Status of Women Committee on Feb. 5th, 2009

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Madam Neville.

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

Madam Chair, I have no objection to this motion at all. It's really an overarching motion of principle calling upon the government to take action. I would support it. I would hope that at some time in the future this committee will come up with concrete measures and recommendations to call upon the government to take specific action to follow up from the principles of this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Is there any further discussion?

Madame Deschamps, you can speak, and then we'll call the vote.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I just want to add one piece of information because I would like this motion to be reported to the House.

[The Clerk]

In that case, you have to add that.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I forgot that I had to add it in writing for it to be debated.

[The Clerk]

She wants to amend it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

So you want to add that the motion be tabled in the House.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Madam Davidson.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I just want a bit of clarification--I feel like I'm yelling here--on whether this is a notice of motion or a motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

It's a motion.

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

Okay. So motions can be introduced at any time, then, can they?

[The Clerk]

Well, we haven't passed our routine motions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We haven't passed our routine motions yet. In theory, what we should do is pass our routine motions first.

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

I don't have a problem with the motion, but we could get wound up here with....

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Perhaps, then, before we consider this motion we could move to the agenda and deal with the routine motions.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, we have just passed a motion that the government proposed with no problem. So why can we not pass this one?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Sure. I mean, realizing that we had done that, I felt that if no one had complained about it we could do it.

Madame Boucher.

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

I have just come from a committee where there was a bit of turmoil and I do not want that to be the case here. We have always got along. We should not pass this before dealing with the motions. It was my mistake, I apologize. Sorry for that, I am a little bit mixed up. It is important for us to pass all those. I will put mine aside and bring it back on Tuesday. Is that OK with everyone?

Right, we just passed it with its amendments. My mistake.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Madame Boucher, I think we have already set a precedent at this meeting for the first motion that you presented having been adopted. This is already under way. It's been discussed. I get a feeling from the committee that they wish this to continue, so I will call the question on Madame Deschamps' motion.

The motion, as amended, reads:

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women recommend to the federal government to take real action to support women and denounce their abuse, both in Canada and abroad, and that the committee report this motion to the House of Commons.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, in the French version, it should say: “recommande au gouvernement fédéral de prendre de véritables mesures et actions“.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

I shall re-read that friendly amendment.

Que le Comité permanent de la condition féminine recommande au gouvernement fédéral de prendre de véritables mesures et actions visant à soutenir les femmes et à dénoncer les mauvais traitements dont elles sont victimes et ce tant pour les citoyennes canadiennes que pour les autres femmes à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de nos frontières et que le comité fasse rapport de cette motion à la Chambre.

In English, it reads:

That the Standing Committee on the Status of Women recommend to the federal government to take real action to support women and denounce their abuse, both in Canada and abroad, and that the committee report this motion to the House of Commons.

I'll call the question.

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

Madam Chair, there are a certain number of people sitting around this table. I think that's where the discussion should be, not with the row behind.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I call the question.

The motion is carried unanimously.

(Motion agreed to)

Now, I would recommend that we move to routine motions, please. The first one regards the service of analysts from the Library of Parliament.

The motion reads:

That the committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.