Evidence of meeting #113 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was post.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Yazmine Laroche  Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility, Treasury Board Secretariat
Marie-Claude Landry  Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
Jessica McDonald  Chair of the Board of Directors and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
John Barlow  Foothills, CPC
Marcella Daye  Senior Policy Advisor, Policy and Legal Services Branch, Canadian Human Rights Commission
Alex Benay  Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat
Kerry Diotte  Edmonton Griesbach, CPC
Carl Trottier  Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat

10:20 a.m.

Chair of the Board of Directors and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation

Jessica McDonald

Perhaps 50%....

10:20 a.m.

Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility, Treasury Board Secretariat

Yazmine Laroche

I'll just share an anecdote with you, if I may. It's a great question.

Over the last year some really interesting articles and reports have come out about board diversity more generally. The thing that really strikes me about them is that when they talk about the under-represented groups on boards—and this is whether public, not-for-profit, or private—they talk about women, visible minorities, and once in a while indigenous people. They never include people with disabilities. We're not even visible enough to be counted among the disadvantaged. Do you know what I mean?

Again, this is a personal view.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB

Sure.

10:20 a.m.

Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility, Treasury Board Secretariat

Yazmine Laroche

Just the fact that there is a recognition that people with disabilities need to be represented, particularly on bodies that are serving them, is a great start.

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Thank you very much.

Sorry, Mr. Long; I have to cut you off there.

MP Hardcastle, you have just under two minutes.

10:25 a.m.

NDP

Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON

Okay. I have the same question. Thank you. I am trying to save time.

October 4th, 2018 / 10:25 a.m.

Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission

Marie-Claude Landry

Yes, absolutely. Thank you for your question, and I will answer in French, if I may.

At the Canadian Human Rights Commission,

we are at arm's length from government.

We report to Parliament, either through our special power to report to Parliament or though our annual report.

We are the national human rights institution, and we have the power to report on the government's performance on implementing various legislation.

To answer your question, there are mechanisms for us to report effectively on the government's performance, by way of either a special report to the government or our annual report. We can also do this in the report on the country's performance that we make to the United Nations as the national human rights institution, or through the national monitoring mechanism, the NMM, which will be our role.

I hope I have answered your question.

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bryan May

Thank you.

I think that brings us to the close.

I want to thank all of the witnesses. I think my colleagues and I had quite a bit of information to digest today.

I do, unfortunately, have to ask that you vamoose fairly quickly. We have committee business and we do need to go in camera, so I will suspend.

Thank you very much, everybody.

[Proceedings continue in camera]