Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I really appreciate the testimony, and you all being here, and the expertise you're sharing with us today.
I am going to apologize to all of you in advance. I do have to do something that will take a little time away from the questioning today, but it's important that I do so. I would have waited until later in the meeting, but we're under the belief that there may be a motion moved in the House of Commons this morning that might take us away for a vote, so I apologize in advance for that interruption.
I do have to move a motion this morning, and I want to make it clear when I move this motion that attempts may be made by a Liberal member to make it move in camera, or we may have it later be debated in camera, which means it won't be public, and any decision that would be made about this motion would not be public.
I will make it very clear right now that if any decision other than to do as this motion indicates comes out, it will be because the Liberal government is trying to shut down the opportunity for this motion to proceed and do so in a timely fashion to be able to make sure that something can be done about the recommendations that this committee would make prior to an election.
That's why I want to make that clear, in case that effort is made.
On June 8, 2018, the House of Commons unanimously supported Motion 110 with all-party support. This important motion had this committee undertake a study of the impact of federal government programming on parents who have suffered the loss of an infant child and to make recommendations on what the federal government can implement to improve the level of support for grieving parents to ensure they do not experience further hardship.
Parents have testified to this committee about the heart-wrenching experiences of dealing with cold and clinical government programming, such as when a Service Canada official told a grieving mother that, and I quote, “Your child ceases to exist so, therefore, the benefits will cease to exist.”
This solidifies the fact that we as a committee have a responsibility to take immediate action to ensure that no grieving parent has to experience something like this again. This motion and study have received support from grieving parents across this country, who are counting on this committee to do its work and who are eagerly awaiting its recommendations.
Motion 110 clearly set out that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House within six months of the adoption of the motion, which would mean by December 8, 2018. The parents expect it to be tabled before the House rises for the winter recess.
Therefore, I move:
That in relation to the study on supporting families after the loss of a child the Committee:
(a) sit for 30 minutes beyond its regular sitting time on Tuesday, November 22, 2018, to provide drafting instructions for the Library of Parliament analyst;
(b) consider and adopt the draft report during its regularly scheduled meetings on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, and if necessary on Thursday, December 6, 2018;
(c) table the finalized report no later than December 12, 2018, prior to the rising of the House of Commons for winter recess, or if there is not an opportunity to table the report prior to the rising of the House of Commons for the winter recess, that the report be tabled on the first opportunity by the back door.
That's the motion I'm moving. I'm doing that simply because I want to ensure that grieving parents across this country who are expecting action, who want to see the recommendations of this committee and want to see them acted upon before a federal election will have that opportunity to see that happen. I certainly hope we will get unanimous support here at the committee for that to occur. I see no reason we can't get that, why that shouldn't be possible, and there would only be one reason why we wouldn't get that support. That would be simply because members of the government would not want to proceed to fix these problems for grieving parents.