Evidence of meeting #56 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was november.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Raymonde Folco
I'd like to hear some feedback, some reactions to Mr. Komarnicki's suggestion. It's only a suggestion. We're just discussing it in a friendly manner.
Mr. Savage.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
As I say, I'm not going to object to that general schedule. This is the committee that has been asked to look at Bill C-56, and all parties in the House have indicated general support for the bill. It's a significantly technical piece of legislation that affects a number of departments. I have a motion before this committee that we have a joint meeting with the Standing Committee on the Status of Women who've done a lot of work in this regard. I'm prepared to accelerate the meeting schedule to get as many meetings in as we can by the end of next week. However, we cannot as a committee honestly prejudge the result of those hearings.
I'll do everything I can to push us along. We are generally in support of the employment insurance extension of maternal, parental, and sickness benefits. We've talked about that for many years. I spent part of my summer talking about it with the minister. We have to accept the fact that there may be some reasons that we would have to either have more hearings or more work in terms of amendments, but I'm prepared to accept the fact that we'll do everything we can to get it through this committee by the end of next week.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I wanted to clarify, through the clerk, how flexible we are with our travel schedule. Have we made any commitments? We have a chartered plane. Are there any costs incurred to cancel or change our flight? Or is there some flexibility in putting it off?
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Georges Etoka
Nothing has been signed yet, because we need the House authorization to travel. We have tentatively booked hotels and stuff, but nothing has been signed, so we are not on the hook if we cancel.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
The committee's responsibility, obviously, is to get Bill C-56 legislation addressed as soon as possible. Considering Mr. Savage's comments and in light of the Christmas scheduling and different activities on the Hill, is it possible we could defer the travel to January, when we return?
November 17th, 2009 / 3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
I've sat quietly listening. I understand the importance of Bill C-56. There's no question about the need to do a good job on that bill, because many of us--the Standing Committee on the Status of Women when I was on it, and of course our own Liberal women's caucus--have been supportive of extending EI to the self-employed for the purposes for which it does.... I think we need the time to give it the right attention, as Mr. Savage said.
But having said that, I really would encourage the committee not to postpone the travel until the next year. I think we need to finish it by early December and then allow for the researchers to begin to write something. Otherwise what we're saying is that poverty is really always on the back burner, it's really not an issue, and we really aren't interested. We can just put it aside every time something else comes up. It's not that the other things aren't important, but this is the overarching huge something else that would influence or impact on the changes to EI, or impact on housing. It's really the kind of piece of work that impacts on all of this other stuff that we're now doing in pieces.
I would encourage us to not put it off and to finish it the first week of December and be able to give direction to the researchers to actually then draft a report.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
In response, I understand poverty is a very important piece of the issue we're dealing with, but the legislation is front and centre. We were dealing with the issue of poverty in this committee even in the previous session, so it's been going for a long time. We have the travel. We won't be wrapping up the report until we get back into the new year anyhow, so I'd be prepared to come back even before the House convenes at the end of January. We could travel the week before, the week of January 18. I'd be willing to go back and travel before Parliament resumes.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Raymonde Folco
I'd like to bring to your attention, Mr. Cannan, the fact that the Liberal members of this committee will be at caucus in that week, so we are not available.
Mr. Martin.
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
The NDP members will be in caucus that week as well. January is a difficult month to find time. People are doing caucus work and constituency work, and some of us are spending time with family.
I would like to see us do what Mr. Komarnicki has suggested, and I want to hear a bit more, maybe, from Mike on this. But I want to maybe put a motion on the table so that we can deal with it, that we defer the study of Bill C-304 until we come back from our western travel, that we deal with Bill C-56 Thursday of this week and next week—
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Yes, and that we have the liberty to schedule other meetings as may become necessary as we look at the work that's going to be required to meet that deadline on November 26—
NDP
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Sorry, November 26, next week, Thursday, November 26. And that we would travel the first week of December, and that we deal with the deferred bill when we come back on that last week before we break.
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I have just one point. I know I said perhaps an additional meeting on Wednesday, but I'm not sure time would permit other meetings, and I don't know that it should be “other meetings” or “another meeting”, which would probably be better said, because we've already got two. Would that work?
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Raymonde Folco
Let the clerk finish, and then I'll read it out to you so everybody will know what we're voting on.
I'll read the motion I have in front of me: “That the study of Bill C-304 be deferred until the Committee returns from its proposed travel west and north, and that the Committee study Bill C-56 on November 19, 24, and 26 and at another meeting if needed, and resume study of Bill C-304 on December 8 and December 10, 2009.”
Conservative
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
I should just add that we talked about having Bill C-56 reported to the House.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Raymonde Folco
Yes, all right, so it's November 19, November 24, November 26, and another meeting if needed, and report it to the House by November 26.
Comments?
Mr. Savage.