Evidence of meeting #4 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was question.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
I'll now call the question on Mr. Lake's amendment.
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
The last thing we have on our list is the choice of witnesses for our study here in Ottawa. We wanted to point out that as part of your package, we have a list of potential witnesses and it is extensive. We'd ask you to have a look at it and give your recommendations to the clerk over the next week or so. We can then start to coordinate a list and get them ready to go for the fall.
Once again, you have some of that information in front of you, and it has been sent out to you. We need to have your recommended list by the end of June so that we can coordinate it before we break for summer recess.
Mr. Martin.
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
I just wanted to make a pitch. There are some listed here who may be accommodated in other areas as we develop our list. But there is one person we would like to ensure comes before the committee on June 12, because after that he's unavailable for a year, and that's Jim Stanford. Let me just put a fine point on this: I would like him to be part of the group that comes on June 15, if at all possible, because he's not available for the rest of the year.
I also suggest—and I don't know if this is the appropriate time or not—that when we go out to the regions, for example to Toronto, we try particularly by video conference to bring in some of the more remote areas. In my own community we have a number of issues that need to be addressed that I think reflect what's going on in northern and rural Canada in an interesting and important way. I would like to make sure we're able to hear from some of those folks, so that they don't think just Toronto matters or just Halifax matters. Using the technology we have available to us, let's do everything we can to bring in more people in that way.
I believe the Bloc spoke to this earlier.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
In our budgets we included money for video conferencing. I would just request again that those of you who would like to see some witnesses from some areas that may not normally get an opportunity to participate include them as part of your list to the clerk and specify that video conferencing may be the preferable method.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Martin, you don't mean that we would be in Toronto and have a video link there, do you? It seems to me if we're going to travel to Toronto, or if we're going to have the cost of travelling across the country, we have to maximize the cost-efficiency. Meeting people in person is the reason we're going, whereas if we're doing video conference we can do it here.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Exactly, that's a point well taken.
The last thing we need to get approval on before we go is the news release before you. Mr. Coderre proposes that we accept the news release the way it stands. If there's no more discussion on it, then I'll call the vote on the news release.
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The meeting is adjourned. We'll see you on Tuesday.