Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on Dec. 5th, 2006

[Marcus Pistor, Committee Researcher]

If I get instruction from the committee to draft a report, I can then proceed to do that. It's basically there, but I have to have the instruction from the committee to do that.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

It would be nice to put one thing to bed, if we could.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

Yes, I kind of agree, so we can move forward in the new year with a cleaner slate.

Caroline.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

With regard to Cuba, I don't feel very comfortable. I looked at what Marcus gave us, but since I wasn't here before, I think I will need a lot more information before being able to consider a final report from the subcommittee.

I have a number of questions, it may be a good idea for the subcommittee to discuss Cuba. Kevin was no doubt here when Cuba was discussed. I was not here. I have a lot of work to do before being able to come up with a report. I certainly won't be able to do this by next week.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

Okay, but someone raised this issue. This was in Marcus's summary, at our first meeting. The proposal to write a report on this was discussed, and the committee had reached a consensus. In fact it was discussed a number of times. Witnesses appeared. Perhaps we could refer to their testimony.

I do not want to start something and then put it aside. However, we might consider the possibility of giving you a few additional weeks. The problem is that each week we say we want to conclude our study on Cuba but we never do. And this concerns me.

I'm trying to do these things consensually here. If we had some kind of consensus to finalize something on that, so that we didn't waste the work that was done in the last Parliament....

He has circulated the analysis. What do you call it, Marcus?

[Marcus Pistor]

It's a document outlining possible elements of a report, because there hasn't been a decision. It's there, it can be converted, formatted into a report. That's not a problem.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

Can I suggest, as a compromise, that the committee direct the researcher to prepare a report. If it's the consensus of the committee, when we see the report, that we need more time, that's fine. But at least let's move forward. I don't think we want to tread water constantly. We don't know how long this Parliament is going to exist.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Just treat it as a draft report. I have no problem with that. Then if we feel we have to get into further witnesses or whatever, we could do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

I think that's a reasonable compromise.

Kevin.

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Are there recommendations included in that, Marcus? I think it's a positive. Cuba is in the news. The health of Castro is one of the things, and I think a report with some positive recommendations, at a place and time where and when it is in the news a little bit, is good. It doesn't mean we have to ratify it or give it the go-ahead next week, but I think that's a positive.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

Caroline.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

I don't want to be misunderstood. I am not opposed to the subcommittee producing a report, on the contrary. However, I read Mr. Pistor's draft, and I am not sure that it reflects all of the consultations by the subcommittee. I consulted my colleague who was there at that time, and I have reached the conclusion that some witnesses are not mentioned in the document. I get the impression that the report is somewhat biased.

I know that it is only a first draft, but I am not sure that all the witnesses who were heard by the previous subcommittee are there. I was not there at that time and I just want to ensure that all the testimony will be taken into consideration.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

I want to tell all the members here that our researchers can help us analyze the testimony that was heard during the last Parliament. We should check whether it corresponds with what our analyst has written. I think that the report does not sufficiently criticize the Cuban regime. I would like us to add more.

I don't know if we need to do this by form of a motion or not. There is a motion on the table. I think Mr. Sorenson has moved that we direct the researcher to prepare a draft report.

Before we go to a vote on that, the idea is just to be consensual and to have a compromise. It's just to direct him to prepare something so that we have something substantive to look at. If you still have objections next week and we want more time, we can study it. But I suggest that we at least take another step forward here.

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

I feel like a troublemaker, but I don't think that putting a motion before the committee is a good idea. It's a matter of respect for our colleagues. I think that the subcommittee could ask the analyst to write this report.

Making motions without the slightest respect for procedure including the need to give notice, is not necessarily a good way to proceed. I would prefer to reach a consensus, and agree to ask the researchers to present us with a draft report. I would be more comfortable proceeding this way.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

But I think he needs a motion to do that. That's the problem.

Caroline doesn't want a motion with the absence of a Liberal MP.

[Marcus Pistor]

You have a discussion document, if you want to go with that. You have a base for a discussion. It would be awfully tight to get anything through to the main committee before the winter break in any case, even if we deal with that next week.

Just as a point of clarification, I prepared a short summary for the last committee a year ago. It was circulated, and we can recirculate that as well from the last Parliament. The witnesses were some of the same ones, except that this time we heard FOCAL and we had officials from CIDA and Foreign Affairs here, as well as other union groups. We didn't have a lot of hearings. We only had two in the last Parliament.

[The Chair, Conservative, Jason Kenney]

The was also the Cuban–Canadian Community Group and there was the Communist Party of Canada representative, whatever his name was.

With respect to Caroline's point, then, let's direct Marcus to circulate, through the clerk, the draft report he had in the last Parliament. Again, rather than just ragging the puck on our concerns, I would invite people to come forward with suggested new language or specify our concerns in writing so that we can actually move toward a report, perhaps early in the new year.

Next week, then, by consensus, we'll just have a one-hour meeting with Mrs. Kadeer. We'll actually have an extra half an hour so we can deal with motions and so forth. You know what my preference is, but I'm trying to do this consensually.

Is that all right? Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.