Yes.
I move:
That, notwithstanding the motion adopted by the Committee on October 16, 2017, the Committee hold an additional meeting prior to December 20, 2017, on the resettlement issues related to Yazidi women and girls; and that the Committee report its finding to the House; and that the government table a response.
For the committee's benefit, I'll give a little bit of a background on my week last week during our constituency break. I had the opportunity to meet and have calls with several of the community groups that are providing resettlement services for the Yazidi community across the country, and they watched what happened at committee last week.
To my colleagues opposite, the Liberal government has a majority government right now, which means they have a majority on this committee. This means that the Liberals, should we adopt a report, have the ability to basically word the report as they see fit. Opposition members can put a dissenting report on the end, but the thing with a report is that the government is required to respond. I don't understand why the committee members would do anything other than have a report attached to the findings of this committee, outside of the fact that they have been directed by the centre that it doesn't want the government to respond to this.
Here is what happened last week. I sat in the living room of a Yazidi family's home and I had to listen to stories about how they have family members in other parts of the country who have been redirected. They're isolated. They're struggling. We don't have enough translation services for people. It was never the intent of this committee—and I certainly hope it was not the intent of the government—to bring these people here who have suffered so much just to leave them to their own devices when frankly their lives are still at risk.
Frankly, I want to take issue with something that was said at the last meeting, that moving this motion was Conservative—I can't remember the word that was used—histrionics or hyperbole or theatrics. Yes, I get worked up on this issue, but every Canadian should get worked up on this issue. The member who said that.... I would like to ask for an apology on it. I do not understand why every single time this issue comes up before this committee we can't just do something that resembles work.
My understanding is that somebody from across the table is going to move a motion that this is going to be a letter to the minister, which the Liberal members will do anyway. It removes the responsibility of the government to respond to the work of this committee. If the government members want to respond to the centre, if they want to take direction from the centre rather than from people who are sitting at the end of the table, that is fine. That's your prerogative. You can write the recommendations in that report how you see fit. I want the government to have to respond, because if we don't get this right, we are failing the world's most vulnerable.
I am so sick of sitting in the living rooms of these people's homes, of listening to these women, and of us failing to act on their behalf. I don't want to have to come to our chair and to each and every one of you every three months asking for another report on this because we are not making ends meet. I don't want to have to keep asking our chair in the House of Commons what we're doing. I don't want to have to keep listening to department officials saying that only five women have had access to care. I just want it done, and I don't understand why this is so hard for this government that makes their brand “welcome to Canada”, doing something that's compassionate. If somebody across the way is going to entertain amending this motion, I don't accept it. I'm just going to pre-empt you right now.
We need to have a report out of this study. We need to have some concrete recommendations on how the government is going to go forward. The Liberals in this committee can do as they see fit. Every single person I met with and called this week does not understand why there is a disconnect between the message that the Liberals put forward with the Syrian refugee initiative and what is happening with this particular cohort of people. I don't understand it, either.
I ask each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart, from a place of genuine concern for women whose lives are at risk, to just issue a report. Your minister can put forward whatever he responds, but you cannot have good government unless you have good opposition. I am so tired of keeping my staff involved in this. I'm so tired of spending so much time on something your government is supposed to be good at.
I look at you as members who are not part of the government. Your job is to hold the government to account too, even if it's the same party.
If you're going to amend this motion, no, I don't accept it. If you want to put forward a letter to the minister, that's cowardice. If we are going to do this, we should do it right. There is absolutely no reason outside of cowardice and bowing to the centre, abandoning these women, that we would not put the findings of this committee study into a report.
I rest my case.