Status of Women Committee on Dec. 3rd, 2007

Evidence of meeting #6 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 budgeting.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Gender Budgets

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

John R. Bartle Director and Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Ellen Russell Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Order.

Last meeting we proposed a motion to study women and the court challenges program. I need somebody to move a budget.

The budget is for witnesses. We have about 13 witnesses who will be coming. Tomorrow is an extra meeting, and on December 11, so we will try to fit them in. We have video conferencing.

The budget amount is $19,204. And a gender lens was used on that one.

5:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

I need somebody to propose a motion for the adoption of the operational budget.

It is moved by Ms. Minna.

Ms. Minna, would you like to read this motion.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

I move that the proposed operational budget for this study on the impacts of the cut over the court challenges program on women, in the amount of $19,204, for the period of 2007-08 be adopted.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

That is straightforward.

(Motion agreed to)

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Thank you very much.

The meeting is....

Yes.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Before you hit the gavel, I have a suggestion that I was going to make earlier.

Madam Chair, I know I've brought it up before, but I think it might be helpful if the clerk could get us a list of all of the tax expenditures. When we talk about taxes and how they are now, it might be helpful for us to actually have them.

I know they were available. I have seen it once before, back in 1995 or so. It's been a while. But it wouldn't hurt for us to see what they are and how many there are. There are a lot we're not even aware of. They have been accumulating over the last 20 or 30 years.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

This is the revenue side of the budget?

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Tax expenditures.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

You want the expenditures side of it.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Tax expenditures are not where you spend money...well, you do spend it--

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

The expenditure side of the budget, that's what you want?

Okay. So we will get the revenue side, the different streams of revenue that the government has at its disposal.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

I'm talking about tax expenditures. For instance, the child tax credit is a tax expenditure. I'm talking about tax measures that we use to deliver certain programs. They're called tax expenditures.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

The tax expenditure could be by every department.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

I mean all the measures that are done.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi