Status of Women Committee on Feb. 23rd, 2016

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

I'm thinking along the same lines, but I do also think we need to narrow it down from 20. I think it's really important for us to deal with that list that's been circulated. We are looking at a long way away, but we could come up with some ideas and combine some items on that list, as I was saying, along with gender-based analysis. Maybe we could come back to that at the next meeting and have some proposals for studies that tie in everything that you're sending around. Then we could look at that and see where we want to set our priorities.

I do think we can get moving. If something comes up, whether it's in the budget or something that happens in the world, we can always take whatever we're working on and set it aside for six weeks or three weeks and make this other thing a high priority. We can always shift what we're doing and shelve something for a little while, but I do think we can start to move on some things.

The other one—and I don't know if this is on your list—is sexual harassment in the workplace. Is that on there?

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Yes. I have sexual harassment in the military, in the government, or in Canada Post, but I could broaden it if you want the workplace as a general theme.

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

Sure.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Okay. We will send this list out. I'm not quite sure how you want to bring that back with your input. I'm not quite sure whether you just want to make lists of studies you'd like to do, whether you want to prioritize it within your individual parties, or whether you want to do the random vote thing.

Go ahead, Ms. Harder.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you. I just want to make a couple of quick comments with regard to my colleagues over here.

I would agree with the notion that we can start a study sooner rather than later. We have the mandate letter that was given to the minister outlining the things to which she's been been asked to give priority, so I believe it might be in the best interests of this committee to pick one of those items for us to also prioritize.

Again, I just feel that it is in the best interests of this committee to be of benefit to the overall national picture, rather than studying something that is perhaps in left field. I think that could gain some traction.

With that, I would put on the floor the proposal that we study something within this realm of violence against women. I would take Pam's suggestion with regard to broadening it beyond just social media and cyberbullying. We would want to make sure that we're not stepping on toes with regard to this other committee that's being formed, but we could take a complementary role.

I'm going to be a little bit bold right now. I'm wondering if, as a committee, we could come to some sort of consensus with regard to studying this topic, and then at another meeting define specifically what within that topic we would talk about. Could we get it that narrow today? Perhaps that's too bold.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Could I have a show of consent to see who would be happy to do that?

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

If it included violence in the lives of women and girls, I'd be happy to move on that.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Yes.

I guess that today I would be proposing a broad motion. Within the mandate letter, there are a total of seven things that the minister has been asked to prioritize, and one of the big ones is a comprehensive federal gender violence strategy and action plan.

I would be proposing to agree as a committee—being reminded that we have other opportunities for further studies at this committee—that this would be our first study under this topic. I'm not asking us to specify the nature of that study; I'm simply asking to agree that it would be the general topic of study.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Is that a motion?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

That is a motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I think Ms. Vandenbeld wanted to speak, either to that motion or about something else.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Actually, I was going to make the same point. We have a list of 20-plus topics, many of which could fall under the umbrella of a larger topic.

In trying to determine all of the different subjects that this committee could potentially study for the coming years, it should be possible for us to find something that we perhaps all agree is the top priority or the top two priorities. We have a list of other things that we can consider going forward, but things will happen in the world as well, as was said.

I like the idea of starting with gender-based violence as a topic. I think we heard that in the minister's speech. It seems that there's agreement across the room on this point. I also raised the point previously that we have the Auditor General coming on gender-based analysis. I wonder if those two might not be low-hanging fruit that we could discuss first. Then we could go through the others and keep them on record to see what the next one would be.

It's not necessarily having to plan out and do straw polls and say we're going to do this, not this, and then this, but seeing what we can all come to a consensus on right here.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Go ahead, Ms. Malcolmson.

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Can I ask for clarity on the motion? Was it the gender-based violence strategy and action plan as is described in the mandate letter?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Yes, that's right. Sorry. I move:

That the Committee agree to undertake a study under the broad umbrella of violence against women, pursuant to the Minister's mandate to create a national gender violence study, and that the Committee agree to meet at a later date to detail this study.

I would make that motion today to do a study under that broad umbrella, and at the next meeting or a later date we would specify what that study would be within this umbrella.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Go ahead, Mr. Fraser.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

I think that in the spirit of agreement, we should look at gender-based violence as a topic of study at committee.

However, being a bit of a procedure nut myself, I like the idea of formulating a work plan that says the committee shall undertake a study of gender-based violence, or housing, or whatever, and list the four or five topics. Then, when we review some of the suggestions that have been made, I think it would be convenient to turn our minds to how much time we actually have.

I fear that if we highlight one priority now without considering the others, we may go too far down one path to the exclusion of other important agenda items. Certainly I think that this belongs on the list, but it would be my personal preference at the next meeting to address a single motion that includes the multiple items that we would study while we have the time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

This motion on the table just says that we're going to take on a study under the broad umbrella of gender-based violence strategy. There would be follow-up actions that would go on between now and the next meeting, where you'd bring back four or five topics under that umbrella. We would then agree, as a committee, that those are the four or five, and there would be a motion to study them.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Sorry, I may have miscommunicated. I was viewing the broad umbrella as one of a few topics that the committee may choose to study, rather than saying that we're going to tackle this one issue to the exclusion of others.

If I could make a suggestion, it would be that at the beginning of the next meeting, we could entertain a single motion—which we could even circulate following today's meeting and following an opportunity to review the list—that says these are the few items we're going to tackle before a certain date, or something like that.

I'm a little fearful that if we highlight one priority and charge down that path, we might miss the opportunity to study other items that we might raise at our next meeting that would be of great importance as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you for your point.

Go ahead, Ms. Malcolmson.

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

On a point of order, I believe a motion's on the floor, though, right?

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Correct. The existing motion will either be withdrawn or voted on, for sure.

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thanks.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

In terms of points of order, don't we need 48 hours' notice for a motion, and doesn't it have to be bilingual?

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

As long as it's for the committee meeting and it's relevant to the discussion, apparently we don't. I'm trusting my clerk on this one.

All right. The motion is on the floor that we would take a study under the broad umbrella of gender-based violence strategy.

All in favour of doing that—