FEWO Committee Meeting
Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting.
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38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
Standing Committee on the Status of Women
EVIDENCE
CONTENTS
Monday, October 31, 2005
| ¹ | 1540 |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney (Burlington, Lib.) |
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The Chair (Mrs. Susan Kadis (Thornhill, Lib.)) |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
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The Chair |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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Mrs. Lynne Yelich (Blackstrap, CPC) |
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Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ) |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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Ms. Christiane Gagnon |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
| ¹ | 1545 |
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Mrs. Lynne Yelich |
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The Chair |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
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Mrs. Lynne Yelich |
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The Chair |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
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Hon. Paddy Torsney |
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The Chair |
CANADA
Standing Committee on the Status of Women |
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EVIDENCE
Monday, October 31, 2005
[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]
* * *
¹ 
(1540)
[English]
Hon. Paddy Torsney (Burlington, Lib.): They're here on parental benefits.
The Chair (Mrs. Susan Kadis (Thornhill, Lib.)): Yes, on the same issue, parental benefits, as we wind that up toward our report.
Also, if I may, could I have a motion to approve additional funding of $34,700 for witnesses for the committee? Presently, I think we only have about $5,000 in the kitty. It's pretty minimal. Could we have a motion? We could do that prior to our witnesses.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: So moved.
The Chair: It is moved by Ms. Torsney and seconded by Madame Gagnon.
(Motion agreed to)
The Chair: Thank you.
Ms. Torsney.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: I'm really looking forward to the presentation.
I think this committee is scheduled to go until about 5:30. In the spirit of all the people around the room who probably have children to get home to, I'm hoping we could either be prompt at 5:30 or actually leave a little before. If we run out of questions, we might not need to drag out the session.
It's tough on days like this for everybody who works here.
I have another committee after this one until 7:30.
The Chair: It's a very good point. It's well taken.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: Since we're being family friendly, we might want to practise it at home.
Mrs. Lynne Yelich (Blackstrap, CPC): I second that motion.
[Translation]
Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ): That's a very interesting comment, one that I've never heard elsewhere in relation to another committee.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: I made a similar comment when I was Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee; I said it was important for members to be there for their families.
Ms. Christiane Gagnon: That's good. I've never heard that said before, but surely it's has nothing to do with the fact that this is the Status of Women Committee.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: No. It happened at the Finance Committee. The men were all wondering what was happening on the 31st. I told them it was important to uphold traditions involving children.
[English]
The Chair: We've just had confirmed that Ms. Lewis, who is the main witness.... There was a young woman coming with her also, so I'm presuming that if Ms. Lewis isn't here, Ms. Lamborn is not coming.
¹ (1545)
Mrs. Lynne Yelich: Is there any particular reason we were having them? I'm confused, because if this has nothing to do with the estimates, why are we having them come? They're waiting for their funding. They believe their funding is going to flow. I just wondered why we are even having them come.
The Chair: There was interest all around the committee to ensure that it was going forward as approved, and yes, it has been approved. They're working on the contribution agreements right now. So it looks as if it's imminent. I don't know if that's--
Hon. Paddy Torsney: So we were requesting to have them appear.
The Chair: Yes, there was an interest by the committee.
Mrs. Lynne Yelich: That's because they weren't getting the funding. But the funding has been approved and the money is flowing as we speak, isn't it?
The Chair: I don't think it has flowed yet, but it is set to flow, I guess is the best way to be accurate.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: I think they were going to tell us about the initiative.
The Chair: Yes.
There doesn't appear to be any significant problem, but the committee had some interest in understanding what the whole initiative entailed—how that money would be used. We were interested in hearing that as well.
Hon. Paddy Torsney: Can I suggest that we suspend until 4 o'clock or until they arrive?
The Chair: No, they're not coming. We just heard that the main witness, Ms. Lewis, unfortunately, is sick. They did not bring that to our attention, unfortunately.
So we're going to have to adjourn the meeting.
We'll be resuming again on Wednesday, and we will be meeting again with the expert panel on gender-based analysis.
Thank you for your indulgence.