Status of Women Committee on Feb. 5th, 2009

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Danielle Bélisle]

Members of the committee, I see a quorum. The first item of business is to elect a chair.

I am ready to receive motions to that effect.

Mrs. Davidson.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I nominate Dr. Hedy Fry, please, for the chair.

[The Clerk]

Mrs. Davidson has nominated--

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I second.

[The Clerk]

--Ms. Fry for chair of this committee.

Are there any other motions?

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt this motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Clerk]

I declare the motion carried and Dr. Hedy Fry duly elected chair of the committee.

Before inviting the chair to take the chair, if the committee wishes, we can proceed to the election of the vice-chairs.

In the election of the vice-chairs, you will see that we are looking for a first vice-chair who will be from the government.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I would like to nominate Mrs. Davidson for vice-chair.

[The Clerk]

Moved by Mrs. Sylvie Boucher that Mrs. Patricia Davidson be elected first vice-chair of this committee.

Are there any other motions to that effect?

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt that motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Clerk]

I declare Mrs. Davidson the duly elected first vice-chair.

Our last one is the election of the second vice-chair, who must be from an opposition party other than the official opposition.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

I would like to nominate Ms. Irene Mathyssen.

[The Clerk]

Moved by Ms. Demers that Ms. Mathyssen be elected second vice-chair of the committee.

Are there any further motions?

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt this motion?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Clerk]

So I declare Mrs. Mathyssen duly elected second vice-chair of this committee.

With that, our new chair could come and be seated with pleasure.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I am going to make a motion because I know that Minister Guergis would like to appear before us as quickly as possible. This is the wording of the motion:

That the Standing Committee on the Status of Women welcome the Honourable Helena Guergis to speak to the committee members on Thursday, February 12, to introduce herself to the committee as the new Minister of the Status of Women, to share with the committee the work she has undertaken since becoming the Minister of the Status of Women and to discuss the future business of the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

What is the pleasure of the committee?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I would like to add something. She will be here for one hour. I have just received information that she will have to leave the meeting after an hour because she has to appear before another P and P committee.

[The Clerk]

So would it be from 11 to 12?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

That would be from 11:00 a.m. to noon.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Madam Chair, I look forward to the minister coming to the committee and would welcome an opportunity to meet with her, but I have two questions. We need to do the estimates, and I am concerned about the timing. I know that my colleagues here, or some anyhow, are concerned about dealing with the estimates quickly, and I think it's important that the minister be here for the estimates.

My other concern in this motion is the clause to discuss future business of the committee. The committee is the master of its own fate in terms of determining what business it will or will not discuss, so I'm not anxious to have the minister direct the activity of this committee. That gives me a little bit of concern in this motion, but I am really concerned in regard to her being here for the estimates process.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Is there anyone else?

Ms. Mathyssen.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would concur with my colleague. I look forward to the minister's attendance at the committee, but I think it's very, very important that she come and discuss the estimates. I'd like to see her as early as Tuesday, simply because time is getting away from us and I know that the estimates will be coming before the House very soon. I would like that opportunity on Tuesday. I look forward to perhaps another visit at another time from the minister, in which she could outline the work she's done and the efforts she's made on behalf of women, but certainly that first visit should be on the estimates.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Madam Davidson?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I understood that it is perhaps going to be difficult for the minister to be here on Tuesday and that Thursday is the day when it is possible for her to be here. I understand what the members across are saying about the estimates, and we do need to do the estimates, so I think we need to ask the minister to go through the estimates for that one hour on Thursday. Was it from 11 to 12?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

It's 11 to 12:30.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Is there any further discussion on this?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I have not consulted with colleagues, Madam Chair, but if the minister is prepared to come and discuss the estimates on Thursday, I would concur with Madam Davidson.