44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 15, 2022 10:00AM
- Nov/15/22 3:23:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to hear from the party across the way.
A recent meeting of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, of which I am a member, was cancelled due to a lack of resources. That is the impact of the hybrid Parliament. That is the impact of extending sitting hours. This committee is unable to meet to deal with major issues that have consequences for women and girls.
As a mother, I am sincerely asking my colleagues if that is the message they want to be sending. I do not want to hear a single person across the way tell me that I am lazy. I was able to work. That is not the issue.
Can we send a message to women that having debates until midnight does not make sense? If we want Parliament to be more representative and more diverse, then we need to use a bit more common sense. We can debate during the day. There is no need to schedule debates until midnight until the end of the session.
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- Nov/15/22 3:41:02 p.m.
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We cannot have cross debates. If the hon. member can get to his question, he will get his answer.
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- Nov/15/22 4:53:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
In October, I went to Kigali to learn about how parliaments can be more representative and much more diverse and how they can attract more women.
International studies show that if we want to send the message that we want more young mothers, Parliament needs to stick to a more normal schedule. That means not forcing people to sit at night for unnecessary political debates.
I would like my colleague to comment on those recommendations. Again, political spats that have us sitting all night until midnight for purely partisan reasons do not send the right message if we want to attract more women.
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- Nov/15/22 7:23:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if the member could talk about hybrid Parliament and the opportunity to be able to actually engage in those debates. I find that, many times when I have been speaking in the House, it is an opportunity for more folks to be involved, because a lot of the time with what is happening right now with COVID, people are not able to attend the House every day.
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- Nov/15/22 7:27:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thought it was a little much when I heard the member for Winnipeg North lecturing the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles earlier on how to vote when a motion is moved or a bill is introduced. I thought that was a bit over the top.
That being said, we are being criticized and told that opposition members do not want to work. It feels as though insults have been flying this evening during the debate on this motion. When there are debates and members of the opposition ask the government questions, they get either the same old stock answers repeated over and over again or answers that have nothing to do with the question. That is the purpose of debate. If the government would give proper answers to the questions the opposition parties ask, then we likely would not need to extend the sitting hours because the work would get done efficiently.
Earlier, I asked the member for Kingston and the Islands a very easy question. It was not a trick question or a convoluted one. I asked him why Motion No. 22 does not just ask for hours to be extended until the end of the current period, until December 16. Why include the whole session right up until the end of spring, until June? Why include February, March, April and May in this motion? Why is the government side doing things differently? When will it learn how to answer questions properly and work more efficiently?
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- Nov/15/22 7:56:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to the speech by my Conservative colleague.
Earlier, I made the mistake of asking my colleague from Winnipeg North two questions at once and obviously got a partial answer to one of the questions. I do want to note that he made an effort to answer one question.
I wanted to ask my Conservative colleague the same question I asked the member for Winnipeg North earlier. If the Liberals actually answered the questions they are asked during periods for questions and comments during the debates, would they even need to ask to extend sitting hours in the House of Commons?
I think my colleague is ready to answer before I have even finished, so I will get out of the way. My question is pretty simple.
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