Human Resources Committee on Feb. 7th, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Is there any further debate?

Madam Zarrillo, do you want to respond?

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

My only question or comment would be around the report. I don't think the report came back to this committee or went to the House after the last sitting.

Can I get an update on where that report from the last Parliament is sitting in relation to who has seen it? Has the committee seen it? Has it been tabled in the House?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madam Zarrillo.

Madame Chabot, I will go to you in a moment.

Madam Clerk, do you have the information she was requesting?

[The Clerk]

I will take a look and come back to the committee about that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Madame Chabot, on the motion of Madam Zarrillo, you have the floor.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I understand Ms. Zarrillo's motion very clearly, but I just want to confirm that the report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities on the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy, which took up nearly eight meetings, was tabled in the House of Commons and that the government received it. I witnessed it, which is why I can confirm it for you. As I mentioned the other day, the recommendations from that report call for the committee to be kept informed. That hasn't been done, of course, as a result of delays. So I had virtually the same question in mind: given where we now stand, would the government already be able to table a report?

We spent a lot of time on that report and it was a major study. As for what might be considered the right time to receive the report, even though I agree on the principle, I think we should make sure it's the right time. It would be unfortunate if we were told that very little had been put in place to date, which could be explained. I encourage you to read the report and remind those who were there during the study that the primary objective is that the strategy be developed for indigenous people and by indigenous people.

It's nevertheless a good thing for the committee to be able to receive a report, but now the task seems to be to determine the right time to receive it. I agree that this is a question we could put to the minister. Then we could see where we stand.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madame Chabot, for that informative information.

Madame Ferrada, you have the floor.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I suggest that my colleague Ms. Zarrillo ask the minister a question during the discussion of his mandate letter. In the meantime, my colleague could reintroduce her motion.

For the moment, then, I request that we adjourn debate on this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Since it's a dilatory motion to adjourn debate, I have to put the motion to adjourn debate on this motion to a vote currently.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)

Thank you.

Continuing with committee business, Madame Ferrada, you have the floor.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I, in turn, would like to introduce a motion to members of the committee. Allow me to read it to you. I believe that Madam Clerk already has copies that she can distribute to committee members. The motion is very brief but appropriate in the present circumstances.

The motion reads as follows: That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee undertake a study of the government's plans to develop a national school food policy and its objective of a national healthy school food program; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I will actually suspend for a couple of minutes while the clerk circulates the motion, so that committee members will be clear on what's before them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The committee will resume.

I take it that committee members now have the motion that has been circulated. Could everyone indicate by a nod that they have it?

Madame Chabot, do you have your hand up to speak to it, or are you just indicating that you have the motion?

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to comment on the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Madame Chabot, you have the floor, and then Mr. Ruff.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have received and read the motion. But we are sort of getting ahead of ourselves. I'm trying to see why we are considering this motion at the moment. My understanding is that it's what the government wants. In fact, it hasn't happened yet. It's part of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development's mandate letter, which we will be receiving soon. This is like the debate that we just had.

In the motion, the committee is being asked to undertake a study on the government's plans, but we need to know what these plans are. The committee is also being asked to develop a national policy on food.

In other words, we need to know how the minister intends to carry out her mandate. After that, we could determine whether it's relevant. I'm wondering about how the various tasks set out in the minister's mandate letter are related, and the fact that we were carrying out a study on this subject ourselves.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'll ask Madame Martinez Ferrada to respond, and then we'll go to Mr. Ruff.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank my colleague for her question about this.

It may in fact appear somewhat contradictory to take action beforehand. But if there's one thing that's very clear at the moment, it's that poverty is intrinsically related to the issue of food insecurity.

As we have seen during the pandemic, there has been growing demand from food banks. It wasn't only people who were working less who were using them, because children needed them too. In my own riding, an organization established a food policy program in a school. Its purpose was to prevent any stigmatization of poverty based on the meals children were eating at school.

As a country, I think we have a duty to make sure that children, including children from poor families, have healthy food to eat. We are responsible for ensuring that there is a national food policy to deal with this. Even though it is part of the government's commitment, it's in our own interest as a committee and as a country to ask questions about how to develop a policy that would meet the genuine needs we have been observing in the field. That's why I believe this policy and this study are extremely important.

I'm happy to answer any questions from my colleagues. At the very least, it could be an exploratory study. I'm completely open to the idea of having a discussion with my colleagues if some of them think that the wording of the motion needs to be clearer. The purpose of the study is in fact to investigate ahead of time what things are like in the field so that we can develop a policy that makes sense. I believe that it is part of the committee's responsibilities and terms of reference to ask these questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madame Ferrada.

It's Mr. Ruff and then Madam Kusie.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

I sort of agree with Madame Chabot. I think we're jumping the gun here a bit on this one.

The government has committed to coming up with a plan. Let it come up with a plan. Also, at times I don't know how efficient we are compared to other committees, but we have a little under an hour here left. We've introduced a pile of motions and a pile of studies. Either we should commit to getting the subcommittee for prioritization moving forward, or we should try to solve that right here and now in the next few minutes. I know we have to put this one to rest, but I just don't see how this study on what the government's planning to do, when we don't know what the plan is, is a higher priority than are all of these other motions. If we get there, so be it.

I'm not trying to be alarmist or anything like that. We are in a minority government. I don't know if the clerk can calculate the total number of meetings we've already committed to, but I think we'll be pretty busy now for darned near the next year. As for anything, we as a committee have to have the flexibility, since there will be a lot of stuff coming out of the ministers' meetings and other prioritized issues. I have faith in our health experts and our food experts and really in our provincial jurisdictions as well with regard to how our kids are getting fed. I know I try to feed my daughter to the best of my abilities, and I fully acknowledge Ms. Ferrada's points about those who are challenged from a poverty standpoint, etc.

I'll leave my points at that, Mr. Chair, but I think we should just try to come up with a prioritization here for the remainder of today's meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Ruff.

Madam Kusie, you have the floor.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I just want to echo what Mr. Ruff said. I'm getting very concerned about the number of studies we are passing and agreeing to undertake. I'm also getting very worried about prioritization and the amount of time we have.

Frankly, they are the government. They have, within their scope, an ability to implement anything they see fit, or otherwise. In a situation such as the labour shortage, where industry and the provinces, in fact, are crying out for solutions, we really should be focused at this time on facing the great issues that are before Canada. In particular, as we struggle to emerge from this pandemic, we really haven't given a lot of thought, it would seem, to what the economy and the world will look like going forward. I would say that more consideration of that would alleviate some of the problems and struggles we're seeing. I know that, even in my community, in terms of families being able to buy food for breakfast as well....

I think this is starting to become a little silly, with the number of motions we're presenting. I could certainly present motions until the cows come home, in terms of what I think is of interest, or what I think are priorities for my community. It's endless, frankly. It just feels like it's really starting to devolve into a number of motions that we realistically will never attend to. We simply don't have the time.

Let's be serious about what we're going to do, perhaps through to the end of June. I think that's realistic. The clerk can give us a good idea as to the number of meetings that remain, but I think it's starting to feel a little silly, frankly, that we're just introducing motion after motion.

All of these issues are important and pertinent, but let's do a good job on a few things—the most critical things facing Canadians at this time. There were certainly several good ideas presented and passed, but it's starting to get overwhelming in terms of our commitments to this committee and to Canadians. Let's prioritize and get to work on the most important issues facing Canadians coming out of the pandemic at this time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madam Kusie.

Mr. Van Bynen will now speak to the motion.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I support the motion.

My wife is a teacher. Over some 20 years, she's seen many kids come to school without a proper meal. Many of these kids are in families that are living in their own homes, but they're living such busy lives that they don't find the time for their children.

It was found, in many of the programs that were put out, that students were much better at learning and their education marks were much stronger if they had the opportunity to have a meal. It created a social gathering, and it also created an environment in which kids weren't stigmatized if they didn't have the resources to do that.

I think this motion is a good motion. Indeed, one of my constituents, Mr. Frank Stronach, founder of the Magna corporation, has established a foundation called the GUHAH Foundation—which is “grow up healthy and happy”—as a legacy project. It's not just us, but the general communities that are concerned about kids being properly fed and getting healthy food in schools.

I would support this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Van Bynen.

I have Mr. Collins next. Do you still want to speak to the motion, Mr. Collins?

Mr. Collins will speak, and then Madame Chabot.

[Chad Collins, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Along the same lines as Mr. Van Bynen, I'm supportive of what's in front of us here. Locally, as a city councillor, I had the honour and privilege of working with local residents to open a food bank here. I know very well, leading up to the food bank's opening and having participated in food drives, that food insecurity is a huge issue, not just in my riding and here in Hamilton, but across the country in many communities. That same situation exists in local elementary and high schools. Here in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, we have Food4Kids. They provide services in our municipality to over 70 schools, providing food security for children who go to school hungry.

The motion we have in front of us is a terrific one. It gives us the opportunity to reach out to organizations across the country, which have in a piecemeal way provided services to educational institutions at both the elementary and secondary levels. We can find a way to create a government program that takes the best of those programs and puts them together to support people, not just in local communities but on a nationwide level, with criteria that have been established, again taking from those organizations who are doing it very well today, much like Food4Kids here in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.

I'm very supportive of what's in front of us. I understand that we have a full plate, but we're going to reach a point later this year at which we're going to have to adopt additional motions. The one we have in front of us has merit, and there's no reason we shouldn't be looking at filling our agenda for the remainder of the year to ensure that we continue to do good business on behalf of the people we represent.