Spending plans, criminal justice system and veteran services in the committee spotlight


What’s on the agenda for the House and Senate committees today.

As the clock ticks down on the current supply cycle — which, as noted in What We’re Watching, is also the deadline for the House of Commons to approve the latest spending plans outlined in the supplementary estimates — Citizenship and Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab will field questions on the “subject matter” of the add-on budget requests filed by her department during a one-hour appearance before CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION members, who will also get the chance to question a full contingent of senior officials set to stick around for a second hour. (11 a.m.)

Meanwhile, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joanne Thompson will brief FISHERIES AND OCEANS members on money to be allocated to her department under the main estimates. (11 a.m.)

Justice Minister Sean Fraser heads to JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS to present his pitch to crack down on gender-based violence, boost child protection laws and address issues related to chronic delays in the court system, which was referred to committee over a month ago, but was caught in the cross-table standoff over the anti-hate bill. (11 a.m.)

VETERANS AFFAIRS members get an update on the $560 million contract awarded to Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services (PCVRS), which, as the Toronto Star reports, is a “joint venture between subsidies of Loblaw and an Australian firm” that has come under criticism from veterans and health care workers over “delays and redundant assessments,” as well as “inadequate rehabilitation plans that ignore or contradict health care professionals’ advice,” with senior departmental officials set to testify alongside PCVRS executives, WCG Services CEO Tania Bennett and Lifemark Health Group president Sonya Lockyer. (11 a.m.)

Also this morning:

  • TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES members continue to explore the “changing landscape of truck drivers in Canada” with Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger as well as Peter Verleysen, who, as he explains in the brief submitted to committee ahead of his appearance, is calling for “additional requirements and oversight of all truck training facilities and licensing issuers,” as well as other safety measures, after his sister was killed by a transport driver in 2021. (11 a.m.)
  • NATIONAL DEFENCE members get an update on the “nexus between national defence, national security and Canada’s critical mineral sector” from National Defence and Natural Resources officials, as well as policy analyst Cristina Pekarik. (11 a.m.)

This afternoon, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH members will circle back to their ongoing study of the “governance and accountability of federal science policy and institutions” with expert testimony from AI Governance and Safety Canada, BioCanRx, Genome Canada, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Tech-Access Canada and University of Toronto associate vice-president Timothy Chan. (3:30 p.m.)

INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY members take a closer look at “opportunities, risks and regulation of AI in Canada” with a panel of expert witnesses. (3:30 p.m.)

HUMAN RESOURCES, SKILLS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT members resume their review of Liberal MP Terry Beech’s backbench proposal to ensure that employment insurance and other benefits continue in the event of the death of a child during a panel discussion with representatives from the Pregnancy, Infant and Child Loss Support Centre and Comité Chômage Haut-Richelieu et du Suroît, among others. (3:30 p.m.)

Rounding out the roster, the SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS hear from Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hong Kong Watch and Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, as well as other advocacy groups, as they dig into the “global impact of transnational repression.” (3:30 p.m.)

Committee highlights courtesy of our friends at iPoliticsINTEL



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