Evidence of meeting #29 for Status of Women in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was statistics.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
I'm not sure we're going to hear all that much that's different.
Conservative
Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON
In terms of moving the agenda along, do we even need to hear from.... I know we have witnesses scheduled, but if the committee feels it's not necessary, that it's just going to add one more layer, do we need to forget it and just move on to other business?
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
I don't have a problem with listening to the languages commissioner—I think I have an idea of how that office operates—just as an added element for us. But I do not believe it's a fundamental piece to our report any more.
We've actually passed two motions here, in essence, in terms of legislation. I don't think it's an essential part.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Patricia Davidson
The analyst has just said it takes four weeks to produce the report, but the direction today is to get on it and get it done as soon as possible.
Mr. Stanton, you had a question.
Conservative
Bruce Stanton Conservative Simcoe North, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I recall at our last meeting, or it might have been two meetings ago, the chair indicated a clarification on a request for cabinet-related documents and cited the verse in Marleau and Montpetit. I go back to that because I was actually involved, and I think Mr. Pearson might have been at the same time as well.
When we are dealing with these questions of access of cabinet confidences, it's my understanding that although committees have the power to order the production of papers in theory, in practice governments generally do not provide them, and they're not obliged to provide them under the Access to Information Act. I don't know that in the end the papers in question would really do anything to improve the volume of information that we already have from testimony from the various departments and non-governmental organizations.
I question whether we need to be pursuing what could be a rather laboursome piece of business to get information that may not add anything to the work we're doing.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Patricia Davidson
Very quickly, Madame Demers, as we are running out of time here.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We've asked questions about the various departments, programs and policies, and about the measures put forward, or that should be put forward, and studied by the department in order to focus on the issue of gender-based analysis. We were told that those data were confidential and could not be provided to us.
Once measures have been put forward or proposed, those data should not be confidential. We should be able to evaluate them to see how the departments are operating and how decisions are made.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Patricia Davidson
If we wish to have more discussion, we can do so at the next meeting on this issue. Perhaps if we don't have access, the Auditor General may. Those are issues we can consider.
The meeting is adjourned.