ian Murray, Janko Peric, Werner Schmidt and Susan Whelan.
Acting Members present: Charles Hubbard for Bonnie Brown, Stan Keyes for Alex Shepherd, John Solomon for Chris Axworthy.
In attendance: From the Research Branch of the Library of Parliament: : Daniel Brassard, Antony Jackson and Nathalie Pothier, Research Officers.
The Committee proceeded to discuss future business.
John Solomon moved - That the Industry Committee immediately convene a series of public hearings into the impact of the proposed bank mergers on small business, consumers and rural Canada; and
- That the witnesses include, among others:
- Representatives of the chartered banks
- The Canadian Federation of Independent Business
- The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
- The Credit Union Central of Canada
- The Consumers' Association of Canada
- Academics who specialize in small business finance
- The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)
- The Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
After debate, Werner Schmidt moved an amendment thereto:
- That all the words after Industry Committee be deleted and that the following be added:
ask the Finance Committee to include at least three representatives of this Committee when the Finance Committee holds on the MacKay report concerning bank mergers.
After debate, Jim Jones moved - That the Committee defer consideration of this motion until Tuesday, May 12, 1998.
The motion was unanimously agreed to.
Werner Schmidt moved, - That the Standing Committee on Industry express its deep disappointment to the Canadian Bankers Association and each of its members that the quarterly report "Business Credit Statistics" for the quarter ending December 31st 1997 was not available to the committee as of May 6th 1998.
The Committee requests that the above named report for the last quarter be ;made available to the Committee no later than May 15th 1998.
The Committee reiterates the importance of the filing of quarterly reports in a timely fashion and requests that the Canadian Bankers Association and each of its members respect this so that the Committee may continue to effectively monitor access to financing for small business.
After debate, with unanimous consent, Werner Schmidt witdrew his motion and it was agreed that the Chair would write a letter to the Canadian Bankers Association on this matter.
The Committee proceeded to sit "in camera"
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee resumed a study on Information Technology: Preparedness for Year 2000.
The Committee discussed a draft report.
At 5:24 o’clock p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.
Susan Baldwin
Clerk of the Committee