Evidence of meeting #73 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 care.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Shawn Tupper  Director General, Social Policy Development, Department of Human Resources and Social Development
Glennie Graham  Director, Child and Youth Policy Division, Department of Human Resources and Social Development
Christian Beaulieu  Senior Counsel and Team Leader, Legal Services, Information Management and Social Programs Groups, Department of Human Resources and Social Development

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to table a document that gives us further evidence that there has been not enough consultation with the provinces on this bill. Saskatchewan has come out against Bill C-303, which is another province. It concerns me because that is our only concern about early learning and child care with this bill, that we don't have enough consultation with the provinces, and it is in their jurisdiction.

Given that, I'd like to table these documents to be passed around.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Sure. If you table it with the clerk, she'll hand them out.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

I understood Ms. Savoie had talked to the provinces and to officials, and according to this document she did not. So I just wanted to have that on record.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

I want to let you know about the first half-hour.

The officials are here to answer any questions we may have. We do not need them for the full half-hour if there are no questions. They will stay for the remaining time just in case we need any clarification.

I will take a list of names—just very short points. I'm going to give you a couple of minutes to ask your question, and no more than that. It's not rounds of questions for them, but any points of clarification, and then we can move this so we can get to go into the clause-by-clause.

I've got Mr. Brown's hand, followed by Ms. Chow's hand. We'll start to take a list. Mr. Brown, Mr. Lake, Ms. Chow, and then we'll get started.

Mr. Brown.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I've got a document I want to table too. It's information about the St. Stephen's Community House. I know we heard before that there weren't any child care spaces available in Toronto, and here's a picture of a business seeking to get child care spaces because there are available parents who want to have their kids come to this location, St. Stephen's Community House in Kensington Market. I think that's in Ms. Chow's riding. But I'll table copies of this.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Okay, we'll have you—

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Who runs this?

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON

It's St. Stephen's Community House, Kensington Market, Toronto.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Thank you.

We've got Mr. Lake.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON

It's a big sign seeking kids to come.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Sorry, Ms. Chow and then Mr. Lake.

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

I have documents here, 62 actually, letters of people supporting the bill, and also a list of seven organizations. You don't necessarily need me to read them all out to you, but these are organizations that support the bill.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Thank you very much, Ms. Chow.

We're now going to move to Mr. Lake.

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB

I know that during clause-by-clause we'll be talking about different amendments, but I do want to table an amendment. I have it here in both official languages. We can discuss it towards the end.

It basically will say that in Bill C-303, the title be replaced by the following: “A mechanism to withhold transfers to the provinces if they do not do what the federal government tells them (except for Quebec) Act”

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Okay, we have a new title there that we could probably debate a little later. That's probably one of the last things we look at in terms of clause-by-clause.

All right, I'd like to open the meeting up for questions. Are there any questions for the two individuals we have here?

I want to thank Mr. Tupper and Ms. Graham for being here—thank you very much—to answer questions.

We're going to try to keep this fairly quick so we can get on to clause-by-clause. I'm going to ask for anyone who has any interventions, and I will start taking names now. We're going to time it to two minutes. That doesn't mean you can't make more interventions. We just want to ask the questions, not make statements, just clarify anything we have from them. We will go from there. I will keep the list updated.

I have Mr. Lessard, Ms. Dhalla, Ms. Yelich, and Mr. Lake to start, and we'll move on from there.

Ms. Dhalla.

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Dhalla Liberal Brampton—Springdale, ON

I have a point of order. Can't we go through our normal process of questioning?

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

They're not making a presentation today. So let's just get as many questions as we can. I'm hoping the members won't make statements. We're not trying to convince the officials of anything. We would like to have them clarify some of the questions for us.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

Mr. Chair, I would suggest there is no preamble, just right to the questions. This is a very important—

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

If that happens, I'll be very impressed. It'll be a first time to see MPs not making a preamble.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK

I suggest you cut them off.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Ms. Chow.

3:40 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Mine is very straightforward.

From 2003 until today, I see that under the multilateral framework and the foundations bilateral agreements, $2.65 billion is being transferred. Do we have a record of how many affordable, high-quality child care spaces have been delivered from this $2.65 billion transfer?

3:40 p.m.

Shawn Tupper Director General, Social Policy Development, Department of Human Resources and Social Development

Where provinces have done their public reporting with respect to spending, we certainly have available how they made those expenditures. They highlight where their system has grown in their reports. We don't have reports for every jurisdiction out yet, so it's a bit of a patchwork in terms of the information we have. Our expectation is that those reports are coming, and that information will be made available in due course.

3:40 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

How many provinces reported out in 2006?