Status of Women Committee on June 1st, 2006

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

As you know, Canada does not yet have any pay equity legislation. Since Canada is a human rights country and since it is high time that Canada have a pay equity act, this motion is intended to illustrate the pressing need for the bill that should be introduced as soon as possible, and no later than this fall.

We hope that as soon as Parliament reconvenes, a pay equity bill will be introduced and passed before the end of the year. As the chair has said, this is a technical motion to underscore the pressing need for this bill. This is what it says:

That the Committee prepare and present to the House, before June 23, 2006, [...]

It would be done before we rise for the summer,

[...] a report recommending that the government draft, before October 31, 2006, or any other date [...]

...that we have chosen. It could be November, since we reconvene in September. We can give them enough time to table it.

[...] the Committee deems advisable, a bill on pay equity.

I think it has already been debated not once but twice. Moreover, a report was submitted to the new government. I think that everyone here would agree.

I'd like to thank all of you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you.

Ms. Smith, go ahead, please.

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

Thank you.

I very much appreciate that motion and the spirit of the motion, Ms. Mourani. It is redundant, though, because we have already tabled it in the House. It takes 120 days from the time of tabling of that to hear from the minister. With all due respect, I don't think this motion is necessary. It's already done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Is there any further discussion on this? Could we have Ms. Mourani and then Ms. Minna?

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

I would like to respond to Ms. Smith. You are correct in saying that the report has already been tabled; however, the deadline in the recommendation to the government is October 31, 2005. That date has already passed. The government has 120 days to respond. However, it could decide to wait until 2009 or 2010, since there are no restrictions. There is no real deadline, since the date has already passed. It is in a report that was produced last year, which is why I have moved a motion to update the timeframe. We need it because of the deadline.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Minna.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I understand that there is going to be a report to Parliament on the part of the government as a result of the report that's being tabled. But as our colleague has said, the government doesn't have to give a report if legislation hasn't been started. I think this tries to encourage the government to start drafting legislation, because various ministries, certainly the Department of Justice, which would be involved, can get started and get some direction. This would just give it a bit of a push, because women have been waiting.

There's always a report, there's always a response to the report, and then there's another response to another report. Before you know it, there's another election, and then we have another report, and we go for another five years. We've been going for I don't know how many years already on this issue.

There is another issue, especially given the report from Statistics Canada this week showing the huge inequity in women's incomes and the poverty that women are forced to live in because of discrimination in their pay, not only while they are raising children and while they're looking after other members of the family, but also when they're seniors--they continue to suffer right to the end. This is the feminization of poverty, really. It's persistent. And somebody out there is making money. Businesses are making money by lowering the wages of lawyers now that there are more women lawyers, lowering the level overall, and I think it's just unacceptable that we as a society continue....

All of this is to say to the government that we really want you to start dealing with this now, not too much later. Given the information we've just received, I think it is totally incumbent upon us to act and send that message.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Mathyssen.

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

Yes, I'd like to support Ms. Mourani's motion too, for very similar reasons. We've waited a very long time. We've heard testimony here today. There are very clear indicators that we need to move ahead on this. We've waited a very long time. Surely some of the work must have already been done. The 2005 deadline would suggest that this is a work in progress. It's time to bring it to Parliament.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Are there any further speakers on this issue?

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

There should be a recorded vote, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Okay, you want a recorded vote.

(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Needless to say, the motion has passed.

Let me just reread what we've just done. The committee has adopted the motion of Ms. Mourani:

That the Committee prepare and present to the House, before June 23, 2006, a report recommending that the government draft, before October 31, 2006, or any other date the Committee deems advisable, a bill on pay equity.

It was adopted without amendment.

We have a couple of routine motions in front of you that had problems with translation.

Would someone like to read motion number 9 into the record?. Again, there was an issue with translation. Does everyone have it in front of them?

This was an issue of staff being able to attend, which was in the English translation and not in the French translation. We wanted to make sure that those were quite specific--and that a member of the government party would also be required to be there. Does everyone have it in front of them? We're dealing only with motion 9 right now:

That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive and publish evidence when a quorum is not present provided that at least 3 members are present, including a member of the opposition.

We're amending it to read that a member of the government party also be there. It's pretty routine.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Routine motion number 3. Again, it's the French version....

Yes, Ms. Mourani.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

I'm sorry, Madam Chair. I would like to ask a question on motion 9 before we move on to number 3, if I may.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Yes.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

I had a look at what was adopted last time. I don't understand why we are revisiting something that we have already passed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

It was an oversight when we initially did it. Previously, it was a member of the government who was chairing and now it's a member of the opposition, so it's also important to have a member of the government as part of the quorum requirements. It was an oversight, initially, because we had switched from government to opposition.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

I see, but do you acknowledge that an identical version was adopted last time? There has been nothing added?

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

It was an oversight, Ms. Mourani.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Fine. So we are returning to the motion that has already been adopted.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Motion number 3 regarding the in camera meetings is a clarification so that it reads the same in English as it does in French. You have it before you.

Would you like to read that, Ms. Mourani?

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

This is what it says:

That, unless otherwise ordered, each Committee member be allowed to have one staff person present at in camera meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

All agreed?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

The next issue that you have before you is budgets. You have one, violence against women. I would need somebody to move adoption of the budgets, which reads:

That the proposed budget for the study on violence against women in the amount of $ 32,000, for the period of May 29, 2206 to December 29, 2006, be adopted.

Moved by Ms. Minna.

(Motion agreed to)