Evidence of meeting #131 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was witnesses.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Abby Hoffman  Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Branch, Department of Health
Valerie Gideon  Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Indigenous Services Canada
Tom Wong  Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of Public Health, Indigenous Services Canada
Robert-Falcon Ouellette  Winnipeg Centre, Lib.
Bob Benzen  Calgary Heritage, CPC
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Alexandre Jacques
Marlisa Tiedemann  Committee Researcher

5:15 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Perhaps.

I wouldn't call this a briefing on a briefing. We've received a briefing here, and the purpose of my motion was to extend the number of people who would give us a briefing.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Would you consider redoing your original motion?

5:15 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Well, what I'd like is to have a vote on this today. I look forward to having the government side, which controls this committee, come back next meeting with a proposal for a report.

Mr. Ouellette asks why I didn't do this. There are a number of tools and devices available to us. I came today prepared, on the assumption that we might want to hear from more people. I think my assumption was correct: I think we do need to hear from more.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

I think it is, too. That's what everybody over here is saying.

5:15 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

My motion was to take the least intrusive, easiest next step. Have another meeting with some more people to give us a more fulsome briefing.

I'm having trouble understanding the position of the government on this. They don't want to have one more meeting that would give us a fuller.... They seem to be opposed to that, and I suspect they'll vote against it if it gets to that, because they want to hear from many more people. They control this agenda.

Why don't we have a vote on this, on my incremental step? I look forward to and will await the next motion from the government side next meeting, or the meeting after that, to hear their proposal for a more comprehensive study that would gets before this committee the people whom we ought to hear from. I look forward to Mr. Ouellette's motion on that.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

We have three more speakers on the list now. We have 10 minutes. Could everybody keep their remarks brief?

Mr. Ayoub, what's your point?

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Very briefly, I would like to have a two- or three-minute recess just so we can talk, if possible.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Okay.

Mr. McKinnon.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

I was just going to comment that we are not the government. This is not a government position that we're expressing here.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

It's a committee....

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

My other point was to have a brief suspension where we can talk.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Mr. Ouellette, briefly, please.

5:15 p.m.

Winnipeg Centre, Lib.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

Once again, I'm interested that you mentioned hearing from women. I think this demands recommendations, because if we hear from women, we have to give them justice.

What I'm reading right now, “Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2)”, briefing on “Briefing on the Forced Sterilization of Women”, I find kind of—what's that word they have in French?—caduc. We pass the motion here and then we have to come up with another motion. I don't see why we can't just craft a motion that's acceptable to everyone and that would actually get us where we want to get to.

Since the UN has put out a report, I'm interested as well in understanding, for instance, the RCMP's role, to be honest, in how they move forward with—

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Mr. Chair, I asked for two minutes. Point of order.

5:15 p.m.

Winnipeg Centre, Lib.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

I just want to finish my—

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Mr. Ouellette is going to be very brief.

5:15 p.m.

Winnipeg Centre, Lib.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

I'll try to be brief.

I'm interested in learning, for instance, how the RCMP carries out these investigations and what they determine when they do investigate. If the UN puts out a report saying that human rights violations have occurred within Canada, I'm interested in the RCMP—without their perhaps compromising this investigation, if there is an investigation—telling us what their exact procedure is when these allegations are made, so that we as parliamentarians and Canadians can better understand what they do, to make sure that we hold them to account in some ways, but also how they relate to the larger international bodies.

For me, that's actually quite important, because if we don't have that information, you know.... I think we do need to hold people to account. I want to see recommendations. I want to see it move forward.

Mr. Davies, you've been driving it. You have the honour of driving it.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

The time's up, Mr. Ouellette.

Now we're going to go to you, Ms. Sidhu, very briefly, please.

Then we're going to suspend for two minutes.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON

Mr. Davies, we produce so many reports collectively. We are united on that issue, too, because we all want to hear witnesses. My suggestion is that the analysts see what witnesses there are. In the meantime, the chair can see the RCMP report. He can get parliamentary advice. This is my suggestion.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Okay. I'm going to suspend for two minutes.

5:20 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Mr. Chair—

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

I have the floor.

5:20 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

I'm sorry.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

I'm going suspend for two minutes.

You've had time. You had time to prepare your motion. They want to have time to talk about it. Then we'll reconvene, but in two minutes.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Order. We have four minutes.

Mr. Ayoub?