Canadian Heritage Committee on Nov. 29th, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Good morning, everyone.

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 57 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Heritage.

I would like to acknowledge that this meeting is taking place on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the House on Tuesday, May 31, the committee is resuming clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-18, an act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of Thursday, June 23, 2022. Members attending in the room know what to do. You've done it so many times before. Members with us virtually also know what to do, as they've done it so many times before as well.

Please wait until I recognize you by name. For those participating by video conference, click on the icon at the bottom. Please remember that all comments should be made through the chair.

Before we start, I wanted to convey on your behalf our condolences to Peter on the passing of his mother. Peter, our thoughts are with you. It must be very hard losing a parent. I know. We are all thinking about you and are with you in this moment of grief.

Mr. Housefather, your hand is up.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

If this is the appropriate time, I think I have unanimous consent in the room—I hope from my friend Mr. Julian as well—to put forward a brief motion on our safe sport study to summon certain documents. I know my friend Mr. Champoux wants to make a friendly amendment right afterward.

Madam Chair, if it's okay with you and the committee, I'd like to move:

That, in relation to the study of safe sport in Canada, the committee send for the minutes of all board meetings that have taken place since Monday, January 1, 2018, including in camera minutes, whether in approved or draft form, from each of the following organizations: (a) Gymnastics Canada; (b) Canada Soccer; (c) Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton; and that all documents be sent to the clerk of the committee by 4 p.m. eastern standard time on Thursday, December 15, 2022.

Mr. Champoux has a friendly amendment that I'm very happy to accept.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Champoux, go ahead.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Housefather, thank you for your openness.

We would like to add three sports associations to Mr. Housefather's motion.

After “(c) Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton;” we propose adding: “(d) Swimming Canada; (e) Skate Canada; (f) Rugby Canada;” The rest of the motion would remain unchanged.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Are you cool with that?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Perhaps we can speak to the motion.

Does anyone wish to say anything? Do we have a comment? No.

Mr. Shields, is your hand up?

Go ahead, Marilyn.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I definitely support this motion. It's important that we get these things by December 15, because they have to be translated for the committee. I think that's a reasonable thing to do while the rest of us are enjoying our Christmas holidays.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Does anyone else wish to say something?

Go ahead, Mr. Shields.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Thank you.

To clarify the date.... I understand what my colleague is saying about having it translated, but that is a six-week time period before we have an opportunity to deal with it. Are we jamming them up by making it too tight? If it was another two weeks, we'd still have four weeks for it to be translated. We have our organizations out here, and that's a very short timeline.

I'm asking in the sense of.... I want to do it and I understand it, but we have a six-week time period for them to get here and be translated. Is that timeline too tight?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Let's discuss that.

Go ahead, Martin.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I'm very willing to support what is being proposed. I don't think we will be meeting over the holidays to consider this. Also, one of the concerns that we heard from our colleague Mr. Housefather is that adding federations would give the translation team a lot of work. I am quite open to Mr. Shields' proposal to push back the deadline. But what date would be appropriate? I'll let you be the judge.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I was thinking of the translators. If they get the documents quickly, it will make their job easier because they will have six weeks to translate them instead of four. I thought the minutes of these organizations already existed. We are asking for documents that exist, not to create new documents.

I thought it wouldn't be that difficult for them. Because we're passing it today, they have more than two weeks to get us documents that exist. I think we would all be flexible if one of them came back and said they wanted a later date.

If it's okay, I would rather leave the date at December 15 to give the translators six weeks to translate everything.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Does that satisfy your question, Mr. Shields?

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Now we're going to deal with Martin's amendment—

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Chair, I have had my hand up since the beginning.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Oh, I am so sorry, Peter. I didn't notice you with the bright red wall behind you. Go ahead.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

It's not red. It's NDP orange, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Well, it's a colour that's confused. Thank you.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I would beg to disagree with you, Madam Chair. I think the colour is very clear and not confused at all.

I support the motion by Mr. Housefather and the timelines involved. The organizations maintain minutes. It's not as if we're asking them to put together something new. This is something that should be absolutely available to us. At the same time, we do need to give translation teams the opportunity to go through the minutes and actually translate them. That will take a number of weeks. If we then choose in February, when we reconvene, to continue this study and broaden it, as I think as a committee we've already indicated, then I think this is the best approach. The timelines are good.

I was thinking of proposing the same thing Mr. Champoux did, which was to add some national organizations. I am glad he proposed that amendment to Mr. Housefather's motion.

I think we have everything. It is the responsibility of the committee to request the minutes and then have them translated. That will enable us to address this issue when we return in February.

I support the amendment and the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We'll have Ms. Thomas and then Martin.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Great. We're talking about the amendment. Is that correct?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We're talking about the amendment that Mr. Champoux brought in.