Evidence of meeting #4 for Status of Women in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was groups.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Danielle Bélisle
Clara Morgan  Committee Researcher
Clare Beckton  Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada

4 p.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

That is also what I am wondering.

Do we also want to include all women? All women may have suffered this sort of thing. We also have to work with minority groups, but are we including all women? I would like to stress "all women" and women who belong to minorities, but also all women in general.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Yes, it makes sense. Otherwise you're missing the boat, yes.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Madame Demers.

4 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

Madam Chair, when I explained my motion last week, it was clearer. It is less clear now. We are talking about women's groups, more specifically groups for women who belong to minorities, and among those minorities, aboriginal people. It was women's groups, and more specifically minorities.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Madame Demers, when it's translated into English it raises more questions than it answers.

4 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

You're right.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Therefore, if I hear correctly, the suggestion has been that the committee study the impacts of the cuts over the court challenges program on groups of women, particularly those belonging to minority communities, and aboriginal women.

Oui?

4 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

That's fine.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Does that now make sense? Is it now more—

Yes, Ms. Minna.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

When you say “groups of women”, you're automatically excluding some women. I would just say “in general, the effect of the court challenges program on women, and in particular...”, and then you add specifically.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Okay, “on women”.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Forget the group part, because “groups” starts to break it down, and which groups, then? You have to decide which ones. Rather, it should read “on women”.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

And then specifically those who belong to minority communities—

4 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Yes, “on women and more particularly”.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Okay.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

So if you drop the group part, that clears it up.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Okay.

Madame Demers, is that clear?

4 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

I'm very agreeable.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

You are very agreeable, and now you will have to read it in French again.

4 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

The amendments that we have proposed are entirely acceptable to me.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Madame Demers, we are now going to get that reread en français, and then you can see if you are fine with it.

4 p.m.

The Clerk

The motion reads as follows:

That after the Standing Committee on the Status of Women will have studied the 3 reports from the other committees on the Court Challenges Program, the committee study the impacts of the cut of the Court Challenges Program on women and more particularly those belonging to the minorities and aboriginal women.

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

Yes, that's good. I think that's good.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Now I can take the vote.

(Motion agreed to)

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Now we need names from everyone. Don't make it too long a list so that we have—