Evidence of meeting #37 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was finance.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
I'll continue:
(a) the total amount spent by the Government of Canada on official development assistance in the previous fiscal year;
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
And paragraph 9(1)(a.1),
a summary of any activity or initiative
Is that correct?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
That's the second line there, “a summary of any activity or initiative”. That's paragraph 9(1)(a.1).
Mr. Menzies, and then Mr. Goldring.
Conservative
Peter Goldring Conservative Edmonton East, AB
On the second part, “a summary of any activity or initiative”, it doesn't provide a lot of clarity to it as to “any”. I would think “any activity or initiative” is pretty broad as far an interpretation is concerned on when to trigger intensive reports.
Liberal
Keith Martin Liberal Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Paragraph 9(1)(a), as it reads right now, is “a description of any activity or initiative taken under this Act”. We're just rewording it to say, “a summary of any activity or initiative taken under this Act”. We're just changing “description” to “summary”.
Liberal
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
The French version and the English version are not always perfectly identical. In French, we have: “un résumé des activités ou des projets“, whereas, in English, we have:
“summary of any activity or initiative”. I may be wrong, but for me “initiative” means something that you try to do. It's not a project; it's something you'll try to do. Let's say you want to go with ODA to such-and-such a country. You say, we're looking at this, but you don't do it. Are you going to do a summary of this?
Liberal
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Do you not want to change it in English to “projects?”
It would be “toutes les initiatives“. Very well.
Liberal
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
I am not convinced that in this context the term “initiatives“ is really appropriate in French. I much prefer the word “projet“, which is the equivalent of “initiative“ in English. In French, a project is something that you set up in the hope of realizing it.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Then shall we leave it as it is?
Actually, Mr. Patry, did you move this?
Conservative
Conservative
Conservative
Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB
Yes. I am concerned about once again burning up a bunch of departmental time to write reports on something that we will be providing an overall report on to Parliament at the end of the year. Writing extra reports is not good use of taxpayers' money.
