Health Committee on Jan. 25th, 2021

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

I'm fine with Don's suggestion that this not be one of the meetings on vaccines. That's consistent with the amended motion. We don't determine the number of meetings we're going to accord to vaccines, so I think that is consistent with the amendments. I'm fine with five meetings on that subject.

I support the amendment in that I think it's consistent.... Well, hold on. It is inconsistent with the amended version. I agree with Don. I guess we're going to have to vote against our own amendment, then, if we're going to agree on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Dr. Powlowski.

Next we have Mr. Fisher again.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I was really trying to find a way forward. Don again came up with a good suggestion that the committee is amenable to, and that's what's most important. I will support my motion because I put it on the floor, but I am content with moving in the direction that was outlined by Mr. Davies.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Fisher.

Monsieur d’Entremont, do you wish to speak to the amendment or to the main motion?

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

I wish to speak to the main motion, please.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Mr. Van Bynen, do you wish to speak to the amendment or the main motion?

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I wish to speak to the amendment.

Just to clarify and move things on, shortly after the reference to “by unanimous consent”, I would add “which is hereby provided”. That way, we consent to the extra day. We acknowledge that with five meetings, the extra meeting is there, and we provide the consent. I would just say let's move on, as everybody is eager to do, with this portion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

The suggestion you make to add that would require a subamendment. However, I think it would be incongruous to have a motion that requires only majority support to attempt to establish that unanimous consent has been achieved. Unless you wish to move that subamendment, we will carry on.

Hearing nothing, is there anyone who wishes to speak further to the amendment?

Seeing none, I will ask the clerk to call the vote on Mr. Fisher's amendment.

(Amendment negatived: nays 6; yeas 4)

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

Mr. Fisher's amendment does not carry. We will carry on with the main motion.

Ms. Rempel Garner, I believe you're next.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Yes, I believe I am going to cede the floor to my colleague, Mr. d’Entremont.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Very well.

Monsieur d’Entremont, please go ahead.

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Thank you.

There are a couple of updates we'd like to have changed within the motion. If you'll indulge me, I think Don brought these up as well. We're all following what Mr. Davies brought forward as well.

In the second paragraph, “That in accordance with a motion previously passed by the committee”, I think they put in a date of February 1 to do the final meeting on mental health. Rather than doing that, why don't we bump that to January 29 so that we can get the mental health study out of the way? That would require that change and I think it's actually referred to further down in the fourth paragraph as well as February 1.

I move that we change the date of February 1 to January 29.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. d’Entremont.

We have an amendment on the floor to change the date of the second point of Ms. Rempel Garner's motion to January 29.

Is there any discussion on this amendment?

We have a bunch of hands raised among the participants but I think they're all there for the main motion. For this amendment, I wonder if you could just wave at us on camera and we'll see if there is anybody who wishes to intervene on this amendment. Seeing none, I think we can go to the vote.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 )

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Monsieur d’Entremont.

We go back now to the main motion and I have next on the list, Ms. Sidhu.

Ms. Sidhu, please go ahead.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

First of all, I have one observation, Mr. Chair. Earlier in our discussion, in politely permitting a colleague to provide a procedural answer, you were accused of misogyny, as another colleague tried to score a political point. Both Mr. Chair and Mr. Fisher were extremely polite, and I call on all members to be respectful and not to accuse each other of misogyny, even lightly. It is not the first time such accusations have been made. I urge my colleagues to please be respectful. This is a committee where we are working hard for Canadians.

The other thing, Mr. Chair—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I have a point of order, Chair, on decorum.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Chair, can I—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

I'm sorry, Ms. Sidhu. Ms. Rempel Garner has the floor on a point of order.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

On decorum, I would like to point out, Chair, that misogyny is experienced through lived experience. As a woman being shut down at committee when I was asked a direct question, having it be said that I wasn't being reasonable or not being polite is often a tool of misogyny. Being unreasonable is often an excuse used to silence women, so my lived experience should not be invalidated by a colleague.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Ms. Rempel Garner.

Ms. Sidhu, please continue.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Chair, we all know Mr. Fisher was polite, as were you. Everyone noticed that, and that is why I made that request. I urge committee members to be respectful of each other.

The other point I want to make is with regard to the previous comment about long-term care. In Ontario, I know that in my riding, families and staff are worried about how long-term care is being administered by the province. As LTC, home care and vaccine distribution are under provincial jurisdiction, that is why we provided over $1billion to the provinces and territories to support them.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that as of January 21, we have delivered over one million vaccine doses to the provinces and territories for them to administer. By September, we will have procured the highest number of doses per capita in the world of what Ms. Rempel Garner called the hottest commodity in the world right now. This is a delay in delivery, not a delay in ordering the vaccine. Additionally, no other countries have released their week-to-week delivery schedules. We did. Perhaps the opposition missed this point. Let's work hard in this committee.

We were unanimous in wanting to hear from our ministers, and my constituents want to hear from our ministers. There's no problem. We can schedule the mental health study and the vaccines. Mr. Fraser made the point that we can have five or four meetings if we wish—

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I'm sorry, Mr. Chair, but there hasn't been any interpretation for the past three or four sentences.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Could we check for translation? Is there translation now? Is there perhaps a problem with Ms. Sidhu's microphone?

Ms. Sidhu, could you raise your microphone?

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

You should ask the interpreters to do so, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

I would ask Ms. Sidhu to speak again, and the interpreters could advise whether or not they're able to continue the translation.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

It is a very important issue, Mr. Chair. Do you have translation now? Do you want me to repeat everything?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

You seem to be good to go, so please carry on. I don't think you need to repeat everything, but you could finish up and we will carry on.