Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Human Rights
Issue 24 - Evidence - February 27, 2013
OTTAWA, Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights met this day at 12 p.m. for the election of the deputy chair; and to consider a draft budget.
Senator Mobina S. B. Jaffer (Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Chair: Honourable senators, it is my duty to inform you that the position of the deputy chair is vacant and to preside over the election of a new deputy chair. I am now ready to receive a motion to that effect. Are there any nominations?
Senator Harb: I would like to move the nomination of Senator Ataullahjan.
The Chair: Are there further nominations?
It is moved by the Honourable Senator Harb that the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan be the deputy chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Congratulations, senator. I look forward to working with you.
We also have to deal with the budget. This issue was before the steering committee a few weeks ago. As you know, our cyberbullying report has been very well received. There is a major international conference here and we have been asked to provide 1,000 copies of the report. There are continuous requests for reports. The steering has approved this budget, and we would like to get approval from you so that we can go to Internal Economy to see if it will be accepted.
Are there any questions?
Senator Ataullahjan: That is 2,000 copies?
The Chair: That is right.
Without my knowledge, the clerk reduced it to 1,000 copies, but steering had approved 2,000 and I want to keep it at 2,000. I want approval, so it would be double this amount.
Senator Ataullahjan: Do we need 2,000?
The Chair: We continuously have requests, and if anyone requests it from us we will have no copies at all.
Senators, I receive at least six or seven requests a week for copies of this report, and with every request I get, I encourage people to go online and get the copies. This report is very much being used in classrooms.
My request is that we have a bank of reports so that they are available when we need them. Obviously, we will still encourage people to go online. However, for conferences and ongoing matters, people are requesting copies, and steering had originally approved 2,000 copies.
Senator Ataullahjan: I am just wondering if we need 1,000 copies. It is a lot of copies.
The Chair: One thousand copies are going directly —
Senator Ataullahjan: Then we have an extra thousand copies.
The Chair: That is what we approved.
Senator Ataullahjan: We approved 2,000 because we thought they wanted 2,000.
The Chair: However, they then reduced it and we said we will keep it.
What is the pleasure of the committee?
The clerk is telling me it may be less. Obviously we will spend less and not print the 1,000 copies right away; we will print them as needed. Just so you know, these are being printed in-house, so we do not need to get 1,000 copies printed. We will only print them as needed.
Senator Ataullahjan: I agree with that.
The Chair: We will add ``as needed.'' It is just that I do not want to keep going to Internal Economy because this report has become very popular.
Senator Ataullahjan: It has.
The Chair: Is that acceptable?
Senator McIntyre: It sounds reasonable.
The Chair: May I have a mover? It is moved by Senator McIntyre and seconded by Senator Ngo.
Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I would like to go in camera to discuss the next issue on our agenda.
(The committee continued in camera.)