Evidence of meeting #2 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
I appreciate the collegial acceptance of Mr. Vis's hour. I'm wondering if we have any more information on when we will get to two committee meetings a week.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
It's my understanding that we will get to two committees a week after the break week, meaning the week of November 16, although we still do not have a schedule to indicate what days or what times.
This is the information that I have been provided. I invite the clerk, if he has anything more illuminating than that, to chime in.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
That's the information I have. It's that it will be the week of November 16, with a schedule to be provided.
Go ahead, Mr. Vis.
Conservative
Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC
Subject to that information, can I raise a friendly amendment to the subcommittee report, if that's allowed by this committee? It's that we honour one hour of study for the rapid housing initiative before the Christmas break, subject to the committee moving to two meetings per week after November 16.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
That amendment appears to be in order. In order for it to be considered friendly, I guess we'd have to go to Mr. Kent as the mover.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Very good.
Do we have consensus for this amendment to the motion to accept the subcommittee report? I believe I see consensus in the room.
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Do we have consensus with respect to the motion for the adoption of the subcommittee report as amended? I see consensus on that.
(Motion as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The second item I would like to raise is with respect to that first study called for in the report, the indigenous housing study. I believe it says so in the report, but if not, we would ask that witness lists be provided to the clerk by this Friday. You probably have witness lists that were submitted in the last Parliament, so if they could be updated and submitted by Friday, that will allow us to be productive early.
The analysts can also provide a suggested witness list if that is the will of the group. They are also in a position to provide a draft work plan, organize witnesses thematically and deal with any other suggestions that the committee has. The suggestion we have from analysts is that we would start with departmental officials from ESDC, Canada Mortgage and Housing, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Indigenous Services.
It would be normal for us to allow for the submission of written briefs. Perhaps we could have a discussion around a deadline for those briefs. The standard deadline is by the last meeting of the study, and the limit is typically 1,500 to 2,000 words. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has offered to submit a document outlining the scope of their analysis for our consideration.
It appears that with the technical limitations and the fact that we're going to be inviting ministers on main estimates, tabling before the Christmas break isn't feasible or likely. I guess that's to manage your expectations or to pass along to you the advice that I've been given.
With that by way of setting the—
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Sorry, Mr. Chair, but the interpretation has stopped. I'm not sure what's going on today.
Bloc
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Madame Chabot, are you getting my voice in French now? I'm speaking English.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
In the spirit of trying to realize the update that MP Vis is seeking, are we meeting during the break week at all, virtually, or are we just meeting while Parliament is in session?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
It is open to us to meet during the break week. I'm in the committee's hands on that.
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
If we have results to share with the committee, would it be possible to have a one-hour meeting during the break week to update the committee on the rapid housing initiative? That way we don't disrupt the work of the committee.
I am as focused on the urban, rural and northern study as many of the members are, but would it be possible to convene a very quick meeting during the break week to facilitate that one-hour update so we don't interrupt regular business?
Liberal
Adam Vaughan Liberal Spadina—Fort York, ON
Let me get back to the chair as soon as we have data. That way we can accommodate the meeting, if it's possible. I recognize that it's not always possible with complex and busy schedules, but it's in the spirit of trying to find that special hour to throw in that update.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Thank you.
Just to that point, to MP Vaughan, could that date be solidified as soon as possible? It is a break week, and some of us do live in rural ridings. As well, not all of us are in the thick of the second wave. I especially have the responsibility to get to the other part of my riding, and if that time and day could be solidified ASAP, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
That's very reasonable.
Is there any further discussion with respect to proceeding with the indigenous housing study? Are there any further interventions on that point?
The next thing I'd like to inform the committee about is with respect to the main estimates. Ministers Qualtrough and Hussen have been invited and have indicated their availability to appear before the committee on November 4, but we have a couple of challenges that we should probably address.
One is that we adopted a motion by Ms. Kusie in the last parliament and have continued it into this one. It calls for these ministers to appear separately for two hours each, and for us to have one hour with the minister and one hour with departmental officials, and that they appear before Sunday, November 15. Because of the constituency week and the technical limitations that we have right now, it won't be possible to have them each for two hours on November 4, so we have a couple of options.
One would be to amend Ms. Kusie's motion to allow both ministers and departmental officials to come for two hours in total—Minister Qualtrough and officials for one hour, and Minister Hussen and officials for one hour—or to have both ministers appear together and have the officials for the second hour.
The other possibility would be to look at a meeting during the constituency week, subject to the ministers' schedules.
I just want to let you know that they've both accepted for November 4, but we have only two hours on November 4, so we need to figure out how we're going to handle this.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Chair, this is a point I raised in the previous meeting we had, when it was just the adoption of everything we did. I think as long as I've been sitting on this committee, even in the last Parliament, we had a minister for an hour and the department for an hour, and I think that's something we should continue. I would have assumed, when the government brought forward the motion that we would just bring everything over, that this would have been thought through.
At this point, I'm actually not for amending Ms. Kusie's motion.
Thank you.