Evidence of meeting #4 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 groups.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
It reads as follows: "... the Court Challenges Program on women and more particularly those belonging to the minorities and aboriginal women."
Bloc
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Okay.
I'd like to go with what you've specified:
"... and aboriginal women."
Liberal
November 26th, 2007 / 3:55 p.m.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Could I ask a point of clarification, being a newcomer visiting today?
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
In your motion, Madam Demers, you're asking about the impact of this particularly on women from minorities and on aboriginal women. So you don't want to study the impact on women in general in Canada, but specifically focus the study of this committee on women from minority groups--from, say, perhaps the Sikh community or the Hindu community or first nations communities.
Is that the intent of your motion?
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Really it is all women, but more specifically First Nations and Innu women, who suffer even more from the consequences of the elimination of this program.
I am sure that the other committees that have already studied the impact of the elimination of the program did excellent studies. They have made recommendations to the various departments concerned which had done the study. I believe that at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women we should also make a recommendation, so that it is not lost in the rest of the recommendations. A committee can recommend another program, but will it be only for official languages? Otherwise, it will not make a recommendation.
So when we make a recommendation to the minister regarding the Court Challenges Program, I want to be certain that she knows that it is so that women and women's groups benefit from it also.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Again, I'm still not clear what the intent is.
Does everybody understand that this is the intent of this motion, to confine the study just to women from minority groups?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
I think you've brought something to light here. I'll let Ms. Minna speak--I know what you're saying—and then I'll come back to see if we can find some solution to it.
Yes, Ms. Minna.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Madam Chair, actually, I think that was what I was going to try to change earlier, but then I thought maybe that wouldn't matter as we were all understanding this. But maybe we need to be clear rather than just assume that we understand.
I wonder, Madam Demers, if you would agree—so that the motion is clear—to a friendly amendment that would replace “on the groups of women” with “on women and in particular those who belong to minorities such as”. So we're saying we want to focus a bit, but it's women in general, just to make sure there's no misunderstanding.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Without saying “the groups of women”, it would say “women and in particular those who belong to certain minorities”.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
It would be “minorities and aboriginal communities”, because in English it doesn't read right.