Canadian Heritage Committee on May 9th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Mr. Coteau.

I will ask the committee if they agree that we should ask the witnesses to leave.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I thank the witnesses very much for taking the time to come to this meeting. I am so very sorry for what is happening.

I thank you for your presentations. I am sorry that we couldn't get any more of your wisdom in the answers about this bill. You may leave.

All right, Mrs. Thomas.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

As I was saying, to further punt this study with regard to online harms that are caused to women and girls because of these images being shared or created, I believe, is altogether irresponsible of this committee as a whole. It points to, I don't know, something that is uncaring, or unkind, about the Liberals' approach to not want to give that attention, and to continue to delay that for nearly three years.

I guess we have a middle ground that we're offering to come to. Instead of four meetings that the study proposed to us today, we would have two meetings. It would still allow the study to take place, but it would also allow us to move to complete the safe sport study, and, therefore, honour the witnesses who came and were part of that, the many athletes, parents and coaches who were represented by those individuals who came to this table, and had a voice on their behalf.

The second thing it would allow us to do, if we were to move down from four to two meetings, is to, hopefully, still complete the online harms study before the end of June, when the House of Commons breaks for the summer. At least that would be the hope. One cannot anticipate what games might be played, but that would certainly be the hope.

The point is that we're asking to meet in the middle. We're proposing that the study be for two meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Mrs. Thomas.

I now have Mr. Waugh.

Do you wish to speak to the amendment?

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes, I wish to speak to the amendment.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

It's kind of interesting, you know, there are so many forms of extremism in this country, and all are worthy to be examined. I look at the motion here, and it only mentions one kind of extremism. I was really disappointed, because it has turned this into something very political.

You know, the Liberals, Madam Chair—

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Go ahead, Ms. Lattanzio.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I'm sorry to interrupt my colleague, but we're on the amendment, right?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

The proposed amendment is from four to two meetings, correct?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Yes, we're going to debate it.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

That's what we're speaking to. We're debating the duration of the study.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I did ask Mr. Waugh if he was going to speak to the amendment, and not to the full motion.

Kevin, we have to speak to the amendment, which is a proposal of two meetings.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I would like to add to that point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Go ahead Mr. Lawrence.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

It is clear. I wouldn't say law, but it is a clear tradition that members are given a wide latitude, and so talking about the substance of the study within the amendment is more than within the rules. Certainly, in my five years of Parliament, I have heard much further wanderings from the substance than what Mr. Waugh was doing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Waugh, go ahead.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

All I was going to say is that the Liberals proposed this discussion and then voted against postponing the discussion to allow us to hear witnesses. I think it's a bit rich to blame the direction of this meeting on us.

Our timeline is very tight. We need to hear from the minister by May 30. We haven't heard from the minister in a while, and she has been invited for the main estimates.

As you note, Madam Chair, there is only a maximum of eight or maybe 10 meetings left before we rise for the summer. I know we're going down to two meetings in the amendment, but I am concerned about the amendment, and I'll tell you why.

In 2009, my wife and I got my daughter to the March of the Living for educators. It was 2009. We sent our daughter over to Poland. To move ahead now, 14 or 15 years later, I am so thankful that we scraped together that money for her to go over to learn about the Holocaust and teach it in our classrooms.

Now, when I see this motion in front of me, I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't include anti-Semitism because we're dealing with it in every city.

The two meetings would bring us towards the end of May, because we have the minister coming, and as duly noted by MP Thomas, we do need to hear about safe sport.

You have had a lot of emails, Madam Chair, and I have had dozens of emails on safe sport. Outside of Hockey Canada's inquest, I would say it was the second-biggest item that we have dealt with in a number of years in the Canadian heritage committee.

I wanted to throw that out there. We just got the report—thank you to the analysts for working day and night to get the full report to us—and now we have some recommendations on safe sport. The whole country is waiting for that report, and I can see now it's going to be delayed until probably the first part of June, which is too bad.

That's all I'll say on this. I was a little disappointed by the motion in that it did not include anti-Semitism, since I believe that is first and foremost what we've seen in this country from coast to coast.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Kevin.

Your hand is still up, Michael. Are you speaking to the amendment, or are you speaking to the motion?

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

I'll reserve my time for the main motion.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Is there any further discussion on the amendment?

Philip, you moved the amendment, so you'll be closing it. I'm sorry.

Martin, would you like to speak on the amendment?

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Chair, before the amendment was tabled, I put my name on the list to speak to the main motion. I just want to make sure that we go back to that list afterwards.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I hope so. That's why, if Mr. Lawrence speaks, he would be wrapping up the debate on his amendment, and then we can call a vote on it.

Mr. Lawrence, please go ahead.