Canadian Heritage Committee on Feb. 1st, 2007

[Noël Badiou]

The court challenges program board is set out in its bylaws. There are two representatives from the equality rights groups, two representatives from the language rights groups, one member from the equality rights panel, one representative from the language rights panel, as well as one person appointed by the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Council of Law Deans. The two representatives from each of the equality and language rights members are elected, if you will, by the members rather than appointed.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Who are the members of the organization?

[Noël Badiou]

The members of the organization are set out. They are the historically disadvantaged groups and individuals.

The program is structured very much following the contribution agreement. So the people who are eligible to be applicants under the court challenges program are also eligible to become members of the court challenges program.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

So is it safe to say that the members of the court challenges program are, in many cases, also the beneficiaries of the program?

[Noël Badiou]

Some of the members are also beneficiaries, yes.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Quite a number, is that right?

[Guy Matte]

Let's talk about what “beneficiaries” means, in your mind. If “benefit” means, can we get a benefit out of this—

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

No, I'm talking about “have received funding”. The organizations they represent have received funding under the program.

[Guy Matte]

Oh.

Well, in my case, certainly not.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

No, I'm talking generally.

[Noël Badiou]

Yes, but you're talking about the members...the members of the board or the members of the organizations?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Let's start with the members of the organizations who elect the board.

[Noël Badiou]

Right.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

With respect to the members of the organizations, many of them, or certainly some of them—

[Noël Badiou]

Some of them, yes.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

—are members of organizations that receive funding under the program. Correct?

[Noël Badiou]

Correct.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

And it's those individuals, then, who choose the board members.

[Noël Badiou]

Correct.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Is it safe to say that the board members represent organizations as well that receive funding under the program?

[Guy Matte]

No, because I do not belong to any of the organizations that are members, for example, as a chair—

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

No. I'm not talking about you as a chair.

[Guy Matte]

No, you are talking about members of the board. I'm a member of the board and I was elected by the linguistic group, but I do not belong to any one of the groups.

Members are looking for people who are going to be on the board and have some even-handedness, so they look for those who would be able to serve people and serve the program well. Since, for example, my experience in the past has related to linguistic rights, some people who know about this asked me whether I would be interested. I said yes. It's about the same for other people who are members of the board. Some are put there by the law faculty of—

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

You may have misunderstood my question.

We did have testimony from Chantal Tie, who's a member of LEAF. For seven years she was a member of the CCP's board of directors, and she was also a member of this group that receives funding under the program. So in fact board members often represent organizations that receive funding from the CCP. Is that not correct?

[Guy Matte]

Oh, members.