Business of Supply Mr. Chair, perhaps I will indeed be the minister next time. According to former regional staff reps and women's organizations, there was no consultation, but I would like to continue. Where is the balance between policy research and program delivery?
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, women's group after women's group, individual after individual, has come to the committee on the Status of Women and indicated that there was no consultation, no analysis of the effects of these closures, and no analysis of the change to the mandate. That is simply not accountable.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Thank you, Mr. Chair. You assured me, minister, that the outstanding publication--
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, search and kill missions in Afghanistan are hardly helping women. I would also like to know what is the status of the independent research fund.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, I asked what the status is of the policy research fund. What is its status? I would appreciate an answer to my question.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, the funding mandate your government set for the women's program is flawed and ineffective. Have you changed the terms and conditions of the women's program?
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, two new program announcements by the minister's government have been made. I would like to know when those programs will actually begin.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, what are the parameters of those new programs?
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, I would like to know if a gender based analysis was done on the initial cuts to Status of Women, the changes to the funding mandate, and the decision to close the regional offices.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Business of Supply Mr. Chair, I am extremely disappointed by how Status of Women has been run by the Conservative government. Every step and every move the government has made has left Canadian women feeling alienated and silenced. The changes to the funding mandate and the closure of the regional offices have sent shock waves through women's communities, women's rights organizations and women's programs that depend on Status of Women assistance and funding.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act Mr. Speaker, while my hon. colleague may lack sporting acuity, he is most definitely an advocate of the first class for artists and communicators in Canada. I have wondered about this issue in regard to artists. The experience in other countries suggests that legislation can very often impair artists and their ability to do what they do best, and that is create art.
May 16th, 2007House debate
Settlement of International Investment Disputes Act Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member a question in regard to the procedure for the constitution of ICSID in terms of what it means for the ability of investors to be free of the courts. Essentially it says that Canadian investors in foreign countries often fear that foreign courts will be biased in favour of their state and their country's laws and the convention that is being contemplated here shelters foreign investors from the courts of the country in which the investment is made.
May 15th, 2007House debate
Settlement of International Investment Disputes Act Mr. Speaker, the member spoke about concerns in regard to democracy and the democratization of this House in compelling international treaties to be discussed and agreed to here in this place. That brings me to a question about accountability. One of the things that concerns me is the transparency and accountability of the ICSID.
May 15th, 2007House debate
Petitions Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from the good citizens of London—Fanshawe who are concerned because the federal minimum wage was eliminated in 1996 by the Liberals. A $10 an hour minimum wage just approaches the poverty level for a single worker. A federal minimum wage would establish best practice for labour standards across the country.
May 15th, 2007House debate
Life-Work Balance Mr. Speaker, yesterday, many of us took time to celebrate mothers but mothers in this country need more than flowers. What mothers and fathers deserve is better work-life balance. They deserve not to be penalized for taking time off to care for children or sick and aging relatives.
May 14th, 2007House debate