Evidence of meeting #3 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ministers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
All right, we're in session and in public on committee business.
Mrs. Kusie.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
First of all, Chair, your statement about when we can anticipate getting the ministers in for.... Is the clerk working on this? That's excellent.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
I've told you what I know. A motion was passed to invite three ministers to appear on supplementary estimates (B). The ministers have acknowledged receipt of the invitations, but we have not yet pinned down a date. Since then, the main estimates have dropped. That's where we are.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Thank you.
The second item I wanted to go into was a return to Mr. Vis's motion. We had originally taken a break for five minutes to give it some consideration, and I was hoping that all committee members would have had an opportunity to review the motion at this point so we could discuss it further and determine as a committee if we're going to pursue Mr. Vis's motion or not. I didn't want that to fall by the wayside.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
I guess we can consider that motion to be back before the committee. We had moved to adjourn debate, so I take it you're asking that debate be resumed on that.
3:35 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
We're now on Mr. Vis's motion.
This is the motion that was presented on Tuesday:
That, this committee undertake a study to review the first Spring 2019 report of the Auditor General of Canada on Call Centres and hear testimony from Employment and Social Development Canada officials on the action taken to provide Canadians with accessible and timely call centre services for Employment lnsurance, the Canada Pension Plan, and Old Age Security; and that the committee report its findings, with recommendations, to the House and request that the government provide a comprehensive response.
Is there any debate?
Mr. Housefather.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Sorry, Mr. Chairman, it's not for debate.
When motions are made, they should also be in French, if possible. It is much easier for the francophone members.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
The notice of motion that Mr. Vis submitted is in both official languages. It reads as follows:
That, this committee undertake a study to review the first Spring 2019 report of the Auditor General of Canada on Call Centres and hear testimony from Employment and Social Development Canada officials on the action taken to provide Canadians with accessible and timely call centre services for Employment Insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, and Old Age Security; and that the committee report its findings, with recommendations, to the House and request that the government provide a comprehensive response.
I know that Ms. Chabot noticed an error. She is asking for the word "opportuns” to be replaced by “en temps opportun”.
Ms. Chabot, do you have anything else?
3:35 p.m.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I do not know whether I have to proceed by amendment, but we are right to include “en temps opportun”. It renders “timely call” better than the word “opportun” by itself.
Do I have to make an amendment, or do you want to change those words?
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
It is just a translation issue. We will make the change that Ms. Chabot is proposing.
Go ahead, Ms. Chabot.
3:40 p.m.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I am in agreement on the substance of the motion, but I would like a clarification. The Auditor General's study focuses on Service Canada, and our work is about seeing whether those services are adequate and timely.
However, I would not want the motion used to put blame on the employees who work in those call centres. If that is not the objective of the motion, I will support it.
February 27th, 2020 / 3:40 p.m.
Conservative
3:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
3:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you for being so succinct, Mr. Albas. It's greatly appreciated.
Are there any other interventions?
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Mrs. Kusie.
3:40 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
It has come to our attention as a Conservative team that we have received many calls and challenges to case work in our ridings relative to the Canada child benefit. I personally don't doubt its benefit and what it has done for Canadian families, but we are seeing problems with applicants' providing enough information or proof to be eligible for the benefit, as a result of different family makeups or of family challenges, in some cases making it seemingly difficult to qualify for the benefit.
I'm sure the government would love to see the intention of the benefit carried out, which is of course to allow more families to not only get out of poverty but also have a good quality of life.
With that said, I want to move the following motion for study: “That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the Canada Child Benefit, specifically single parents”—because, as I mentioned, it is among those applicants for the program that we were seeing the challenges. They seemed to us, in our assessment and that of our case workers, to be in need of the benefit, to qualify for the benefit, but to be having trouble meeting the qualifications as a result of difficulties of documentation that may or may not at times be due to unique or different family circumstances.
Pardon me. I should read the whole motion:
That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the Canada Child Benefit, specifically single parents accessing the Canada Child Benefit, and that the committee report on its findings, including recommendations, to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
