Evidence of meeting #12 for Status of Women in the 40th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was benefit.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
We have an amendment on the floor.
Would you like to put that in some form of writing for me, please, Ms. Hoeppner?
Liberal
Liberal
Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
This will be very brief, Madam Chair.
I'm not going to propose an amendment. I'd be prepared to go with the four meetings. I do want to comment, though, on the fact that sometimes we have to be flexible in our agenda. I appreciate that we have prioritized issues, but sometimes issues emerge that require a response, or that should have a response. This one came up after, I think, we prioritized our work plan.
So I have no problem with it. In fact, I may be bringing forward another issue myself.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Ms. Hoeppner, do you have the amendment?
I think we have discussed this issue, so we can call the vote on it. We have another motion to deal with.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I just want to remind the committee that there had been some form of consensus that we would remove the word “immediately”.
So the amendment would read.... This is not an amendment. It really is a whole new motion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You're replacing all of names here with....
Ms. Hoeppner is suggesting, or amending, that we remove everything from the words “and invite Minister Vic Toews” all the way down to the word “upon”. As well, we would remove “hold four extra meetings”.
The amendment would thus be that the Standing Committee on the Status of Women hold one meeting and invite departmental officials regarding pay equity.
Conservative
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
I'm sorry, I can't write the amendment in 30 seconds. Basically, you understand the concept of what I'm proposing. If you'd like me to prepare an amendment, I would need a little more time.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
It removed all of those other people. You are suggesting “department officials”, so you are not inviting the minister or any of the other people who constituted the bulk of the original motion.
Conservative
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
But she wasn't changing “to examine the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act”. You said something different in there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
No, I said “and invite Minister Toews” was going to be removed in her amendment, up to the word “upon”.
Conservative
Conservative
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Madam Chair, I apologize. I wrote it out very quickly, and I would like to retain the reference to the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act. That's basically what we're looking at.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
In that case, the amendment, as I said before, reads: “That the Standing Committee on the Status of Women hold one meeting”—instead of four —“to examine the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act”. Then everything is removed from the words “invite Minister Vic Toews” till “agrees upon” and replaced by “invite departmental officials”.
Conservative
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
I would like time to prepare a written copy of the amendment and bring it back for next time.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Madam Chair, we've been dealing with this since last week, and this is the third time that it's come forward. I'd simply like a decision on it. I think it's time for one.
Conservative
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Yes, I would like to have a properly written amendment. Obviously it's not going to be properly written in 25 seconds.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Usually, Ms. Hoeppner, when people make an amendment on a motion that's on the floor, they do it at the time. We don't bring it back another day. The amendment is one that you have said you wanted to put in, and it is simple.