Status of Women Committee on May 24th, 2018

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

I want to go back to the point of order, because there's nothing in the estimates for the Status of Women about public safety. There is nothing in here about the programs that the government has in place that are supporting Yazidi women and girls—which are many—the many women and girls who have come to Canada who are receiving trauma support and who are receiving support as refugees in Canada. All of those would be covered in the estimates with Immigration, so I'm confused as to how estimates for Status of Women, which has absolutely nothing to do with this, can be part of what we're doing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

With all respect, I hear what you're saying, so please don't think that I don't, but I have been advised that it's main estimates. Main estimates can look at all government spending. That's point one.

Point two that I'd like to make on this, when we bring it back.... We've been talking about women and abuse and all those things. If it can be brought back to that study that we have just completed, over one year ago, then we can find some sort of correlation between the two.

I'll ask all panellists and any questioners to make sure that it does come back to estimates and government spending, and then we can go forward from there. Thank you.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Can you just clarify for me, though, that estimates from any department can be dealt with at Status of Women? Because I would have thought estimates to deal with immigration would be dealt with at the Immigration committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

We are referring to the votes that are from us.

I will suspend for one moment, please.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Sorry. Is that a conversation for the whole committee?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

No, it's not, thank you. We're getting clarification. One moment, please. Thank you.

We're suspending for four minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

We'll reconvene.

I'm just going to remind everybody that, as long as it comes back to the department, we can look at things such as GBA+. Whether it's GBA+ when we're looking at immigration, which can be seen as the whole of government, or we're looking at the funding programs, anything that comes from this department—and GBA+ was born in this department—can be something we can look at, and any of the Status of Women programming, as well as violence against women.

What we're going to be looking at is if these questions are pertinent. The story may be long, but if it gets back to a question that has to do with something the Status of Women has dealt with, especially in the last two and a half years, then I will allow the question to stand.

Yes, Pam.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Just to clarify, pretty much anything at all that has nothing to do with the estimates....

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

The question that she asked had to do with violence against women, and that question stands. That is the ruling of the chair. That question will stand, because it is about violence against young women and girls, and we finished that study. I will allow that question to stand.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Okay.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you for the question.

I think it's interesting this is—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I have the floor.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Maybe, Madam Chair, you could clarify how much time I have to respond to a question. Is it 35 seconds? Is it a minute? I would love to provide responses; that's why I'm here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

The floor is to the questioner. The person who was asking the question gets the floor. It is unlike in the House of Commons, where it's 30 to 35 seconds. Each questioner gets seven minutes provided to them for their questioning. If there are questions that she feels are going offside, then in an appropriate way, we are allowed to cut the person off—that would be you or any of the members of your department—so that we can get back to the line of questioning, because that is the questioner's time. Thank you.

Thus, we go back to Rachel.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The minister and her caucus have shown us that this matter—studying Yazidi women and girls, having them brought into Canada, and the impact that ISIS fighters living next door to them is having on them—is not something that is of concern to you. You've demonstrated that. At a prior committee meeting, members of your caucus demonstrated that. Your government has demonstrated that.

I'm very concerned, because these are survivors of traumatic experiences. My question is simple, and I've asked it before, but I wasn't given an answer, so perhaps you could take 30 seconds and give me an adequate answer today.

Was GBA+ applied when this government decided to bring more than 60 ISIS fighters back into Canada, and put them next door, down the street, or within the same proximity as these women and girls, who are victims of incredible atrocities at the hands of ISIS?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I think it's interesting that this is coming from the member opposite. When there was a vote in the House of Commons to further support settlement services for Yazidi women, the member opposite and indeed the Conservative party voted against it. During the 10 years the Conservatives had in the previous administration, 30 Yazidi women were brought to Canada.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I'm sorry, thank you very much for your time.

It's interesting, because you asked for the time that you should be going after, and we said 30 seconds, and you continued to give a non-answer, so I'm clearly seeing your commitment to this.

Now, Minister, it's clear your government did not do a GBA+. Had you, I would have expected a different outcome. Here's what I'm hearing. I'm hearing no gender-based—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

There is a point of order.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Madam Chair, this is a different kind of process. We have the minister today, questions are being asked, and some time should be allocated to the minister to respond. If we don't like the response, I don't think it's appropriate to insult or criticize the response. Moreover, I think a bit of respect should be given to the minister in trying to answer the question—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Okay.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

—and not insinuate comments that are unnecessary.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I appreciate your ideas.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Every time I come to this committee—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I appreciate that very much.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

—I've been to other committees before—