Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Human Rights
Issue 1 - Evidence - November 6, 2013
OTTAWA, Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights met this day at 12:45 p.m., pursuant to rule 12-13 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Adam Thompson, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, there is a quorum. As clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of a chair and I'm now prepared to receive a motion to that effect.
Senator Ataullahjan: I move that Senator Jaffer be appointed chair of the Human Rights Committee.
Senator Meredith: I second that.
Mr. Thompson: Seeing no other nominations, it is moved by the Senator Ataullahjan that Senator Jaffer do take the chair of this committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Mr. Thompson: I declare the motion carried and invite Senator Jaffer to take the chair.
Senator Mobina S. B. Jaffer (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you for your support.
We will now elect the vice-chair. Can somebody nominate?
Senator Ngo: I move Senator Ataullahjan to be the vice-chair of the Human Rights Committee.
The Chair: Thank you. Senator Meredith, do you second that?
Senator Meredith: I second that, yes.
The Chair: Any other nominations? If not, I declare Senator Ataullahjan.
It is moved by the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair, and one other member of the committee, to be designated after 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.
Is it agreeable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Anyone opposed? No.
Next is a motion to publish committee proceedings. It is moved by Senator Ataullahjan that the committee publish its proceedings.
Is that acceptable to everyone?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Okay. Next is authorization to hold meetings and to receive evidence when quorum is not present. It is moved by the Honourable Senator Meredith:
That pursuant to rule 12-17, the chair be authorized to hold meetings, to receive and authorize the publication of evidence when a quorum is not present, provided that a member of the committee from both the government and the opposition be present.
Is that accepted?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Financial Report is next. It is moved by the Honourable Senator Ngo:
That the committee adopt the draft first report, prepared in accordance with rule 12-26(2).
Is that acceptable?
Mr. Thompson: Senator, could I speak to that just briefly? Senators, I would ask if you would authorize the steering committee to approve the final version of this report before it goes in. There is one change that will need to be made and I'm just waiting for confirmation of the numbers from finance, but it will adjust things slightly.
The Chair: To clarify that, you have the report there. That one change is on the budget, the last item, the —
Mr. Thompson: The off-reserve.
The Chair: — the off-reserve study, and there will be a difference of $2,000 more. It will be better if the steering committee approves that. Is that okay with everybody?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you.
And then the next item is: It's moved by the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee;
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel, technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary for the purpose of the committee's examination and consideration of such bills, subject-matters of bills, and estimates as are referred to it;
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.
Is that acceptable? Thank you.
Authority to commit funds and certify accounts: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Meredith:
That, pursuant to section 7, chapter 3:06 of the Senate Administrative Rules, the authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair, and the clerk of the committee;
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 deputy chair.
Is that acceptable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: The clerk has given me permission, so may we go to motion 9? It is moved by the Honourable Senator Ngo. The travel policy. Is that acceptable?
Senator Ngo: Yes.
The Chair: Designation of members travelling on committee business: It is moved by Senator Meredith:
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 paragraphs 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of the 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 —
The rest is in front of you. Is that acceptable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Travelling and living expenses of witnesses. We have this all the time. Senator Ngo, are you moving this motion?
Senator Ngo: Yes.
The Chair: Is that acceptable to everybody?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: The last one is communications. It is moved by Honourable Senator Ataullahjan, and then the communication is in front of you. Is that acceptable, or am I going too fast?
The last thing is the time slot for regular meetings, Monday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Just by way of background, last time there were members who felt that was too long. My challenge is this: I'm not going to say 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., but I would like to put it to the committee that we have a convention that we don't hold a meeting in the week we're off. It will turn out that we will have two meetings a month of two hours each. I respectfully suggest that that will not get us to do any work in this committee. My suggestion is that, because one week is off, which gives us two Mondays off, the two times we meet a month, we have a three-hour meeting.
Either we do that, or we bring everybody in on the holiday Monday. That's the only way.
Senator Ataullahjan: I think that is acceptable because it is not necessary that we go over the three hours, but it gives us the option in case we have to.
The Chair: So, if we agree, we'll have a three-hour meeting and then half an hour plus for 15 minute breaks. Three and a half hours, not four, but there will be half an hour break. Is that acceptable? Then we won't bring people in on Monday.
Some Hon. Senators: Yes.
The Chair: Okay. Thank you.
Senator Ngo: No meeting for the next two Mondays?
The Chair: Next Monday there won't be a meeting.
Senator Ngo: Okay, so this one is when?
The Chair: This one will be on the 25th?
Mr. Thompson: The Monday after the break week is the 18th. So, the 25th?
The Chair: The next meeting will be on the 25th.
Senator Ngo: So on the 11th and the 18th we don't have it.
The Chair: No, because after every holiday we don't have a meeting.
So you have in front of you the orders of reference. If I'm going too fast, please slow me down. We always have this reference on international human rights obligations. May I go to the Senate to get this reference again? Senator Ataullahjan?
Senator Ataullahjan: Yes.
The Chair: Thank you. Anyone opposed? No. In favour? Thank you.
Senator Seidman: Sorry I'm late; I was rushing from a meeting.
The Chair: No problem. Welcome.
The second one is that I want your permission not to go for the reference because we had the sexual exploitation study. It is over, and I would suggest that we don't need this reference, subject to what you all feel.
The next one is our ongoing reference that we do every year on employment equity, and I would like to again go to the Senate and get this reference, subject to what all of you say.
Senator Meredith: Sorry, chair, did we not do a study on this already or start it?
The Chair: It's an ongoing thing. Every year we look at where the federal public service has gone. We will have a report in our next meeting. We have prepared a report, for which we will get approval from the committee, but every year we ask the Privy Council to tell us how we are doing.
Senator Meredith: How they've done, sort of a measurement and so on.
The Chair: Yes. The next one —
Do I have everyone's approval on that?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: The next one is to invite the minister. This is on a study of matrimonial real property, A Hard Bed to Lie In. We have finished the study. This has now become a bill, and it's my suggestion to you that we not have this reference any more. Is that acceptable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Now, for number 5, I would have liked Senator Andreychuk to be here because this is a report she was very involved in and she wanted to be. I'm sorry I didn't ask her beforehand. I would like to bring this back to you the next time because I don't think we need this anymore, but I don't want to take it out until I speak to her.
The next one is the study on the issue of cyberbullying. I suggest we keep this because there is more work to be done, and we may also ask for the minister to do a pre-study on the bill that he will be tabling. Also, we want to do a further study on this.
Senator Ataullahjan: — suggested that I would like to revisit the cyberbullying issue.
The Chair: So, may I?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: The last one is the study on issues pertaining to human rights of First Nations. We have a report ready, and, once that report is done, that will be the end of it, but I have to go to the Senate to get permission to continue with this work. Is that acceptable? You have my assurance that the only work we will be doing on this is to finish the report. Is that acceptable?
Senator Ataullahjan: I'm wondering if this is one that we could bring back to the whole committee when everyone is here.
The Chair: But we have a report.
Senator Ataullahjan: We have a report? Okay.
The Chair: We've spent $82, 000.
Senator Ataullahjan: That is it? It is just the report we are doing, nothing else?
The Chair: Absolutely.
Senator Ataullahjan: Okay.
The Chair: We spent $82, 000. If we didn't have a report at the end, it wouldn't be a good thing. It will just be the report, I can assure you.
Is there anything else anyone else would like to bring up? If not, may I ask, please, that, over the holidays — let's say to the 22nd of October — if anyone wants any further studies done by the Human Rights Committee, they can send that to the clerk. He will distribute it to all of us, so that, on the 25th, we can look at all the studies people want and decided what work we want to do. Is that acceptable?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Okay. Anything else? Thank you very much.
(The committee adjourned.)