Evidence of meeting #104 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was athletes.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:25 p.m.
Bloc
12:25 p.m.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
It's very good, and we're grateful to you for speaking French.
Thank you.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much, Mr. Lemire.
Now, for the New Democrats, we have Matthew Green.
You have two and a half minutes, please, Matthew.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Minister, through your own admission, it seems like you don't have a lot of teeth in terms of outcomes of this commission. When reports are finished, who's ensuring that the recommendations are followed through with?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
The recommendations will be made to the Government of Canada. I have said that we will respond within six months. The terms of reference require us to have an action plan.
I also think that, as we go through this, there will be actions that happen in real time. Like any other process, like a public inquiry, there will be recommendations. It will be up to all of you and Canadians to hold the government of the day to account to make sure that those are implemented.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
When you say “actions”, what do you mean by that? What types of actions can you foresee happening?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
It depends on what the recommendations are. If, for example, a recommendation was that we need the OSIC to be an OIC appointment elevated to the status of the Ethics Commissioner or the Commissioner of Official Languages, we could do that. I don't know what the recommendations will be, so I can't tell you what the exact action could be coming out of it. However, we'll act on it.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
You do acknowledge that absent regulation the only tool you have is funding. Is that correct?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Yes, that's the lever we have in Sport Canada. We have no regulatory function, I guess. We are a government.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Somebody as learned as you and who has participated as a minister for quite some time and in fact, as was referenced by my friend from the Bloc, during some of these tumultuous times, would you not agree then that a regulatory body with teeth and the ability to hold organizations directly accountable, which is a recommendation that doesn't require a commission, is something that, based on your experience, would be helpful in this moment?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
I won't disagree with you that having more teeth and regulatory authority would be a bit of a dream, but—
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
I'm not going to pre-empt the commission in making that kind of systemic change. That would, to my mind—
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Because I think that would not be appropriate given that we just announced the commission yesterday.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
It's not appropriate for the minister to introduce legislation that would provide regulation over a sector that has created such harm to its athletes?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you. Would you allow the minister to finish her sentence, please, Mr. Green?
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You should be respectful.
Minister, did you want to finish your sentence?