Evidence of meeting #40 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was mcpherson.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
4:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Don't we have to vote to send it back to the House? I would like to vote on that.
4:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'd like a recorded vote on that.
(Bill S-211 agreed to: yeas 9, nays 2)
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you for the clarification.
Now, shall the chair report the bill to the House?
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'd like a recorded vote, please.
(Reporting of bill to the House agreed to: yeas 10, nays 1)
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you very much.
Now allow me to thank all of the officials for having made themselves available so they could assist us in scrutinizing this bill.
Mr. McKay?
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON
I don't want to interrupt your thanks, but after your thanks—which I would also endorse—I would like to say something, please.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Sure.
Thank you very much for giving generously of your time. Our apologies that we did not lean in and ask for any clarification on any of the clauses, but you nonetheless were incredibly helpful in terms of showing up and making yourselves available so we had that certainty that we're going about this in the right fashion.
Mr. McKay, go ahead.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank colleagues for their participation. Even when we disagree, I hope we are still civil with each other. I think we are still civil with each other.
I want to particularly commend Ms. McPherson for the ideas that she has put forward. In other circumstances, I certainly would be very supportive of many of those ideas, and I rather hope that we can see the government move forward with legislation such as has been described.
I hope, by this time, that colleagues, particularly those who voted against this bill, understand the rationale that I put forward.
I just want to end with a story I mentioned to my colleagues on the Liberal side earlier today. Those of you who know me know that I am a big fan of William Wilberforce. He is probably the greatest legislator in the British Westminster system ever, and he is the principal person responsible for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Slavery was the basis for the wealth of the British Empire for years, and he tried to get slavery abolished literally for over 20 years. He tried many times directly. The way in which that came about was that he got the slave trade abolished, therefore devaluing the entire wealth on which slavery was built, on which the British Empire was built. Because he succeeded in abolishing the slave trade, slavery itself was ultimately abolished in the British Empire.
In some respects—a very tiny little bit—this is what we're doing today. Today it's tactics to move towards the larger goal of expunging slavery from the supply chain of our nation. It is a scourge on our nation that we use the products of slaves. It is a scourge on each one of us that we use the products of slaves. I'm rather hoping, in the course of this Parliament, that this committee in particular, but also colleagues generally, will see to it that we move further forward so that our wealth is not based upon the work and product of slaves.
I realize, Mr. Chair, that I'm not overly prone to giving philosophical and political rationales for what we're doing here today, but sometimes we forget that sometimes you have to do indirectly what you can't get done directly. So, today, we did somewhat indirectly what we would ultimately get to directly.
Thank you for that moment.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Thank you.
We can dismiss the officials. Thank you very much for your time.
We will suspend for a few minutes.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
We can resume.
Before I go to Ms. Bendayan, I was just wondering if we can adopt the detailed budget that was submitted by the subcommittee. It was distributed to all of us on Friday, November 25.
Is it the will of the committee to adopt that budget?
5:05 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
For some time now I have wanted to move that the committee proceed to consideration of the draft report on Ukraine. I think it is very important that we get it back to the House. Given the time...I do think it's important that we do this notwithstanding, but I understand also that we would have to move in camera. That takes several minutes and now we are at 5:08.
Mr. Chair, I wonder if you could advise us if it is possible to begin the study of that report today. That would certainly be my hope and our hope on this side.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
It takes five minutes.
Is everyone okay with that?
We will suspend for five minutes.
[Proceedings continue in camera]