Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 18th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the Committee only when the documents are available in both official languages and that witnesses be advised accordingly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

Mr. Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses not exceeding two (2) representatives per organization; provided that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to have one staff member at an in camera meeting and that one additional person from each House officer's office be allowed to be present.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the Committee Clerk's office for consultation by members of the Committee or by their staff.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That a forty-eight (48) hours notice, interpreted as two (2) nights, shall be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration, provided that (1) the notice be filed with the clerk of the committee not later than 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; that (2) the motion be distributed to members in both official languages by the clerk on the same day the said notice was transmitted if it was received no later than the deadline hour; and that (3) notices received after the deadline hour or on non-business days be deemed to have been received during the next business day and that when the committee is travelling on official business, no substantive motions may be moved.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

MP Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I move:

That, in relation to Orders of Reference from the House respecting bills,

a) the clerk of the committee shall, upon the committee receiving such an Order of Reference, write to each member who is not a member of a caucus represented on the committee to invite those members to file with the clerk of the committee, in both official languages, any amendments to the bill, which is the subject of the said Order, which they would suggest that the committee consider;

b) suggested amendments filed, pursuant to paragraph (a), at least 48 hours prior to the start of clause-by-clause consideration of the bill to which the amendments relate shall be deemed to be proposed during the said consideration, provided that the committee may, by motion, vary this deadline in respect of a given bill; and

c) during the clause-by-clause consideration of a bill, the Chair shall allow a member who filed suggested amendments, pursuant to paragraph (a), an opportunity to make brief representations in support of them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)

I believe that is the last one.

Thank you very much, Mr. Casey, for your yeoman's work on that. We appreciate it.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

It's a pleasure, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Seeing no other routine motions, I will ask the committee if it wishes to discuss any further business at this time.

MP Samson.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a couple of motions on some very important topics that the committee could study. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with all the members of the committee. It is paramount that our first objective be to support the men and women of the Canadian Forces as well as veterans. We have a huge job ahead of us. The committee did some great work during the 42nd Parliament. We hope to raise the level of co-operation to better address the needs and demands of veterans and to make sure they know about the benefits available to them, benefits they most certainly deserve.

I have two motions. I know members of the Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and NDP also have motions to put forward. As I mentioned, the objective is to build on the work accomplished during the 42nd Parliament.

With that, I will read my first motion. It deals with an issue that other parties no doubt supported as part of their election platforms. It's certainly an important issue worth studying.

I move the following:

That the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs conduct a study on a long term Canadian Strategy for Commemorations which recognizes and honours the service, sacrifice, and achievements of all Canadian Veterans; which takes into consideration future events, monuments, memorials, graves and cemeteries both at home and abroad; that the Committee invite officials from Veterans Affairs Canada, interested stakeholders and Canadian Veterans, educators, and other partners; that this study include visits to memorials and monuments both within Canada and abroad; and that the Committee table a report with recommendations to the government on the best way forward in the 21st century to inspire and educate Canadians and citizens around the world to recognize the service and sacrifice of all who have served our country.

It's extremely important to recognize that there are no more World War I veterans left and that the number of World War II veterans is dwindling. We must continue to educate Canadians all over the country. That's it for my first motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you.

Is there any discussion regarding this first motion?

Mr. Ruff.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

I have nothing against this motion, other than that I don't think it should be the first study of this committee. It's a great idea; however, I think there are a lot more pressing issues with our veterans that we need to take care of. For those who aren't aware, I just retired a year ago, so I'm well versed in a lot of the veterans issues, and I have a large number of veterans in my riding.

As I said, it's a great idea. I just don't think it should be our priority.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

MP Blaney, please.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

I thank the member for this motion. I agree that right now.... Of course we recently saw articles saying that 44,000 veterans are in a backlog. I think this increase, which I believe is about 10% from six months earlier, is a little more pressing and urgent.

I am also a little concerned about the commitment to travel. I really respect our veterans, and I think we've seen in the last while some feelings around commemorations that felt disrespectful to some of our veterans. I believe there's an important piece to be speaking about here, but I just want to recognize the resources that would be needed for us to do that extensive travel, when there's a lot of important work that veterans need right here in this country right now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Is there any further discussion?

Mr. Samson.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I'd like to introduce a second motion, if that's okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

We'll need to vote on this motion or vote to defer—take some course of action before we can move on.