Evidence of meeting #14 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was meeting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
7:50 p.m.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
The last point I made was that we all want to hear from the ministers at committee. My constituents want to hear from our ministers. We don't have any issue with that. As Mr. Fisher suggested, now we are all unanimously thinking about five meetings, including the ministers. There's no problem at all. Let's work together, and let's do more hard work for all Canadians.
Regarding the misogyny comment I made, let's be respectful of each other.
7:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. Sidhu.
I have Ms. Rempel Garner next.
Please go ahead.
7:50 p.m.
Conservative
7:50 p.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Thank you.
To make everything congruent, I think the final paragraph has to be amended to reflect that the vaccine component of our study will begin on Monday, February 1. I think it presently says February 5.
I'm not going to propose the language, but that last paragraph needs to be amended to make it clear that we start COVID on the 5th, we call the ministers on the 5th and that is a separate meeting from the four meetings we agreed to have on vaccines.
I sense that's what everybody wants and there's agreement on that. If the clerk can make those amendments to reflect the will of the committee, I think we can then vote on it, but I don't think it reads that way yet.
7:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Mr. Davies.
Mr. Clerk, are you comfortable with receiving the amendment in this form?
7:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Yes. I will review the blues tomorrow and I will do the minutes accordingly.
7:50 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Chair, I would speak to that.
I guess we will probably vote on this first, but I would also like to make a slight [Technical difficulty—Editor].
7:50 p.m.
Liberal
7:50 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Sorry, I don't know what happened there.
After we discuss Mr. Davies' motion, I would like to make a short amendment to clarify the issue of the four meetings plus the ministers.
7:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Okay. Leave your hand up there on the participants panel and we will come to you as soon as we're done with this amendment.
Is there any further intervention on Mr. Davies' amendment?
Seeing no indication of interest to speak on this, I will ask the clerk to conduct a vote on this amendment.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Thank you.
Mr. Maguire, please go ahead.
7:55 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I think we've agreed to this mostly, but I want to make an amendment that the meeting with the ministers' appearance, outlined in paragraph one, not be included as part of the four meetings that are allocated to the theme on vaccines.
I agree with Mr. Davies and others who have had this discussion already and want to make sure we had that as part of the motion to clarify it.
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Mr. Clerk, are you comfortable with receiving the amendment as stated?
7:55 p.m.
The Clerk
I'm always comfortable, so yes.
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Is the committee clear on the amendment? Is there any discussion on the amendment?
I have Mr. Davies' hand up on the side panel.
Do you wish to speak to this amendment?
7:55 p.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Yes. Briefly, I'm happy to support it, but to be frank, I thought it was part of my motion.
To be really clear, what I think we're agreeing to is that Friday is mental health and Monday is the first day of our COVID component, of which we're going to have four vaccine meetings. That's the first one. We have our witnesses to get in by this Wednesday. We're having the ministers come next Friday, and that does not count as one of the four vaccine meetings. That means that we'll schedule three other vaccine meetings after Monday.
The only reason I point that out to Mr. Maguire is that it was part of my motion. If it's helpful to clarify and it requires another amendment, then I'm happy. I think we have to all be on the same page on this.
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Mr. Davies.
Mr. Maguire, are you comfortable with that, and if so, do you wish to withdraw your amendment? Otherwise, we will carry on and vote on your amendment.
7:55 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
That's fine. I certainly appreciated Mr. Davies bringing forth the change to the February 1 date as well. I would just like to vote on it for clarity.
7:55 p.m.
Conservative
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
No problem. The amendment is still on the floor.
I have Ms. Rempel Garner next. Do you wish to speak to this amendment?
7:55 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Yes, thank you, Chair.
Perhaps Mr. Davies will get the floor again.
I just wanted to ensure that when we are amending this, we're not inadvertently creating a loophole for the ministers to give notice to the committee that, let's say, they're not available on that particular date so they don't come.
The spirit of the original motion was to say by next Friday, and then, Chair, you have the prerogative to work with the ministers. I mean, I'll meet at two in the morning if that's when they're available, but what I don't want to see happen is for us to give a prescriptive date in terms of the exact date that they have to be here, and then they say, “Oh, you know, I have to tie my shoes or wash my hair that day” and then they don't come. We've had this problem in our committee before.
I'd like to just say “by that date” and then leave it up to you to find time within that particular schedule. I don't want to see us having to use Standing Order 106(4) in this committee again and compelling them to come over the break week. I don't think that is something that anybody wants here, but it's something that we probably will have to do if we're getting the sense that they're not willing to appear next week.
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. Rempel Garner.
I should advise the committee that our ability to hold meetings depends on the availability of House resources, but it also is subject to the schedules of the ministers. We cannot, in fact, compel them to attend. We can invite, as the motion suggests, but we cannot compel.
We will go now to Mr. Kelloway.
7:55 p.m.
Liberal
Mike Kelloway Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
I'll just very quickly support having the ministers by next Friday. It seems reasonable, regardless of what the ministers may be doing, whether they're in the gym or reading a book, I'm sure they'll make the time. Of course they'll make the time to be there. They are the ministers of the two portfolios that are critical. They will no doubt be there and I'll make the strong assumption they will be. I think next Friday seems reasonable.