Human Resources Committee on May 30th, 2006

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

To put it in.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

To reinsert it, because it has already been struck.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

If she simply withdraws her amendment, we would all agree.

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

I think it's prudent and responsible.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

On a point of order, I asked the question, so I think we should vote, and then we can see about other processes. But I think it was pretty clear.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Okay. It's at the will of the committee. So the question is, if the committee wants to discuss it more, they can still do it. That's where we're at.

If the question is to reinsert the word “immediately”, let's vote on that. If that's not the issue, we'll come back to vote on what we have before us in terms of Mr. Coderre. How does that sound?

Ms. Yelich wants to seek unanimous consent. Do we have unanimous consent for her motion?

No, we do not. Okay, so that kills that one.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Let's go back to the amendment that's before us. Are there any more comments on this? Is this something we are ready to vote on?

All in favour of the amendment to the original motion.

(Amendment agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Now we're moving back to the main motion as it was amended. Is there any more discussion on that?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

We have five minutes left. One last thing we want to deal with is the issue of—

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

I would like some clarification.

If the votes are all “in favour” and “abstention”, does it mean that it's unanimous because all the people who voted, voted in favour?

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

I would say not, but thanks for trying.

Very quickly, we'd like you to look at the budget. What you have in front of you are proposed budgets that were sent to your offices last Thursday. You have an operational budget of $39,400. This is essentially to cover any witnesses' expenses. You have a travel budget of $104,890 for the east, which would be St. John's, Halifax, Montreal, and Toronto. You have a travel budget of $86,000 for the west, which includes Vancouver, Calgary, and Saskatoon. This travel budget could be a little bit less if MPs were to use their travel points and if the logistics officer were to buy the tickets and reserve them. Certainly, if we're going to be doing any travelling, I'd encourage members to use their points.

The proposal is to have a total of six meetings in Ottawa with panels of three to five witnesses per 90-minute session, for a possible total of 35 witnesses. Then on the road, at a pace of a city per day--except Toronto, where we should stay two days--the proposal is for four 90-minute panels per day of three to five witnesses, for a possible total of 200 witnesses. The suggestion here is that the main part of the travelling will have to be done during the break weeks in October for St. John's, Halifax, and Toronto--unless, of course, we can see our way clear of the whips' deciding on travelling during sitting weeks. Then we could likely look at the west for Friday, October 20 through to November 13 to 15.

What we're suggesting is that we look at travelling during break weeks to deal with this issue of foreign credentials and skills mobility, pending that we could get any cooperation from the whips' offices to do it otherwise.

What we're dealing with today is to get approval for the budgets so that we can move forward. We haven't decided on and booked the travel and all of these things. This is really to get this information before the liaison committee so that it can be approved. Should we be able to work on logistics for the travel coming up, it would already be approved.

Are there any questions?

Yes, Ms. Bonsant, and then Mr. Martin.

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

I am wondering why we need so much money. Last year, we settled the Summer Career Placement Program by teleconference. That is far less costly than travelling, etc. Given that we have a minority government, it would be better not to spend too much for travel and settle the problem by teleconference. In any case, I will not support this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Okay.

Mr. Martin.

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

I have no difficulty travelling and getting out to hear from people across the country on these issues, particularly given the differing nature of our country, seasonal employment, big cities and immigration, and all that kind of thing. I think we need to get a clear sense of what the issues and challenges are. Going out there and talking to people is not a problem for me. I think we should do it.

As some of you know because I've spoken to you, I'm very interested in getting a study going on the social transfer. I'm going to be coming forward with a motion as soon as I sense that I have some consensus on that.

I was hoping that it would happen in the fall, but you've now taken up all of the fall with the employability study. When I earlier agreed to the employability study, I thought we were going to get it done this spring and maybe into early summer. We were going to get it done this spring, because it was of an urgent nature, in my view.

There's a lot of shifting going on out there, where skill requirements are concerned, with the issue of foreign-trained workers, etc. It's been dragging on for a number of years now, and it needs to be addressed. We need to make recommendations. The government needs to move on this. We can't study it forever.

I thought the employability study was a study that we would get done in the spring, and we will be looking at the possibility of another study of the social transfer in the fall and winter of next year. What is the thinking on that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you, Mr. Martin.

As a matter of fact, part of the fall and the winter would still be available. That is the intent.

We need to decide on whether the budgets are acceptable. It does not preclude the fact that we still need to sit down here and figure out what those would look like.

Maybe we'll decide that we're only going to go one way in part of the country because of time constraints. Part of it was to get this before the liaison committee to get approval for travel.

There is still an opportunity to look at the social transfer in the fall.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

I propose both motions. If people are against that, they can vote against it, and that's it. Let's vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Okay.

I'm sorry, Monsieur Lessard, we've got to wrap it up. We have another group that's using this room.

Yes, Monsieur Lessard.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

I will be very brief, Mr. Chairman. Perhaps there is something I missed during the last meeting. I thought that we had set aside the issue of travel, precisely because of being in a minority government context. We thought that there would probably be little time to accomplish all of our work and that, if there were to be any consultations, we would do them electronically.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

I guess the point is that if we're not ready to vote on this, we can defer it to the next meeting. Getting approval for the budget certainly does not preclude the fact that we may change direction.

If the committee is ready, we'll call the vote on the proposal before us in terms of the budgets.

(Motion agreed to)

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

I think it's important to travel, because you've got to go to Alberta to see Alberta.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

I hear you.

I call the meeting to a close.