Evidence of meeting #37 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 sport.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:45 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We've all voted and we've come to an agreement to finish off the last panel. That's done. That's basically the gist of my remarks, that I agreed. So, as I understand it, according to the schedule, we can start at the November 24 committee meeting.
No. Sorry.
12:45 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
It will be November 17.
Okay. It will be after break week. Minister Ien is appearing on November 14. So we will start on November 17.
That's perfect. That's what I wanted to clarify.
I also agree that after this decision, we could continue our other study. After the mental health witness panel, we still have to finish the report on Ms. Gazan's study. We'll have to see how that affects the review timeline for the study on Indigenous women.
Can we get a clarification on that?
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Yes, absolutely. I have the calendar. We'll reschedule and look at the calendar, of course. We were going to be doing version one of the indigenous study. That was what we were focusing on. On our human trafficking and sexual exploitation study, the witnesses were due on Friday. On that one, we'll be delaying starting our fourth study. Then, on the mental health study, usually these guys are three to four weeks on getting a study, and then we get that through translation. Those would be some of the things.
We will make sure that everything we do is very transparent. For anything we can find out from translation, and for whatever we may do, we'll make sure that everybody is advised and a new calendar would be available.
My only question for you is that when we're talking about “comprehensive”, we talked about four meetings, and I know there were discussions on that.
Michelle, I'm going to pass the floor to you and then to Anita.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Thanks, Madam Chair.
Yes, that's my question. With our comprehensive study, just because it would be bigger.... I support the amendment for a comprehensive study. I think it makes way more sense to do something properly. I am just curious. Do we still keep four...? Is that enough? That's what I'm asking. Or do we have to put that into the amendment? I'm not sure.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
I'm just having a quick chat with the clerk. We're basically looking at the wording at the bottom of what Ms. Sudds, Jenna, has indicated. This is something that would be simple to vote on. We're just saying to the government that we want more than just a response, that we want something bigger.
We could look at that and then we can start going.... I opened the can of worms before I should have, so what I would like to see is if everybody is in support of Jenna's amendment for an actual comprehensive response. All those in favour of the government with a comprehensive response...?
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Happy, joyful: We're moving forward.
Okay. Now we're looking at going back to Michelle and whether four meetings are going to be enough. We could probably do one sport in four meetings, unfortunately, but we have to look at what it is that we want to accomplish. I think four meetings will open the can, and what do we do from there? Perhaps there should be a bigger discussion on that.
We have Michelle, followed by Anita.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
If we're sticking with the four meetings, taking into consideration what Leah has commented on—to not push back her study again—that would be my concern. Can we effectively do this in four meetings? Can we really hunker down and be really concrete so that we're not pushing Leah's motion further back? I think she has shown incredible grace in what she said today, because it is absolutely important that we study that fire that's burning as well.
That would be my suggestion. As a woman and as a mom, I feel confident that when you give us a really hard task, we can do it, but I think we have to be really concrete in who we're going to have as witnesses if we're going to have only four meetings.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Awesome.
I'm going to go to Anita, followed by Leah, followed by Andréanne.
October 31st, 2022 / 12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I think we've been very good in this committee of not being too prescriptive. If we see by the third meeting that we need.... I think the committee can probably gauge that. I've seen some really good reports come out of four meetings or less, in fact, so I think we should give the chair a little bit of leeway in that, also depending on how many witnesses are proposed.
The thing I want to also say is that we could give the chair some leeway with the calendar. If the study on indigenous women in resource extraction is ready and the analysts have finished it, perhaps the chair could schedule in a meeting in between somewhere so that we can approve that study and get it out. It's something that's probably important to get out before the holiday season.
I think we can all agree we don't need to have a motion around this but just give the chair a little bit of latitude in these regards.
12:50 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Oh, good. Okay.
I'm going to Leah, and then you can propose to me anything you want.
Go ahead.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I'll defer my time to Andréanne first, and I'll leave my comments until after.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We've all agreed to begin the study on abuse in sport on November 17. I propose that we have a meeting to review the report as Ms. Gazan suggested. We have no more witnesses to hear. We will have a meeting, or two at the most, on Ms. Gazan's report.
I suggest that we can then begin the study on abuse in sport and alternate the meetings between two subjects, as we sometimes do on this committee. I suggest that we do two meetings on sport, and then we can decide if we need to extend the study. However, while we're thinking about it, we should have a meeting about the report on Indigenous women and girls. Then we'll come back to the sport study.
That way, we will alternate between the subjects. Rather than trying to find another meeting date, which we may not be able to do, we could already plan that after the first two meetings on sport, we can stop and decide if we need more than four meetings on that. That way, we can finish Ms. Gazan's report.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
12:50 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
12:50 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
—I think that's a very gracious compromise. I think both issues are quite urgent. I would feel very happy to have the two meetings, as Andréanne suggested, reserving one meeting for us to finalize the report. I also think that will give us more time to put witnesses forward and really think about it. It has just kind of come about. It will give us more time to be thoughtful about witnesses.