Evidence of meeting #1 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was public.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1:15 p.m.
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Roger Préfontaine
We have quorum.
Your first item of duty is to proceed to the election of a chair. I'm ready to receive motions to that effect.
Mr. Sweet.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
1:15 p.m.
The Clerk
Mr. Sweet has moved that Mr. Reid be elected as chair of the committee.
Are there any further motions?
There being no further motions, is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?
(Motion agreed to)
1:15 p.m.
The Clerk
I declare the motion carried and Mr. Reid duly elected chair of the committee.
1:15 p.m.
Some hon. members
Hear, hear!
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Thank you for choosing me as your chair.
The clerk informs me that the last time the committee met, there were two opposition vice-chairs. We could proceed to select them, or we could leave that and deal with it at a different time. If we don't pursue it now, then I suggest we move on to routine motions.
But we can deal with the vice-chair selection now, if it's the will of the committee. I simply throw that out as an observation.
Is there a desire to go forward with choosing the vice-chairs? All right.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB
I nominate Mario Silva and Caroline St-Hilaire
as vice chairs of the subcommittee.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
I think it's a little unusual to do two nominations at the same time. We've just engaged in a little electoral reform.
1:15 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Let's proceed to routine motions.
The clerk has prepared a list, which he is circulating,
in both official languages.
He's informed me that the routine motions we'll be looking at are the same ones that were adopted in the last subcommittee. These things vary from time to time, but the ones you're looking at are the ones that were actually in use and had been adopted by the subcommittee for its most recent series of meetings.
Let's go through these. The very first one, as you can see, relates to services of the analysts from the Library of Parliament.
Mr. Silva moves that motion.
If there is no debate, I will assume that's adopted.
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
The second motion is on reduced quorum: that the chair be authorized to hold meetings and receive evidence when a quorum is not present, provided there are at least three members here, including one member from the opposition parties.
Mr. Cotler moves that.
(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Chair, I move the adoption of routine motions three through nine, inclusive.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Is that agreeable to members of the committee? Done.
(Motions agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Thank you.
The next thing that occurs to me--and of course members are free to interrupt me and suggest handling things differently--is that we need to choose a regular time for us to meet. It could be this time or a different time. Then, of course, we need to consider the items that ought to be on our agenda. As things stand now, we have an open agenda.
Might I suggest we start with the topics for discussion.
Mr. Marston, please.
1:15 p.m.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Are we entertaining what we're going to be addressing as a committee?
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
That's what I'm suggesting, so if that's agreeable, please go ahead.
1:15 p.m.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
There is one thing I'd like to see as a priority item and as the first business undertaken by this committee, and that's a review of the Omar Khadr case. I think it's very important.
I think everybody around this...I was going to call it a “horseshoe”, but I guess it's not quite that. I don't think anyone here would lack the understanding as to why that is an issue that we should be addressing--having witnesses in, garnering evidence, and making a report to the foreign affairs committee.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Okay, the Omar Khadr case is down and noted.
Mr. Silva, please, then Mr. Sweet.
1:15 p.m.
Liberal
Mario Silva Liberal Davenport, ON
I noticed, in looking at other human rights committees throughout the western world, that every parliament has dealt with the issue of extraordinary rendition, with the exception of Canada. That's one of the few places that have not dealt with the issue of extraordinary rendition. It's not really linked with Omar Khadr, but if you want to deal with the whole issue of rendition and Guantanamo, then I'm okay with that. I just think that we, as a Parliament, need to look at that issue.
There are a lot of great reports from the House of Commons in the U.K., the House of Lords, and also the Council of Europe--a lot of European parliaments--but Canada has not taken up that issue. I know we had the whole issue with the Arar commission, but still I think we, as a human rights committee, should look at that issue as well.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Okay. The next on my list was Mr. Sweet, et après ça, Madame St-Hilaire.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON
I have one that also plays into timing, so I guess we're going to touch on both things that you introduced, Mr. Chair.
Shirin Ebadi, who's a Nobel laureate as well as the advocate for the Kazemi family, is going to be in town on Thursday, or at least available on Thursday, so my suggestion would be that we capitalize on that. I think her testimony as an Iranian dissident would be of great value to us.
By the way, I have her bio here in both official languages, if you want to distribute it to committee members.
I will just see if the committee would be agreeable to having her come on Thursday, between 9 and 11 o'clock.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
Okay. What I'm going to suggest, as a starting point, is that under our rules, only the clerk can distribute those. If they're in both official languages they can be distributed immediately. So that'll be taken care of.
Let's deal with any questions of timing after we've gone through our list.
Did you have any further suggestions, Mr. Sweet? You still have the floor, if you'd like.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative