HUMA Committee Meeting

STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND THE STATUS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

COMITÉ PERMANENT DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DES RESSOURCES HUMAINES ET DE LA CONDITION DES PERSONNES HANDICAPÉES

EVIDENCE

[Recorded by Electronic Apparatus]

Thursday, March 29, 2001

• 1106

[English]

The Chair (Mr. Peter Adams (Peterborough, Lib.)): Colleagues, let's begin.

I notice that we don't have quorum in terms of taking votes—perhaps we will before we finish—but we can have a meeting that is an informal discussion. I've had requests from various members from several parties that, because Bill C-2 is in the House, it's not easy for them to be here. Obviously, we all understand that. I would like to suggest that unless other members come in while we're talking, we look at the material that has been circulated and discuss it.

I would like to begin with the draft agenda. Those of you who were not at the steering committee can see the steering committee's suggestions for this committee's work between now and early June.

Now, it says “Draft Agenda”, so the idea is that this is going to be a guide to us. It's not going to be cast in stone. It contains important principles for various members here.

One is in response to an NDP motion that we do consider Canada student loans. As you can see, the way that's being done is that next Tuesday there is a meeting, already being organized, that is a reprise—and I use that word very deliberately—of the meeting we had before the summer with the Canada student loan officials.

We're going to bring the Canada student loan officials in here. They are going to bring us up to speed on where the Canada student loans are at the moment. We are going to have a round table with witnesses who came to those last meetings—student groups, university and college groups, and other people of that type. Essentially that meeting will bring us up to speed on Canada student loans.

Moving down on that agenda, it says tentatively May 15 and May 17, which means there will be two more meetings that will deal with beyond Canada student loans. It will be Canada student loans, what the committee thinks about them, and funding of student access to higher education.

Next Thursday, which is a week today, we begin our consideration of the points raised in our hearings on Bill C-2 that were outside the purview of the bill itself. There will be further consideration of employment insurance, beginning with the summary of testimony, which we all have. That begins with this briefing a week today, which we're still thinking our way through.

At the end of that meeting will be the drafting instructions to Library of Parliament staff, as that will be our last meeting before the break. So the idea is that we take 20 or 30 minutes at the end, in camera, so that we can direct our research staff as to what on EI we hope to do when we return. When we do return, suggested tentatively for April 24 or April 26, there will be two more meetings on EI to produce our second report.

Then you see a bunch of other dates there in terms of when we should consider the estimates. There will be various ways of doing that. There are four meetings allocated. In brackets, however, it says—and I did not mention this at our steering committee meeting—that we had agreed, I think, earlier that we would have one meeting with our subcommittees to simply deal with disabilities issues and children and youth at risk issues, and have the chairs of our subcommittees here with us.

• 1110

So perhaps one of those four meetings would be that meeting, and the other three would be devoted to the estimates.

On May 29, tentatively, we have Joe McGuire's point that we should return to the six-point plan. For new members, this committee dealt with the hearings on grants and contributions, and this is an update on how HRDC is dealing with the six-point plan the Auditor General discussed and so on and so forth.

Colleagues, that's what we have. My suggestion now, by the way, is to have a very short meeting, perhaps 20 minutes and we can finish.

Are there any comments on that?

[Translation]

Is that fine with you, Paul?

Mr. Paul Crête (Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, BQ): Yes.

[English]

The Chair: Val.

Ms. Val Meredith (South Surrey—White Rock—Langley, Canadian Alliance): I'm fine.

The Chair: Okay, colleagues?

Then if that's okay with you, the chair will take that as guidance.

We still don't have enough for quorum.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: We're missing one Liberal member.

The Chair: Yes, unfortunately.

Mr. Paul Crête: We're all present and accounted for.

[English]

The Chair: Colleagues, you also have another piece of paper. We cannot deal with it since we're one short of quorum here, but I think we should see it. That essentially is the second report of the steering committee. I would suggest that we take that motion, introduce it on Tuesday at the beginning of the meeting, and approve it.

It simply says, in general terms, what I've just said to you:

That before the House rises in June, the Committee hold meetings regarding Canada Student Loans Program; study the Estimates and invite the relevant Ministers and, as per the motion adopted by the Committee, report on Employment Insurance before June 1, 2001.

That was Paul Crête's motion.

Paul.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: I just want some assurances that employment insurance is our top priority. I would like the following to be added to the next-to-last line of the French version: “et, en priorité, fasse rapport sur l'assurance-emploi avant le 1^er juin 2001” to be certain that... We have passed a resolution to this effect. I understand that we will be focussing on other issues, but if ever we have a conflict, our priority should be employment insurance.

[English]

The Chair: Paul, we can change it if you wish, but would it be enough if we adopted the motion and this agenda as a tentative agenda?

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: If we agree as a committee that our priority should be to report back on employment insurance before June 1, as per the resolution, I'm prepared to live with the text. I merely want some assurances that there won't be any surprises and that even if the subject of student loans were to become more important, we won't suddenly bring in a motion to postpone the report on employment insurance. I simply want us to come to a kind of gentlemen's or gentlewomen's agreement on this.

The Chair: As I understand it, employment insurance is high up on our agenda.

[English]

You see, what I don't want, Paul, is to.... We can't amend it now. We could amend it on Tuesday. We could change it, but as long as the priority is covered by this agenda, is that adequate?

Ms. Val Meredith: Perhaps I can jump in.

The Chair: Go ahead.

Ms. Val Meredith: There are three dates here for EI. There are three days for Canada student loans. There are four days for estimates. I know you're bringing in subcommittee work here. Is it not possible to give four days to EI? Then, if we had to have an extra meeting to meet with the subcommittees to deal with that, we could throw it in as well as these meetings on a Tuesday afternoon, or a Wednesday afternoon.

The Chair: The way I thought the discussion went in the steering committee was that the estimates will include, quite naturally, discussion of EI as well. So the estimates is an occasion for dealing with everything to do with HRDC. I had thought it was in there, but again, if I look at my colleagues over here now, we can't change this officially.

Paul Crête.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: Do the budget meetings include meetings with ministers?

[English]

The Chair: That's right. As you see, “invite the relevant Ministers” is in the motion. The difficulty I have with that, Paul, is that if we put a date on here and put a minister, it's stupid.

A voice: Because we might have to shuffle.

The Chair: That's right.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: I don't have a problem with that. I just wanted to be certain that these meetings were included.

[English]

The Chair: I've tried to follow through on the intent of the meeting.

• 1115

Colleagues, you've heard Val's point here. Are you not comfortable with the fact that estimates naturally will focus on employment?

Ms. Val Meredith: I was just trying to find some solution to Paul's concern that there wasn't a priority established—maybe if we had just committed four days. I think we agreed that we wanted to give enough information to the library staff that they could come up with a report.

The Chair: Absolutely—which will be next Thursday.

Ms. Val Meredith: So then it's a question of how many days we are going to need to go over that report, iron out any issues, and have it ready for presentation to Parliament.

The Chair: Judi Longfield.

Mrs. Judi Longfield (Whitby—Ajax, Lib.): I think the fact that it says we're going to deal with employment insurance before June 1 should give the comfort needed.

Perhaps it's just the order in which the things are in. If we start by saying that the committee will report on employment insurance before June 1, and it will also study Canada student loans and estimates, then we're putting it at the top of the list of priorities.

Would that give you more comfort, Mr. Crête? Because I want to see it out by June 1. I think everybody does. What if we just indicate that it's our priority, and actually list it first?

The Chair: Would that satisfy you, Paul, if the motion was changed so that it begins with “That the motion adopted by the Committee report on Employment Insurance before June 1, 2001”, and then goes on to the rest?

You see, my understanding from you was that three meetings was not bad for it, particularly given that the estimates will naturally include more.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: I think Ms. Longfield's suggestion is a good one. If we were to say: "that pursuant to the motion adopted, the committee shall report on employment insurance before June 1, 2001 and that before the House adjourns, the committee shall hold hearings on the Canada Student Loan Program, examine the Main Estimates and hear evidence from the ministers concerned", then that would be fine. All we need to do is invert the order to distinguish between the two items.

[English]

The Chair: Absolutely.

So when we come on Tuesday, you'll see this motion changed, if it's okay with you—and I see no objection—the way in which Paul Crête and Judi Longfield have suggested. Then what we will do is approve this motion, and it will carry with it this draft agenda, still knowing that it is a draft agenda. It gives the intent of what we're going to try to do.

Is that okay?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

The Chair: Colleagues, Danielle has reminded me that Derek Lee has asked whether any members of the committee would be interested in meeting with a delegation from the Nigerian National Assembly on Friday, April 6. I would only say that Nigeria is a confederation, or whatever it is they call it—in other words, a decentralized democracy like ours. They are struggling to be democratic. So if any members happen to be here that Friday, I would simply urge them to attend. That's all I can say.

Please let Danielle know if you can attend.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: Probably.

The Chair: Very well. Thank you very much.

Ms. Diane St-Jacques (Shefford, Lib.): I'm on duty Friday. Where will this meeting be held?

[English]

The Chair: We will find out about it and get a message to members.

[Translation]

Mr. Paul Crête: The morning is preferable, either at 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m., before the House convenes.

[English]

The Clerk of the Committee: If I may, parliamentary relations did put out that request to us as a committee because the Nigerian assembly wanted to meet our committee members. They're a committee as well. They've also asked to meet with Mr. Derek Lee's committee.

[Translation]

Mr. Lee has already indicated that he would meet with them in his office at 9:30 a.m. and since it's the last day, is someone from this committee available - either one or two persons - to represent the committee along with Mr. Lee?

The meeting would be at 9:30 a.m.

[English]

The Chair: Well, at least three members will be here.

We will get that information to you. I will talk to Derek Lee today so that Danielle has a clear idea of what it is.

• 1120

There being no further business, colleagues, we will adjourn until next Tuesday. As usual, we've asked for our meeting to be televised. We don't know yet whether it will be or not.

We are adjourned.