Status of Women Committee on June 7th, 2010

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

It was decided at the very beginning that the committee as a whole would decide what it wishes to make as its priorities and not a steering committee.

Madame Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

At first glance, I would have smiled too. But I realized that....

On the weekend, I read an article that said climate change affects women more than any other group. In the Arctic, for example, the polar ice cap is melting and animals are having a hard time surviving—the polar bear is now an endangered species, as are a number of other animals.

I realized it was having a real impact on women. If nothing is done to address the situation, it can also have long-term effects. And if there are long-term effects, women are the ones who will suffer, because very often, they are the ones who look after the families, who are responsible for growing vegetables in the gardens. They are the ones who look after all that. So it has rather serious consequences.

Water levels that fluctuate significantly also have an effect on women, because they are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences. Personally, I think it is important....

This proposal, this motion is very broad. Perhaps Ms. Neville would like to reframe it so we can be more specific in our study. I think it is worthwhile.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Madame Boucher.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

What bothered me when I read it was the fact that it is not just women who suffer as a result of climate change. Everyone is suffering: men, children, young people, and the list goes on.

When I read the motion, I got the feeling that.... First of all, I think it is too broad. Second, it puts women in a sort of ghetto, which I refuse to support because it is not only women feeling the effects of climate change; there are also young people and children. Climate change affects everyone.

Personally, I am not comfortable with this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Madame Boucher.

Is there any further discussion?

Ms. Mathyssen.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I think this gives us an opportunity. When we think about climate change we tend to think of it in a linear way. We think about the rising of the oceans and the impact on animals. I think this gives us an opportunity to take the issue and examine impact that gives us more depth.

I think it's very worthwhile. I would say it provides another opportunity to look at a serious problem. While it does indeed impact every human being on the planet, I think we have been limited in the way we approach it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Ms. Neville, did you wish to close the discussion?

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

I will, briefly, Madam Chair.

I'm astounded when I hear Madam Boucher say there are more important issues than both climate change and the impact on women's health. There are no issues that are more important than our health, and we know our health is affected by climate.

Madam Chair, if there's any desire for it, I would be happy to table the articles we have gathered so far for members of the committee. There is increasing evidence that shows that climate has a disproportionate impact on women, through a whole host of different ways, from what it does on others.

As Ms. Mathyssen so accurately pointed out, it's not a linear issue, it's a multi-layered issue. It involves decision-making. It involves government policies. It involves government representation. It involves governments and not-for-profits working together. It's a complex issue, and I think it's one that is worthy of some study by this committee.

I would urge all members to look at it and to put it on the menu of studies to be considered. At least it will be there to show this committee is aware of it as an issue. When we get to it, we'll get to it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Is there any further discussion?

Ms. Simson, and then I'll call the question.

[Michelle Simson, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I just quickly want to add that I believe my colleague Ms. Neville is trying to bring to everyone's attention the fact that, on a lot of issues, whether it be climate change or economics, there has been too little regard for gender-based analysis and how it can impact particularly women. You could make the same argument with respect to the economic meltdown, that it affected all Canadians, but I think our job is to examine and study various issues that may disproportionately affect women and how we can look at these issues. The only way of doing it is through gender-based analysis. So I totally support my colleague's motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We have passed that, and I think Ms. McLeod mentioned an important consideration, that when we get back after the summer we should really look at what we have to do, look at the lineup of things and how we redistribute them based on timeliness, priority, and there may or may not be new things that pop up that would require to be dealt with in a timely manner.

I want to have you look at the committee's tentative schedule. Because of the fact that there are many votes happening, we have decided that it would be easier if we left our travel to a Thursday and a Friday. We've shifted where we're going.

As you can see if you look at the pages you were given, on June 7, which is today, we have what we're doing.

On June 9, we have a teleconference with the Labrador witnesses. These were aboriginal women in Goose Bay and in Happy Valley who were not able to come down, for various reasons, to meet with us in the Labrador City meeting, so we're going to do a one-hour teleconference with them. Then we have one hour of committee business, which I think should finish up our maternal health report and put that to bed.

On June 10, which would be the Thursday, we will be travelling to Montreal. We will go by bus. We will leave Montreal and go to Quebec City, where we will stay on Thursday night, and on Friday we will be doing Quebec City. What you see here is June 10 and 11.

Then we come back, and on Monday, June 14, we will look at the draft report on maternal and child health. Hopefully we have put that away and will be able to look at non-traditional occupations. We might be even be able to do some of that this Wednesday, but let's take it as we see it. We will do that on Monday, the 14th, and on Wednesday, the 16th.

Then, on June 17, we will travel to Maniwaki, and on June 18 we will travel to Brantford.

June 21, when we come back, which would be the Monday, we will study the draft report on women in non-traditional occupations and we'll be continuing that report writing. We need to put that report to bed on that Monday, because if the House rises that week, I have to table the report in the House, so it is best that we have Tuesday to table it, just in case.

Then we have a little bit of time and we need to sit down and start to talk about the travel that everyone says they'd love us to do in the summer. We need to decide when in the summer we will do it, and then we need to decide what we're going to be doing. The clerk, the analyst, and the logistics people have been working with me on this to package it in a way that, if you recall, as we said, in order to bring down costs, when we go to the west, the western people will do the west; the eastern people will do the east; the Ontario people will do Ontario, etc. That way, we don't have a bunch of people travelling all the way across the country.

We have no choice in the case of Ms. Mathyssen, because she lives in Ontario. To come to the west, she will have to hitchhike across there by boat or bus or something. We're not letting her fly.

Of course, Madame Demers or Mr. Desnoyers, or whichever one from the Bloc, will still have to come to represent their party back east, but if we can get the bulk of people coming from where their region is, that would help us a lot.

We had a little glitch with the plans we made to go to Resolute Bay, which is a tiny community, so tiny that people did not want to come and let anybody know that they talked to the committee, because it was very sensitive. So we've taken Resolute Bay out of the mix and we're looking at whether we need to throw in Rankin Inlet instead, which is a much larger community, and we heard reference to it when we were in Iqaluit. We may talk about rolling that into our summer travel as one leg of one of the two pieces that we're looking to do in the summer. Hopefully they would be concurrent. People can just fan out and take a few days and do what they have to do.

Madame Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, on that matter, I just wanted to let you know that I will be in Regina from July 11 to 17. If the committee were to travel right after that, it may be cheaper for me to meet up with you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, that sounds like an idea. That's a good time.

I'm just telling you that we need to discuss this, and this is what the rollout is going to be from now to the end of this session. Then obviously we need to fix on a time in the summer, and Madame Demers has just given us a good idea of when she will be in the west.

Madame Boucher.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I have a question.

We are going to Maniwaki on June 17 and 18. Are we coming back to Ottawa, or are we going directly to Brantford?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I don't know. That is being drawn up. We're looking at the cheapest and easiest way to do it.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

So we are coming back to Ottawa on the 17th. Early the next morning, we leave for Brantford, and we come back to Ottawa on the 18th. Is that right?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We are coming back to Ottawa from Maniwaki on June 17, and then we're going to Brantford.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

So we'll be coming back to Ottawa.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Okay, thank you. I will be there.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right.

Ms. Mathyssen.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

I wonder if the clerk would be able to provide us with times in terms of the bus travel, so that I have a sense of timing there.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Do you mean this coming Friday and Saturday? It's Thursday and Friday of next week.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Yes.

Also, it might be prudent to have individuals in the committee submit the times in the summer that they're not available, due to whatever obligations or constraints, so that we can figure out what's doable, what's possible.