Status of Women Committee on March 10th, 2011

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

It should read, “as well as contributions to international athletic competitions...”--that's where I had the word “competitions”.

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

It's “contributions to competitions”. That's right.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Yes, that's what I said. It reads:...as well as contributions to international athletic competitions hosted in Canada, to ensure that funding is being distributed on an equitable basis;

That the conclusion of this gender-based analysis be made publicly available and tabled in the House of Commons; and

That this motion be reported to the House.

We have two more speakers on this.

[Dona Cadman, Conservative, Surrey North, BC]

I'm fine.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Okay.

Do you have something else to say, Mrs. Demers?

I'm going to try to read it straight through one more time. This is the motion—

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

That's fine.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

That the Committee recommend that the government conduct a gender-based analysis of all federal funding of sport, including Sport Canada funding programs, and that the Committee invite representatives and the Minister of Sport to discuss funding projects as well as contributions to international athletic competitions hosted in Canada, to ensure that funding is being distributed on an equitable basis;

That the conclusions of this gender-based analysis be made publicly available and tabled in the House of Commons; and

That this motion be reported to the House.

Madam Boucher, you heard the motion. Is that what you want to vote on?

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

That's right.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Okay. We've heard the motion.

(Motion negatived)

We're still on debate for the motion from Anita Neville. We're resuming debate.

[Michelle Simson, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I'd like to put forward an amendment to the original one submitted by Anita, which would cover off Ms. Boucher's concerns with respect to the invitation to the ministers.

How I'd like this to read is:

That the Committee recommend that the government conduct a gender-based analysis of all federal funding of sport, including Sport Canada funding programs, funding of sport infrastructure projects by Infrastructure Canada, as well as contributions to international athletic competitions hosted in Canada, to ensure that funding is being distributed on an equitable basis;

That the conclusions of this gender-based analysis be made publicly available and tabled in the House of Commons; and

That the relative ministers be invited to appear before this Committee.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Starting from the top, I'll make sure everybody knows what we're voting on.

Ms. Simson has moved:

That the Committee recommend that the government conduct a gender-based analysis of all federal funding of sport, including Sport Canada funding programs, funding of sport infrastructure projects by Infrastructure Canada, as well as contributions to international athletic competitions hosted in Canada to ensure that funding is being distributed on an equitable basis;

That the conclusions of this gender-based analysis be made publicly available and tabled in the House of Commons; and

That the relative ministers be invited to appear before the Committee.

Is that what you want said?

[Michelle Simson, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

We have to add, “And have this motion reported to the House”. Yes.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Oh, yes, I'm sorry.

Is there any debate?

There being no debate, I'll call for the motion. I'll read it once more and say it's moved, then, by Michelle Simson.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Keep up the suspense, Madam Chair.

[Voices]

Ah, ah!

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

I'll just keep going on.

You all understand it. You have it in your mind. You know what I said and you know what the motion includes.

I'll call for the motion. All those in favour?

Oh, my God, it's unanimous. All that arguing, and in the end we're all unanimous. That's wonderful.

(Amendment agreed to)

Now we go to the main motion as amended.

(Motion as amended agreed to)

Wonderful. That's done.

So now we go down to the notice of motion from Anita Neville.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, before we consider another motion, we do have to study the report on violence against aboriginal women. We took the trouble of asking the analyst to draft it quickly because we wanted to look at it before leaving on break week. She has done that work.

So, I would like the time for debating any motions to be limited. We spent two days on a single motion, only to end up agreeing unanimously. Are we now going to spend two more days on the other two motions? That's ridiculous, Madam Chair.

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

It was two days per motion.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

I would like you to limit debate on the motion, along the lines of three in favour and three against. These are simple motions.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

No, I cannot. I cannot limit the debate, but if there's a motion, then....

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

I have a suggestion to make. It's very personal. I hope you won't be upset with me. I would really like to discuss Ms. Demers' motion before we deal with Ms. Neville's, for the simple reason that in the motion from Ms. Demers I have in front of me, it proposes that the committee ask every federal minister to inform it, before Monday, April 4, 2011, of the status of implementation of the gender-responsive analysis in his or her department.

I like that wording better because it would be easier, since all the ministers are being asked to do that, not just the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety. So, if everyone agrees, perhaps we could deal with Ms. Demers' motion first.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Okay. That makes sense.

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

Also, Ms. Neville is not here to introduce her motion.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon]

Okay, it's seconded. It's a motion.

All those in favour of Ms. Boucher's motion....

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

I'm voting in favour of dealing with Ms. Demers' motion first. That is my motion.