Human Resources Committee on Feb. 9th, 2026

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I have a suggestion to possibly simplify things a little.

We have witnesses here. We have witnesses in the second hour who are scheduled to talk about some important issues around traditional Chinese medicine. I understand that we have committee business scheduled for the end of this meeting anyway. My colleague is fully within her rights procedurally to move this motion. I'm also fully within my rights to move—in the hopes that we'll be able to get back to hearing from witnesses and that the committee will be able to proceed as planned—that we adjourn debate on this motion.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Chair, before we proceed with the vote, can you suspend the meeting for a moment?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Madame Larouche, I do have a dilatory motion to adjourn debate that I have to dispense with.

A motion has been moved to adjourn debate on the motion of Madam Koutrakis.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 5; nays 4)

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The debate on the motion is adjourned at the moment. That returns us to the questioning.

Madam Koutrakis, you had the floor.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

She lost all her time moving her motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

No, when you move a motion, it takes the time...unless you want to concede it.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Do I have time to ask a question?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

You have time to ask one question.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Okay.

What are the main barriers you face in collecting consistent or comparable data? How could governments help reduce those challenges while keeping the burden on schools manageable? We've heard testimony, and I've heard when I've had one-on-one meetings with various groups, that collecting data is quite challenging. Are you able to speak to that?

[Judith Barry]

At the Breakfast Club of Canada, we would be happy to help bridge all the reporting requirements. We know that sometimes within the same school there is governmental data that is required, but there are other stakeholders that are supporting the same program because it takes a village to feed a child. That's exactly why we feel that some coordinating mechanisms are needed. It would make it easy to solve those types of concerns and issues and to facilitate the lives of the school teams.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Do you want to add something?

[Carolyn Webb]

I'll just add—and I think I might have spoken to it before—that there is not consistency across the different jurisdictions. Creating some consistency as Madam Barry said, bringing people together, and then having those tools to be able to report back in that consistent way would be quite valuable. That's what we've heard.

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We will conclude with Madame Larouche.

You have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you again to the witnesses for being with us today.

Ms. Webb, I touched on strengthening mechanisms with Ms. Barry, and I'd like to give you an opportunity to add your comments, since that was one of your three recommendations in your opening remarks. You were talking about strong mechanisms.

Can you elaborate on what you meant when you talked about strong mechanisms? Do you have any examples?

[Carolyn Webb]

Thank you very much.

I don't have any specific ideas for mechanisms.

Right now, we know there's specific program-wide monitoring on the number of students, the number of meals and those basics. We're hoping that, at some point, it can be scaled up so we can really look at..... It might not be with the reporting...more monitoring or research on how we can support more local food in schools. How can we support those connections to food literacy? How can we support community economic growth and, really, just look beyond some of the basic metrics to the long-term impacts of these programs?

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

You both talk about having a local procurement strategy and making room for local agriculture. I have less than a minute left, but I invite you to share that time amongst yourselves to explain a little more about your vision of local procurement.

[Judith Barry]

Ms. Webb has a great deal of experience, so I won't take a lot of time.

International studies show that, when we act with the specific intention of creating these links between local procurement, agriculture and schools, there's a real opportunity to build more resilient food systems. The national school food program is a great opportunity to do that.

[Carolyn Webb]

We would certainly encourage federal encouragement of provincial and territorial targets for local procurement, although they won't all be the same because every place is different. It's a lot more possible in some regions than others. However, some of those targets, as well as policies, especially how school boards can support more policies, might be some examples of different ways in which this work can be done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Larouche.

Ms. Desrochers, would you like to comment?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Chair, could I have the floor briefly, before we suspend?

As we heard from the speakers, this national school food program is essential, and—

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

I have a point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

On a point of order, Chair, there's an order to the round.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

—the opposition is refusing—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Is she able to ask a question, or...?