Canadian Heritage Committee on June 5th, 2023

[Suzanne Paulins]

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

Swimming Canada is constantly looking at our procedures with regard to international travel. We have several teams travelling this summer to Fukuoka, Japan, as well as to Israel later in the summer—a junior team. Our para team will be in Great Britain.

We're constantly forward looking to those sites and how we create procedures that will protect the swimmers in that environment.

As an example, with the competition coming up in Israel and the uncertainty of the climate and the travel, we're in constant contact with World Aquatics and looking for their safety plans, their plans that are in place for the sport to compete there and to compete there safely.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you.

I'll follow up with a question on gender and the spectrum of gender.

Are there different protocols when athletes go out to international competition in regard to their gender and safety?

[Suzanne Paulins]

Mr. Chair, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure that I understand the question.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

If Swimming Canada is preparing to take athletes overseas for competition, there must be protocols in place to keep the athletes safe. Is there a different protocol for men, women, trans or non-binary athletes?

[Suzanne Paulins]

Mr. Chair, not that I'm explicitly aware of at this time.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Thank you very much, Ms. Paulins.

Good luck to you.

Swimming, of course, is the marquee sport in any summer Olympics. That's not taking away from the athletics people. There's athletics also, and track and field, but with swimming, we've done so well there.

Good luck to you and good luck to your organization.

Thank you for coming here and sharing the stories of safe sport with Swimming Canada.

Thank you.

[Suzanne Paulins]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Thank you.

We're going to do some public business, if you don't mind. We don't need to go in camera. We have at least 10 minutes and we could go overtime, if you wish. There are a couple of things I'd like to bring up.

I was here last Thursday when Mr. Julian brought up June 9—which is this Friday—as an extra meeting. There was some confusion around the table on whether it was in fact adopted.

Mr. Bittle, I just spoke to you. There was some confusion about adding an additional meeting that the previous chair, Ms. Fry, brought forward last Thursday.

Go ahead.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Thanks so much, Mr. Chair.

My understanding—I could be wrong—was that it was in case it was needed. That's especially with relation to Judge Aquilina, who I believe has requested to come on the 19th.

We're content to give that meeting up. My understanding, in conversation with our whip's office, is that there are other committees that could use it more than us. We still have enough time with the rest of the meetings to conclude our study.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Are there any other thoughts on this?

Mrs. Thomas, do you need a clarification or is it a no?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

It's a no on this matter.

It seems like maybe there are two things going on here. I do want to clarify.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

It's on the Friday meeting.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

That's all?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Is it off? When I left here last Thursday, I wasn't sure myself.

Now, in talking...there is no need for the additional meeting on Friday, June 9. We would have this meeting—which is concluding shortly—and Thursday's meeting from 3:30 to 5:30, but no June 9 meeting.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

That is my understanding.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Okay.

The other one I want to address....

Yes, go ahead, Ms. Zarrillo.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Are we still talking about the Friday, June 9?

I believe that is a meeting we need to have. I think MP Julian was quite adamant that he wanted to have that meeting on the Friday.

This is an important topic. We've seen from Swimming Canada today that they're not necessarily looking at this work through a gender lens. I think there's still a lot of work to do. I know MP Julian is interested in getting that done quickly.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Mr. Bittle, were you going to...? I'm just looking at your facial expression.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Maybe it's best to go to a vote in order to speed things up. We're now in public and we can't talk about what happened in camera. Maybe it's just best to go to a vote.

I thought it was “if needed.” I think everything can fit into the other meetings that we have scheduled, especially since we're adding an additional hour on the 19th.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Good. Thank you.

I'll ask the clerk to take the vote—yes or no—for an additional meeting on Friday, June 9.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Geneviève Desjardins]

It's up to the committee if they want to do it on division or by a show of hands.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Are we voting yes in favour of a Friday or are we voting to eliminate the meeting?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

I would say that yes, we're voting in favour of the Friday, June 9 meeting, as Mr. Julian requested last Thursday.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Can we say it's defeated on division, with no meeting on Friday?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

We're fine with that. Is everybody fine around the table?

So there will be no meeting then on Friday, June 9. We'll be back here on Thursday, from 3:30 to 5:30.

Yes, Mr. Lemire.