Status of Women Committee on Dec. 1st, 2009

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

I think we're discussing the amendment. I think, first of all, that the motion is excellent. Something has to be done.

When I was in B.C., I drove down the Highway of Tears, I believe they call it, and I know it's a hot topic among many people in that area. I think, Cathy, this has also manifested itself in your riding. I think that's why you brought it out. I think it was just stated that we have to talk about whether we want to have a prolonged discussion or whether we can talk about this just for one session, but it is worthy of our discussion. I think this is a very good motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You're speaking to the motion; I'm speaking to the amendment.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

I'm speaking to the motion at this point. I haven't really had time to digest the....

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right.

Does anyone else wish to speak to the amendment?

Go ahead, Lise, and then we'll have Irene.

[Lise Zarac, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

This is a very important issue that we all have at heart in this Committee. I believe we need to take the time to do a thorough study, to really consider the issue. Indeed, this would require more than one meeting if we really want to go in depth. If we want to do a proper job, this is what we must do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Go ahead, Irene.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I think both the motion and the amendment propose an important discussion, a very critical discussion. I like the idea of adding in women such as Ellen Gabriel, Bev Jacobs, Mavis Erickson, and Sharon McIvor, who experienced violence.

I think it is indeed going to take more than one meeting. It will logically, I think, lead into our discussion about the language change at DFAIT. I want to say to the committee that I am very concerned about the language changes at DFAIT, and I wouldn't want to lose that discussion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm sorry; I almost can't hear you. What did you say in that last piece?

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

I said that I support this motion and the amendment because the study of violence is very important nationally, but I wouldn't want to lose the discussion in terms of international violence, which was part and parcel of our proposal to look at the language change at DFAIT. I'm saying there needs to be a balance.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

So you're supporting the amendment.

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

Yes, but I don't--

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

And you would have added more to the amendment.

Go ahead, Monsieur Desnoyers.

[Luc Desnoyers, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I shall be brief, Madam Chair.

At one of my first meetings as a member of this Committee, Ms. Demers did indeed raise the frightening number of women who disappear without a trace. She said that we should look into it. I believe that the aboriginal community must be a part of this study in order to set things straight rather than us discussing it among ourselves.

As for the amendment that is proposed, it is obvious that we need the participation of all these people. So I support the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Well, actually, we're speaking to the amendment, not to the motion alone.

Ms. Boucher, are you speaking on the amendment or to the motion? It's to the amendment; okay, good.

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

I believe this is important and that everyone here realizes that we must look at this very closely. I fully agree for the very good and simple reason, as Mr. Desnoyers said, that we should not only take our own advice, regardless of our partisan affiliations, but that we should all work together and reach one single perspective. We need a wider perspective in order to find out what is really happening out there. I believe this is very important in order to get a full understanding of what is happening.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

I will call the vote on the amendment.

(Amendment agreed to)

The amendment passes unanimously, so we're looking at a study.

I thought that one of the things we might want to discuss, because we have a little bit of time, is when we will do it. I think we have four more meetings, if I'm not mistaken, on non-traditional work. If we finish that up when we come back in January--it's two weeks' work--we can then move into this. It will have to supersede whatever else we were planning to do in our planning book, and it would be, I think, something we would want to expand on in a study. I don't know how many weeks this will take, but if we were going to bring in all kinds of people, that might mean about four meetings, do you think? Five? I don't know.

Go ahead, Dave.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

I have a suggestion. Can we possibly just have a one-time meeting first, which would be an announcement to the native groups that we are going to look at this, rather than wait for a prolonged period of time, especially now just before Christmas? That would give some real encouragement to those people who are suffering through that time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We have to vote on the amended motion.

I was just putting this to you so that when you vote on the amended motion we might want to add something to it in terms of timelines. There is no way, Dave, that we can do this before Christmas.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

I'm not suggesting that we do it. I'm just saying that we have a preliminary meeting that just sets up the parameters, possibly. If we can send a message to those women and to those families that we're going to be doing this, they could have that before the Christmas period as something to reflect on and think about. That would give them some hope.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

That would mean we would have this preliminary meeting before Christmas.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We don't have time.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

We don't have time for--

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

No, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. We only have three more meetings and we have to talk about the trafficking issue on the Olympics. We also have to deal with the report, which is going to be about 25 pages.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

We can make an announcement before that time. I just--