Status of Women Committee on March 27th, 2007

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

That's a very valid question, because witnesses come here who do not have the technical expertise in taxation. We have put that down, because we can hear a lot of suggestions, but if you're not an actuary or a tax expert, then you cannot verify or justify what they're saying. So we have them down as coming to clarify, because there have been a lot of suggestions that have been made, and that's what we're listening to. A layman on the street can say, “Here's where my foot hurts and here is the solution”, but if the solution deals with justice or taxes or whatever, we have to get them to come and verify that the information we have been provided is accurate.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Perhaps if we do that towards the end in preparation for that meeting, the analysts could take a look back at some of those points that came forward, on which there were questions, and then we'd really be able to have a productive session around that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

That's what the analysts have done. There will be a lot of technical information coming through, so we need to get the experts here. Okay?

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Has the committee had a chance to look at the reports?

Ms. Mathyssen, you are the one who had some issues with those....

Yes, Ms. Smith.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Perhaps I could just for one moment draw the committee's attention to something. It has to do with the motion.

I had said at the last meeting that I would bring the list, and perhaps I could just very briefly go over the list here. At the top you have the reports printed and posted on the web and you have the names of them.

For number 2, you have the reports that will be posted on the web and require conversion to HTML, and they're listed.

Under number 3, you have the reports that require translation and that will be posted on the web.

Under number 4, you have reports that require revision and will not be completed. These are the working titles.

For number 5, you have the draft reports that will not be completed, with the working titles.

Under number 6, you have the co-publication by Statistics Canada and Status of Women Canada that is being printed and distributed, and that will be posted on the web.

I will look at one of the motions. Last week we had talked about certain names and we had agreed that once we had the list we could look at the names of the reports and see what we wanted. If we're speaking about Ms. Mathyssen's motion that was distributed, there were some documents that were named, like Women and the Employment Insurance Program: The Gender Impact of Current Rules on Eligibility and Earnings Replacement by Monica Townson and Kevin Hayes.

And if you look under number 3, it is there. Those are the reports that require translation and will be posted on the web. The second one is Shelagh Day and Gwen Brodsky, Women and the CST: Securing the Social Union. That is also under number 3, Women and the Canada Social Transfer: Securing the Social Agenda.

I just have a question. The third one was by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women and entitled Integrating Marginalized Women's Voices into Policy Discussions and Debates Linked to the CST.

I was wondering, is that the second one under number 4, which says, Integrating the Voices of Low-Income Women into Policy Discussions on the Canada Social Transfer: Aboriginal Women in Vancouver, Immigrant Refugee Women in Calgary, and Women with Disabilities in Winnipeg? Looking through the list, there is no title that's the same as that. I had promised I would bring all of the titles, which I have done. I just had a question about that one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Mathyssen, do you have an answer to that one?

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Actually, Madam Chair, I'm not sure in terms of the third one. We spoke with the authors and they said they were ready to go in terms of their having the preliminary work done and it simply required translation, and that support was withdrawn.

So it wouldn't make sense that the second one, under number 4, would be the same one, by virtue of the information we have from the authors.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Yes, Ms. Smith.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

We do want to make sure that all the titles are here, which we have done, and the minister's office has gone over an extensive review of them. So I'm in a bit of a quandary when Ms. Mathyssen says the authors have stated that it just needs to be translated and it's ready to go, because there is no evidence that this is the case.

Could the committee or Ms. Mathyssen maybe clarify a way that we could solve this mystery, because it is a mystery?

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

I have a letter from the author, and I could put it on the record. It basically gives a summary of the peer-reviewed material and an indication that this was important research that was done. It says:

Subsequent to the peer review, the report went on to the editing stage during which SWC contracts freelance editors or editing companies to suggest stylistic changes.... We have received the report back from editing. It is sitting on my desk.... It has no place to go.

So it did go through the process, and the authors were told there were no funds to translate, publish, or distribute the document.

It would seem to me that if this is indeed the report, it should be categorized under 3 as opposed to 4.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

If it's the same report....

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Yes.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Smith, Madame Demers wants to speak, and then you can have another chance.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, when you asked us if the list could be tabled, I asked if it was a list of names. You said that it was. However, it appears to be a list of titles, which is not quite the same thing. I would appreciate having this list translated for our next meeting. There are titles as well as names on this list. Occasionally, the finer points can get lost in the translation.

The report mentioned by Ms. Mathyssen appears to be under heading IV, Integrating the Voices of Low-income Women into Policy Discussions on the Canada Social Transfer [...]. If this report has been approved, translated and verified, I hope that it can be published, because it appears to be a very important document. It focusses on aboriginal women, immigrant women, women refugees and women suffering from physical disabilities and loss of independence.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Mathyssen, could we have the letter you received from the group, so that we have an idea of what we're talking about?

Ms. Smith.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Could I just make a suggestion? I would ask Ms. Mathyssen to please table that letter so we can work with it, and I will further—

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

That's exactly what I've asked her.

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

I know. I was just going to say that I would further look into whether there's something that has been missed, or whatever, to get clarification, because they did say no, that needs revision and will not be reported.

I would suggest that we deal with this next Thursday, because our bells are ringing, ready for the vote. It's a very important vote tonight. We have to leave. This side of the House has to leave.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Everyone has to leave. We have 12 minutes.

Ms. Mathyssen, are you agreeable to the suggestion that we look at some comparators and figure out what is what?

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Yes. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

The motion is deferred to the next meeting. We have agreed to take it up at the next meeting because we'll have a better feel for it.

Madame Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, could we have the names of the authors of the various reports included on your list? If we had the authors' names, it would be easier to compare these reports with the others that we have received.