Status of Women Committee on March 15th, 2010

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

It is taking a long time, Mr. Calandra.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

As is typical, you interrupt and you show a lack of respect. What I'm suggesting to you is if one of your colleagues around the table wants to issue a point of order, I would appreciate if you would hear the point of order, as opposed to ignoring it and deciding for yourself what is a valuable point of order or not.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Calandra, that's why I'm the chair, because I make decisions on these things. I've allowed people to run eight and a half minutes, nine minutes, on questions. I think I've shown a lot of respect for my colleagues.

Now would you carry on, please, Ms. Mathyssen?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I guess I would prefer, Chair, if you actually listened--

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Your point of order is over, Mr. Calandra.

Ms. Mathyssen, please--

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Well, on another point of order, then, Madam Chair, I guess I would prefer that you actually listened to the point of order before making a ruling on it in the future.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Calandra, Ms. Boucher always says “a point of order” when she thinks anyone is taking on the minister. This is the third time she has done it, and it is my duty as chair to keep this on track, please.

Ms. Mathyssen, would you continue, please? I'm going to give you some extra time based on the fact that we actually stopped you in the midst of your questioning. Go ahead.

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

Thank you, and thank you, Minister.

I want to get back to this issue of cuts. I made reference to affordable housing. The funding for the housing strategy initiative ends in 2011. A great deal of this money goes to the most vulnerable women. In my city of London, the funding is cut for My Sisters' Place, which looks after the needs of homeless and abused women and women suffering from mental illness. There will be nowhere for these women to get help and support.

How can you say that you are defending women when we still have no national child care strategy, when we still have no affordable housing, when the pitiful amount that is set aside for child care will not even support a child in proper day care? No spaces have been created. How can you defend that?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Thank you, Irene--I mean, Ms. Mathyssen. You're asking me to be the lead on all of my colleagues' files, and you do that on a regular basis--

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

But you're the Minister for the Status of Women.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

--and I'll give you the same answer that I have always given you. My role is a gender-based analysis function. I am the first minister solely dedicated to the status of women in Canada's history. We have the largest percentage of women in cabinet in Canada's history. We have the highest level of funding for Status of Women Canada in Canada's history, and we are working with the grassroots organizations, which again, is not something that has been done in the past as it is today, to the level that it is, to support women in the most vulnerable situations across the country.

With respect to your--

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

Yes, and as usual, Minister, your answer isn't at all in keeping with your job to protect the women of this country. You are in a government that is conducting a systematic attack on women and their equality and is not promoting them in the way that they need.

Your answer is simply not adequate. It's simply not sufficient. It may be repetitive, but it's no better than it was the last time.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Thank you, Irene, but I believe I have answered your questions. We have made significant investments in all that you have highlighted and mentioned, and I'm happy to provide all of those for you in a written list. And you know what? It's a little book called Budget 2010, and Budget 2009, and the economic action plan. It's in the best interests of all Canadians, and Canadians include Canadian women, which are 52% of the population.

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

Is there more time, Madam Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have 20 seconds.

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

What role will you play in the Prime Minister's G8 maternal and child health initiative, if any, and are you at all concerned by the fact that money for women and children in this country has not appreciably increased in regard to maternal health and child health?

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

I will play whatever role it is that he is defining for me in this process, happily, and I'm very proud and honoured to be a part of that process.

Let me tell you, at the UN, in addition to the 20 women leaders I met with from the Haitian community, a highlight for me that really brought home how significant the announcement the Prime Minister made and the commitment he made was...there were about 30,000 women, they told me, ready to give birth in Haiti and they had no place to do so; they had no water, no clean building to do this in. I can tell you that when they heard that announcement the Prime Minister had made, it resonated with them and they really understood what he was talking about.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Minister.

Ms. McLeod.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I didn't realize we had some more time with the minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Excuse me, Ms. McLeod, I'd like to explain that. We had gone so significantly over time, because I allowed nine minutes for certain questions, that we were unable to stop at 4:30 to do the part with Madame Clément. So I think we're going to have to deal with that at another meeting; otherwise it would not have allowed Ms. Clément, in 15 minutes, to fulfill her part.

So you have five minutes left in the second round and you need to finish that.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I have a point of order, if I can bother the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, Mr. Calandra.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I know we have gone over time, and we haven't asked the minister if she can actually stay. I know we're well over time now. Perhaps it would be appropriate to ask the minister if she can actually stay or if she is delaying appointments at her office.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

That would be fine, if we wish to do that, but it would mean that Ms. McLeod, or in fact the Conservative Party, would miss one of their options at round two. If you wish to miss that option, that would be fine--I think everyone would agree--and we will have to deal with Ms. Clément, but it will not give us the time allotted with Ms. Clément. So you have to make a decision as a committee as to whether you want to continue with the last questioner in this round, who is a Conservative Party member, or you wish to stop now.

Ms. McLeod.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I'm pleased to continue.

Again, because we had such little time to talk earlier in terms of the missing aboriginal women and children, I'd really like to hear some additional details from the minister in that area, and also perhaps about issues around the economic pillar and aboriginal women.