Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Human Rights
Issue 16 - Evidence - March 19, 2007
OTTAWA, Monday, March 19, 2007
The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights met this day at 4:10 p.m. to consider draft budgets.
Senator A. Raynell Andreychuk (Chairman) in the chair.
The Chairman: The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has asked for all the budgets by March 23. It is a target, as I doubt the committee expects us to get our budget to them in that time, although we should try to give it to them as close to the date as possible. I think most committees will not be in a position to file by March 23 but somewhere shortly thereafter, and we will be in the same boat.
We have ongoing studies and commitments that we want to continue. The steering committee met and we thought we could pass what we call the quicker budgets, with the concurrence of the committee, and leave our more fundamental studies for discussion next week. We will give you a heads up as to what has come in. In the meantime, perhaps we can go through these budgets.
The first is a draft budget and we need to do two things. The first is to extend our legislative mandate to March 31, 2008; do we not have to have a mandate?
Vanessa Moss-Norbury, Clerk of the Committee: We already have the mandate for the legislation.
The Chairman: In contemplation of having legislation, all committees get a small budget. We have put in $7,000 for legislation. We have one piece of legislation that is coming here, which has already been referred — Bill S-207.
There is also some discussion as to whether another government bill would come here. The leadership has it; it is the human rights legislation that we studied. It is still in the House, as I understand it. However, we will have some legislation in this committee, unlike other years, so the budget is for $7,000. It is a routine budget on the legislation.
Is there a mover?
Senator Jaffer: Is that Senator Phalen's bill?
The Chairman: Senator Phalen suggested that he wanted the trafficking bill to come here to our committee. I said that I had no objections in principle but the leadership has the final say on all bills, and I do not think they have discussed it yet. Logically, it could come here or it could go to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, but they have many bills before them so it might come here instead. We will have bills for consideration this time. The amount in the budget is to cover the usual meals, purchase of books or periodicals and miscellaneous items. Is there a mover? Is there discussion?
Senator Dallaire: Is this based on historic data?
The Chairman: Yes.
Senator Dallaire: We begin committee hearings at four o'clock and I notice that sometimes we adjourn at six o'clock.
The Chairman: We have something to eat at six o'clock.
Senator Dallaire: We might want to adjourn at seven o'clock because other committees start earlier and meet for three hours.
The Chairman: Our time slot is from four o'clock to seven o'clock. Sometimes it depends on the senators who have indicated that they will not stay until seven o'clock, and sometimes witnesses cancel. We tried to have meals all the time and found that hot meals were left sitting. The length of the meeting is hit and miss.
Senator Nancy Ruth: It is easy to push something through and just get it done like tonight. I do not want to come earlier than four o'clock but I could make that attempt, food or no food.
Senator Dallaire: We are limiting ourselves with five meals. It does not give us much flexibility.
The Chairman: We have 10 meals for $500. If we need more, it could be done. We will not have difficulty with the budget where legislation is concerned. We will begin with this amount and if we need more, we will do it. It depends on how many bills are referred to a committee, and this will be our first one.
Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Next, we have the Public Service Commission. The committee agreed to retain its ongoing capacity to study the Public Service Commission. We will need an extension of this mandate to 2008 and a small budget to cover the usual meals, et cetera, of $3,300.
Senator Jaffer moves. Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Next, we have continued monitoring the Human Rights Act. The report of the committee was entitled, A Hard Bed to Lie In: Matrimonial Real Property On Reserve. We have had a few updates and we would ask to have the mandate extended to March 31, 2007, with a small budget attached to it.
Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: We can pass those three now.
We have two budgets to consider. One is for the ongoing mandate on the international human rights machinery. It was under that mandate that we began the council study. The steering committee has met and it proposes that the committee continue the study for one more year. That will necessitate a budget. If we are to do our work properly, we will likely need to return to Geneva to understand the practices and procedures and to monitor how the council actually works. It might necessitate travelling to New York for the UN reform, which would be in the fall, ideally, or perhaps in the spring. We will cost out that budget and meet next week for approval of the extension and a budget; that is the ongoing mandate and work for consideration.
That brings us to the coming year and our special study. The UN Commission on the Rights of the Child should be completed soon, and we will then be in a position to embark on another mandate.
Senator Jaffer: May we talk about the ongoing OAS study?
The Chairman: That falls under the international machinery and will come up next week. The study is more on the Public Service Commission and we will have witnesses. For the OAS, we can have witnesses when appropriate.
The committee continued in camera.