Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on March 23rd, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

That brings us to the end of the time available for us this evening.

We want to thank Mr. Deva and Ms. Lavery, our witnesses, for appearing before us today.

That will conclude your appearance here at our committee, and we thank you very much.

I am going to ask the members to hold on for a little bit so that we can just go over some committee business.

Subcommittee members, in the interest of allowing the clerk and analysts the break weeks to proofread the report and send it to FAAE as soon as possible, I'm asking you if there's any appetite to finish consideration of the displaced persons draft report by agreeing to the title in the next five minutes or so that we have here. I'm just looking for a show of hands. Can I get a thumbs-up from everybody? Okay, great.

Mr. Clerk, do we have the different titles?

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Naaman Sugrue]

Yes. I just redistributed the earlier email with those three suggested titles in it in both languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Could we have them read out by the clerk or the analyst?

[Jean-Philippe Duguay, Committee Researcher]

The first one is “Pouring Fuel on the Fire: The Impact of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic on Displaced Populations”.

Do you want me to read them in French as well?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Yes, please.

[Jean-Philippe Duguay]

The second title is “Igniting a Crisis: The Devastating Impacts of COVID-19 on Displaced Populations Globally”.

The third title is “The Impact of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic on Displaced Populations: Case Studies of Venezuela and Myanmar”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thank you for reading those out.

Yes, Heather.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

The only thing I would say is that they seem to go, from one to three, from the most exciting or dynamic to the least, I guess, and I'm not sure that dynamic is what parliamentarians are supposed to be, so I think number two is a nice centre of the road. That would be what I would propose.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Okay.

Mr. Chiu.

[Kenny Chiu, Conservative, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I totally concur with MP McPherson.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Okay. That's two votes for number two.

Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I thought that it was Mr. Reid's turn since he's ahead of me, but I like number two as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

I apologize, Scott.

It's number two for Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe.

Scott.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

You know what? Let's make it a consensus. I like number two as well.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Very liberal.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Okay.

I don't think I see any more hands. I think we're all good with number two, right? Number two is the title. Terrific.

Go ahead, Heather.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I'm just wondering whether or not this would be a time I could bring forward the motion that I shared with the committee. Since we only meet once a week, I am hoping that we could look at that very quickly if that's possible.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

If it will get us into a debate....

We're at 8:32. I was thinking we would just—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Why don't we do a vote and see if it could pass if there's consensus?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Why don't we just finish this in terms of the motion to adopt the report? Then we'll see if members have any appetite to get into that.

The motion is that the draft report as amended be adopted.

(Motion agreed to)

That the report be entitled “Igniting a Crisis: the Devastating Impacts of COVID-19 on Displaced Populations Globally”.

That the Chair, Clerk and analysts be authorized to make such grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary without changing the substance of the report. That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Subcommittee request that the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

(Motion agreed to)

Okay.

Heather.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I was going to suggest a very short motion. I sent it out some time ago. Of course, we have very tight timelines because we meet only once a week. It isn't something that is particularly controversial, but we would have to start planning for it. It would go after some of the studies that we've already initiated, so it wouldn't come for some time. Considering that the vaccine rollout is probably going to be one of the most important issues of COVID-19, I think it's important that we look at the human rights implications of the vaccine rollout around the world.

It gives us an opportunity to talk about making sure countries around the world have access, the implications if that access is not given, and how we can ensure that it is equitably given to people in marginalized or vulnerable populations. I think that it aligns incredibly well with the work that this subcommittee does.

I understand that the subcommittee needs consensus. This is not in any way supposed to be partisan, and it is not in any way supposed to be an attack on anyone. It is supposed to be a close look by the international human rights subcommittee at the human rights aspects of vaccine access. It's about how we can make sure that all people around the world from all vulnerable populations and refugee populations can access the vaccine in an equitable way.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thanks, Heather.

Anita.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

As much as I think this is an important topic, I'm looking at some of the ways in which authoritarian countries around the world are really clamping down.

I know we had a whole list of countries. For instance, Uganda was one that I put forward. With what's happening in Myanmar, it might be worth revisiting there. We have only so many meetings left. We also have a number of studies before us.

One of my worries is that with anything we do, there's always a time lag between when we do it and when we report. With things going so quickly on the vaccines, I just think that—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I have a point of order. Sorry, I don't understand why, but unfortunately, I no longer have access to the interpretation services.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

I'm sorry.

Did we lose interpretation?