Status of Women Committee on Nov. 26th, 2007

[The Clerk]

If I may, we just tried to change one meeting, once, at a time when there was no meeting, and we couldn't get people to come to that one meeting. Remember? This Monday we went for a survey and we asked that, and we couldn't get agreement.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

We'll have Ms. Minna and then Mr. Stanton. Did anybody have a hand up and I overlooked it? No?

Okay.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Madam Chair, earlier I suggested that we could possibly add one or two meetings. I understand that Monday morning is difficult because everybody's flying in from the four corners of this country, and that makes it hard. But once we are here, usually on a Monday afternoon, because we have to be here for this committee, and after that, on a Tuesday morning or what-have-you, we certainly would be able to....

If there were openness on the part of the members to have one or two extra meetings, or even an evening dinner meeting, we could tack that on. Then the clerk could come back to us and suggest which of those two meetings it would be and when it could be. That was my earlier suggestion. I thought people agreed to that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Go ahead, Mr. Stanton.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

My observation, Madam Chair, however we put this, is that because we're looking at two meetings, we should try to keep them together, or at least try to keep them within the same session or the same week-to-week. Let's not have one now and one in January, because you lose that continuity.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Okay.

So can I leave it to the clerk to determine how they will fit it in? They'll probably ask you questions as to your availability. Accordingly, they will get that going.

Is that fair enough?

Now, the second motion we have is from Ms. Neville. She told me that she's going to be late, so she asked if I could please hold the motion until she comes to speak to it, because she has to speak to it.

Ladies, are you from Status of Women Canada? Okay.

Is Madam Beckton here?

[A voice]

She's not here quite yet, but it's only 4:10.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

I know. It's just that if they were here, we could start, that's all. I am a person who believes in time management, so if somebody's here, I'll take them.

At the moment, as I see it, we're in agreement with the work plan. We're in agreement on having extra meetings if we have to, in order to accommodate the court challenges program. We have also approved the budget.

Yes, go ahead, Mr. Stanton.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

I just have a question, Madam Chair. For the gender budgeting study, if we have some suggestions for witnesses, can we just give them to the clerk?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Oh, absolutely, and that was what the clerk asked me. She asked if we could have a list of witnesses.

I would say that it would be premature for us to have witnesses, because we do not know the parameters we want to study. If we know the parameters of what.... You see, once we hear expert witnesses and figure out more from Manitoba's experience, perhaps we'll get a very good idea of what we want to do as a committee, and then we can say which experts we want.

You can always give names. That's not a problem. If you have names, please provide names. This will help us build our data bank, and that would be good.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

I was going to suggest that some of these might help with the scoping in the coming weeks. It allows us to see where we want to go with this. If we have some folks who would be able to do that for us, I think that would be good.

We have until Wednesday for witnesses on the court challenges program, and then on this other question, it is as soon as possible.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

It is as soon as possible, because as you can see, the scoping is what is going to be taking place next week, this Wednesday and next week, and hopefully the week after. If we have witnesses, we can tie them all together.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

That is excellent.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

We'll suspend the meeting for a few minutes. Then witnesses can come forward.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Committee members, I need to bring to your attention something urgent. After the next meeting on Wednesday, we will need to find witnesses ASAP. The reason is that, otherwise, if we go to the parameters, we won't have any witnesses. So as soon as you hear witnesses and you think you have an idea, send witness lists. That would be important.

There's a distribution going around on violence against women. There was an interesting article with recommendations in it, and some of this deals with justice recommendations. It's quite interesting, so I thought we could have a look at it for our information.

Since you are here, Ms. Neville, would you like to talk to your motion before the witnesses come?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I will just very briefly, Madam Chair.

As I look around, most members who are here today were here in the last session when we passed this motion. I think it's important that it be on the agenda, and that it should be a reminder to the government. I know there have been some initiatives undertaken by the government to look at the 2010 Olympics to address the issues of trafficking of women and children for sexual purposes, but there's much more to be done.

I don't want to belabour it, but I would ask committee members if they would support this once again and put it through to the government for their response.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

For their response?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I'd like a report back in terms of what they're doing. Can we do that, through you, to the clerk?

[The Clerk]

You would have to ask for a government response and for that government response be tabled.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

So you'll have to put it down in your motion.

[The Clerk]

I thought you wanted it presented and you wanted the report adopted in the House.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I would like the report adopted in the House.

[The Clerk]

That's something else.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Then let's do it this way; we'll do it this way.

[The Clerk]

Okay.