Evidence of meeting #100 for Status of Women in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was alerts.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Thank you very much.
On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank you.
We're going to suspend for a few minutes. We have some issues on the red dress alert and budgets to pass.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Everybody, we're going to get back to committee business here.
There are five motions we need to get through today so we can do the business of the committee. If there's additional business, we can add that.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
I have a point of order, Chair.
Do we mean to stay in public here?
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
We can stay in public, because we are passing budgets. There's nothing that is an issue of privacy here.
The first thing we're looking at is the proposed budget, in the amount of $29,400, for the study of the red dress alert. I'm looking for adoption of that motion so we can go forward with that study.
(Motion agreed to)
We heard some excellent testimony today. I'm sure we've all sent in lists of potential witnesses. Now I think we might have to ask a few others.
I spoke to Leah Gazan earlier today and last night about potentially asking a minister. Maybe that's something we want to look at. There are two ministers we could ask. She mentioned Crown.
I'm going to pass it over to Clare to explain why.
12:45 p.m.
Clare Annett Committee Researcher
Thank you, Madam Chair.
As Madam Chair mentioned, there could be two departments or ministers the committee might be interested in hearing from.
Crown-Indigenous Relations is the department that would be responsible for the federal pathway for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. That is where consultations, including discussions, on a red dress alert are going to be happening or have been happening. That is the department responsible for that aspect.
Then, as the committee heard today, Indigenous Services has provided funding, for example, to Jennifer Jesty's initiative.
There's an opportunity, potentially, for the committee to hear from both sides about the support this red dress initiative is receiving from those departments, if they wish.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Yes. I just wanted to bring that and exactly what Bonita said to the committee.
We heard about SOREM today, and we're trying to understand what SOREM is. We did a little research. You probably saw Clare and Alexia working on this. SOREM is that federal-provincial...what does it do? It may be something we want to bring to this committee, as well. We are only listed for four meetings, meaning we only have three meetings left on this. I think, even after today, we probably know we may want to go a little deeper.
I'm going to ask all parties to go back to their lists, because we want to make sure that we have the indigenous voice, but also that we understand the technological side of it. Many of the groups that have come in have first nations voices, but we need that technical side too.
I'm just throwing it back at everybody. Please review your lists. If we need to rejig them, let's do that, but let's just make sure that we have a very fulsome study on this.
We passed the budget of $29,400, but we may have to add an extra meeting. I think we should discuss that at our next meeting quickly.
The next thing is a motion for the provision of mental health services to witnesses. As a reminder, when we're having these types of meetings, sometimes we get rather deep. In our last study with Sport Canada, we wanted to ensure that athletes had the opportunity to speak to counsellors, as necessary.
This motion reads:
That, in relation to the study on the Red Dress Alert, the committee offer mental health supports to the witnesses, and that the clerk be authorized to make the necessary arrangements, if requested.
(Motion agreed to)
Regarding instructions to the clerk and analysts for the news release, earlier today you should have received in your email inbox the news release regarding the study. The motion is:
That the clerk and analysts of the committee, in consultation with the Chair, prepare a news release for publication on the committee’s website, at the start of the study, and upon presentation of the report to the House.
Everybody has received the draft. I just want to see if there are any questions before we send the draft out on this study.
Go ahead, Lisa.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
To clarify—because I saw that news release and I forwarded it to a couple of people who I thought might want to do briefs—this hasn't gone public yet.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Okay. I'm sorry. Hopefully I didn't.... It seemed pretty safe. It was, “Here's who to contact if you want to submit a brief.”
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
I continually meet people who I think would be great additions to this study, so I think my office has sent more names to the clerk in the meantime. I love your idea that we might need a more fulsome discussion.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Absolutely. Thank you, Lisa.
(Motion agreed to)
Once we approve this news release and send it out, our next part is briefs. Briefs are very important. Here is the motion for the deadline and word count for the submission of the briefs on the red dress alert.
That, in the context of the study on the Red Dress Alert, the deadline for the submission of briefs be no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, 2024, and that briefs not exceed two pages (approximately 1,000 words).
We have received briefs in the past that were novels.
Go ahead, Andréanne.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
I understood February 16. I think I don't have the right date, Madam Chair. Could you repeat it?
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
That's not a problem. The deadline for briefs is April 11. That lines up with after we've heard all the testimony. It gives everybody a chance for that.
(Motion agreed to)
This is with regard to hospitality. The motion reads:
That the clerk of the Committee make the necessary arrangements for an informal meeting with a delegation of Finnish parliamentarians on Monday, April 8, 2024, at which the Committee will provide coffee and a light snack.
We have looked into it. It's going to cost about $172.
(Motion agreed to)
I have further committee business.
Michelle, you had your hand up.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
That's not a problem.
Is it the motion for hospitality that you missed?
March 19th, 2024 / 12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Madam Chair, on the [Inaudible—Editor] the officials, I think Crown-Indigenous...one minister with officials.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
That's a very good question. Once again, I'm going to pass it over, because as we're doing this meeting, we're looking at who is in charge, and that's exactly one of the issues.
I'm going to have Clare read to you what she found, and then we can decide who we need to see.
12:50 p.m.
Committee Researcher
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Again, it's up to the committee whether the committee wants to hear from both the ministers from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada. As I mentioned, one department, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, is responsible for the federal pathway for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls where a lot of that round table discussion and consultation about a red dress alert is under way or about to be under way. Indigenous Services Canada, according to witnesses who were here today, has provided funding for certain community-based initiatives. There's a possibility of hearing from both of those departments.
Then, as Madam Chair mentioned, SOREM—senior officials responsible for emergency management—“is a Federal/Provincial/Territorial...body that works to harmonize and improve emergency practices across the country. SOREM includes representatives from provincial and territorial Emergency Management Organizations and Public Safety Canada”.
There is one person who we have found who we are not sure is the right contact. We haven't narrowed it down, but it seems like they would be able to speak about a broad range of topics, potentially with that jurisdictional piece that the committee heard a little bit about today.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
We do not have to make the decision today. That's why I'm asking everybody to go back and look at their lists. We're going to make the clerk have to rework some more things, but I just think that we found out from today's testimony some different directions or different pathways that we may or may not need to take. We can reassess that.
Please go ahead, Andréanne.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Actually, I was just reviewing all the points you raised. I just want to make sure of the date we are receiving the delegation of Finnish MPs.