Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Human Rights
Issue 1 - Evidence - June 21, 2011
OTTAWA, Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights met this day at 5:26 p.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Daniel Charbonneau, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect. Are there any nominations?
Senator Brazeau: I move that Senator Jaffer take the chair.
Mr. Charbonneau: It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Brazeau that the Honourable Senator Jaffer do take the chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Mr. Charbonneau: I declare the motion carried and invite Senator Jaffer to please take the chair.
Senator Mobina S. B. Jaffer (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you very much. If we can move along to the election of the deputy chair, may I have someone nominate the deputy chair?
Senator Hubley: It is my pleasure to nominate Senator Patrick Brazeau as the deputy chair of our committee.
The Chair: Is there a seconder? Senator Kochhar. Is it acceptable to everyone that Senator Brazeau be the deputy chair?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I will ask Senator Brazeau to join me here. Thank you, Senator Brazeau.
The next item on our agenda is the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. May I have someone move the following motion:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair, and one other member to be designated after the usual consultation; and
That the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses and to schedule hearings.
Senator Hubley: So moved.
The Chair: Moved by Senator Hubley.
We need to have a motion to publish the committee's proceedings. It reads:
That the committee publish its proceedings.
May I have someone move that motion, please?
Senator Ataullahjan: So moved.
The Chair: Senator Ataullahjan, thank you.
We need an authorization to hold meetings and to receive evidence when quorum is not present.
Senator Kochhar: So moved.
The Chair: Senator Kochhar.
The next motion is:
That, pursuant to rule 89, the chair be authorized to hold meetings, to receive and authorize the publication of the evidence when a quorum is not present, provided that a member of the committee from both the government and the opposition be present.
Senator Nancy Ruth: So moved.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Nancy Ruth.
Then, for the financial report:
That the committee adopt the draft first report, prepared in accordance with rule 104.
May I have someone move the financial report?
Senator Kochhar: So moved.
The Chair: Senator Kochhar, thank you.
The next item is research staff. The motion reads:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee; and
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel and technical, clerical and other personnel as may be necessary —
Senator Ataullahjan: So moved.
The Chair: Senator Ataullahjan has moved that motion, and I invite the researchers to come to the table.
I need a motion as to the purpose of the committee's examination and consideration of such bills, subject matters of bills and estimates as are referred to it.
Senator Kochhar: So moved.
The Chair: Next:
That, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to retain the services of such experts as may be required by the work of the committee; and
That the chair, on behalf of the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft reports.
Senator Ataullahjan: So moved.
The Chair: Regarding authority to commit funds and certify accounts, it is moved by the Honourable Senator Kochhar:
That pursuant to section 7, Chapter 3:06 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair and the clerk of the committee.
Senator Zimmer: So moved.
The Chair: Next:
That, pursuant to section 8, Chapter 3:06 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair and the clerk of the committee; and
That, notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases related to consultants and personnel services, the authority to commit funds and certify accounts be conferred jointly on the chair and on the deputy chair.
Senator Hubley: So moved.
The Chair: For travel, it is moved by Senator Ataullahjan:
That the committee empower the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure to designate, as required, one of more members of the committee and/or such staff as may be necessary to travel on assignment on behalf of the committee.
Does everyone agree?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Regarding the designation of members travelling on committee business, it is moved by the Honourable Senator Brazeau:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to:
1) determine whether any member of the committee is on "official business" for the purposes of paragraph 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of Senate on Wednesday, June 3, 1998; and
2) consider any member of the committee to be on "official business" if that member is: (a) attending an event or meeting related to the work of the committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the committee; and
That the subcommittee report at the earliest opportunity any decisions taken with respect to the designation of members of the committee travelling on committee business.
Is it acceptable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Next, regarding travelling and living expenses of witnesses, it is moved by the Honourable Senator Kochhar:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witness expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses for one witness from any one organization and payment will take place upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses for a second witness should there be exceptional circumstances.
With respect to communications, it is moved by the Honourable Senator Zimmer:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communications officer(s) assigned to the committee in the development of communications plans where appropriate and to request the services of the Senate Communications Directorate for the purposes of their development and implementation; and
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to allow coverage by electronic media of all public proceedings of the committee with the least possible disruption of its hearings at its discretion.
I have put many proposals in front of you. Does everyone agree to accept those proposals?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairs: Does anyone not agree? Are there any abstentions?
All motions are carried.
I know we have other things happening upstairs, so may I please get a motion from all of you? We have a number of references still in the Senate that we did not complete, so our reports have not been accepted. We need a renewal of orders of reference on children's rights, hiring and promotion practices, human rights, matrimonial real property, and sexual exploitation. That is all of our ongoing work. I am asking your permission to get these references from the Senate tomorrow. Is it acceptable? Our ongoing work is off the scroll at the moment because we have to take it back to the chamber. Is that acceptable to everyone? Are there any concerns? .
Senator Nancy Ruth: Could we add to the list? If we are looking at children's rights, could we look at Resolution 1324, too, a follow-up to that?
The Chair: We will be looking at that. These are our ongoing references.
A number of our reports have not been adopted by the Senate — the Afghanistan report, the 1325 report and the universal periodic review report. Four reports have not been adopted.
Senator Nancy Ruth: What about Senator Kochhar's "non-report" on the disabled in sport?
The Chair: That is one of the references. That is an ongoing issue, not here. These are our ongoing ones, and those are the special ones, for which we will do references. I need your permission.
Senator Kochhar: When can we conclude that? I will not be coming back after the summer.
The Chair: Senator Kochhar, as I have spoken to you, my wish is — and we have been working on this — that if the Senate continues to sit, we will meet on Monday and have the maximum number of witnesses. The clerk and the Library of Parliament have been working very hard to line up witnesses. We have not made the commitment because I did not have your permission yet, and we do not know if the Senate will be sitting next week.
There are two ways to look at it, and I am waiting for direction from you. One is to go to the Senate and get permission to sit even if the Senate is not sitting, and the other is that we will meet on Monday if the Senate is sitting. The idea is we will meet as long as we need to meet, and we will get permission from the whips to get the maximum number of witnesses that we believe you want to examine. I need your permission now.
Let us go with the first one. If the Senate finishes on Thursday, is it the committee's wish to return on Monday? I hear Senator Nancy Ruth saying no.
I am taking a leap. Would the committee be generous enough to look at three or four of us meeting with the witnesses on Monday so that Senator Kochhar, before he finishes, can get to examine the witnesses? I have not asked your permission, so I am asking now. By that, I mean that Senator Brazeau, Senator Kochhar, one other senator and I could be there so that Senator Kochhar would have the opportunity to examine the witnesses.
Senator Kochhar: Do we need any more witnesses? Can we conclude with what we have done so far? I think we have had a fair number of witnesses and a report can be written.
The Chair: May I ask your permission to move in camera so we can discuss this in detail?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(The committee continued in camera.)