Evidence of meeting #5 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:45 p.m.
The Clerk
Ms. Zarrillo is next.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Yes. I have the floor, right?
Mr. Chair, it's my understanding that Madame Chabot has a motion. Mrs. Kusie brought the information about the motion to the floor first. Then Madame Chabot spoke to the motion and put her motion on the floor. She moved her motion that's on the floor. Mrs. Kusie wanted to put some timing around that motion.
That is the information I'm waiting for. I was under the impression that it was an amendment. I'm waiting for that information to come officially—or I can continue to debate just Madame Chabot's motion that was on the floor, with no timing.
Is that clear? I apologize for this, but it's because we have MPs in different locations. We have conversations going on. I really need to understand the process of what we are discussing right now.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Thank you, Ms. Zarrillo. You're quite correct to get that clarification.
I would ask the clerk to again clarify for Ms. Zarrillo and the committee where we're at.
12:45 p.m.
The Clerk
Mr. Chair, Madame Chabot did move her original motion in regard to inviting the ministers to appear before the committee on their mandate letters. The motion stated they were to appear for one hour each before the committee to explain their mandate letters.
Mrs. Kusie did speak about a possible amendment to have them appear for one hour each, but that was already in the original motion.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
I heard some conversation about next meetings, or the meeting after, so maybe that—
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
With respect, Madam Clerk, Ms. Kusie's amendment is not to invite ministers for an hour each. I asked for that to be clarified. The motion that we put forward already contained the proposal to invite the four relevant ministers to appear for one hour each.
As I understand it, Ms. Kusie's amendment seeks to impose a deadline, so that ministers appear at the next two meetings. So the goal is to impose a time limit.
We want to understand the substance of the amendment so that we know what we are going to vote on. It will be up to Ms. Kusie to present her amendment. Otherwise, I will move an amendment to my motion myself.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Madame Chabot, only Mrs. Kusie can speak for Mrs. Kusie.
Go ahead, Madam Clerk.
12:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Mrs. Kusie has her hand up to speak next.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Thank you, Ms. Chabot.
We have just had a conversation, and I will now move an amendment. I think that will allow us to move forward.
The conversation we just had, which I hope will be appealing to all members of the committee, would be that on Thursday we have another committee business meeting in an effort to determine the priorities of the committee. For the three consecutive meetings—so both meetings next week, and then we would require another meeting after that—we have all five ministers. In addition to the ones that Madame Chabot outlined—the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Minister of Labour, and the Minister of Seniors—we would also add the Minister of Housing.
We would take the next meeting to complete the work, which unfortunately we will not have time to do today. However, the following three meetings would be dedicated to one hour with each of the five ministers who have some level of responsibility to this committee. I hope this also addresses Madame Chabot's concern with regard to timeliness.
My amendment would be following exactly what I just said.
Thank you.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Mrs. Kusie, I'm going to ask you to clarify, because that was a long discussion, exactly what your amendment is to Madame Chabot's motion, so that everybody is clear.
Could you clarify what your amendment is to Madame Chabot's motion?
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Let me make it clear. I move:
That the committee invite the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Seniors and the Minister of Housing to appear for one hour each before the committee, prior to Friday, February 18, 2022, to explain their mandate letters.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Thank you, Mrs. Kusie.
Madam Clerk, are you clear on the amendment?
12:50 p.m.
The Clerk
I'll just repeat it:
That the committee invite the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Seniors and the Minister of Housing to appear for one hour each before the committee, prior to Friday, February 18, 2022, to explain their mandate letters.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
12:50 p.m.
The Clerk
Ms. Zarrillo has her hand up.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I do have a subamendment to the amendment.
The reason I'm bringing this is that Mrs. Kusie mentioned the opportunity to do prioritization of studies. I want to share that a 12-year-old in my community took their life. A 16-year-old overdosed in a public bathroom in my community. I came to this committee today to do business of the committee to prioritize studies. I want to hear from the ministers as much as anybody else does, and I will support Mrs. Kusie's motion to get the ministers here. We need to hear from them. They need to know what we're hearing from our communities, just as much as we need to hear from them.
I'm asking for this subamendment, that we find time to sit together in a collaborative manner as a group of individuals to support people in our ridings—families who are hurting, families who are losing family members, because they don't have the privilege that we have to sit here and try to find clips to put out on social media. If a child passes away in my community this week because we have decided that we are going to sit around this table and try to get the ministers here, when we just had an hour of very, very good information on EI, I will be so upset. I came to Ottawa to support families and single people and to get them the support they need after two years of being stuck in their homes not loving their families, not hugging their mothers and fathers. They haven't had a funeral or a wedding. I was afraid to walk to work today. I'm a member of Parliament and I was afraid to walk to work today. I had to phone a number to ask, “Is it safe for me to enter the street today to walk to Wellington?”
I am over this discussion. I would like to move an amendment that we decide on the prioritization of the studies so that the staff can get to work on the information and the studies that matter to people. I am 100% onside to support every single minister who wants to come to this committee, but I cannot go home to my riding and hear of another child dying.
On Thursday, a woman was stabbed to death in the parking lot beside mine, and I had to speak to my staff and say, “Are you okay? Did you have an incident when you went down in the parking lot last night? The RCMP will be visiting us today for footage from our camera.” Too many women have died over these two years, stuck in abusive situations, in abusive relationships, with no way to move out of their homes. I'm not saying that's what happened with the young mother who was stabbed to death in the strip mall where my constituency office is. Today, I have left my staff and my community to come here to fight for them.
That's the amendment I'm moving. The subamendment to Mrs. Kusie's amendment is to prioritize having a meeting to discuss and prioritize the motions that are already on the floor for study so that staff can get working.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Thank you, Ms. Zarrillo.
Madam Clerk, is that a subamendment to the amendment currently under discussion?
12:55 p.m.
The Clerk
Mrs. Kusie also wants the floor, Mr. Chair. I think she wants to speak to it.