The committee met at 3:36 p.m.

[N. Simons in the chair.]

Consideration of Draft Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18

N. Simons (Chair): Good afternoon, Members, and welcome to the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth. We have a short agenda for today. Before us is the draft annual report of the standing committee, which I think we were hoping, perhaps, to get tabled before the end of this session.

I think everyone has had an opportunity to look through it. Some offered some suggestions. One suggestion I had was that we put a little bit more in about our statutory review, so it’s a little more fulsome now.

Before we go further, I’d like to welcome Karan to the committee as our research analyst. I hope it’s exciting. We’ll get our plans formalized soon and our ideas of what we’re going to accomplish.

Kate, did you want to mention what the process is for approval of this?

K. Ryan-Lloyd (Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Committees): Good afternoon, Members. The draft report, which has now been formatted into its final presentation style, has been distributed for this meeting this afternoon. I think we circulated to you about a week or so ago a Word version of this draft document. We’re very much in your hands this afternoon. If there are any comments or suggested edits, we’re happy to accommodate those.

As the Chair mentioned, with the end of the spring sitting anticipated to wrap up Thursday, with your direction today, we’ve prepared some motions to either approve and adopt the report as presented or as amended today, and then a second motion to request that the Chair present the committee’s report to the Legislature at the earliest opportunity.

Should you choose to proceed to present the report, I’ve made tentative arrangements with the two House Leaders to have it presented to the House tomorrow afternoon immediately after question period. That would be a proceeding in the hands of the Chair, in essence, on your behalf, to present the report, have it taken as read and received, moving a second motion to have it adopted by the Legislature, which is an opportunity for other members in the House to speak to that motion. It would be customary for the Deputy Chair to speak, if she so chose to. Any member of the Green Party or other members could also make some brief comments.

I know the House Leaders are trying to keep things as tight as they can with the business in the House these days, so it would likely be a brief proceeding, but it would be a nice way to conclude your work in this spring sitting.

I very much look forward to your guidance today on how you’d like to proceed.

N. Simons (Chair): I’m hopeful that we can close off this part of our deliberations and start fresh. That’s why I was hoping to get the annual report concluded.

Does anyone have any comments on the report?

L. Throness: Just a couple of very minor edits, Chair.

Page 18, fourth paragraph, “funding issues such as” in­stead of “such that.” On page 19, second paragraph, “youth-serving system including,” I think, instead of “includes.” Really, to prove that I’ve read the report; that’s all.

[3:40 p.m.]

N. Simons (Chair): I think the proof is there. Thank you, Laurie. I appreciate that.

Any other comments, Members?

Should I ask for leave to accept this motion?

K. Ryan-Lloyd (Clerk of Committees): I think I have distributed around the meeting room today two motions. If there’s no further discussion or direction to us at this point, the first motion would be that the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth approve and adopt its report, entitled Annual Report 2017-18, as amended today.

R. Glumac: On the minor amendments that were proposed, the second one on page 19, reading that sentence: “Other recommendations focused on confirming the representative’s authority to monitor and oversee the child and youth–serving system.” I think “includes” is the right word there. Is that the “includes” we’re talking about?

L. Throness: I don’t care. Whatever.

N. Simons (Chair): We care about every part.

R. Glumac: The authority includes reviewing. So I think it is correct.

N. Simons (Chair): Well, thank you for that and for the discussion on the grammar. I appreciate that.

Committee Report to the House

ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18

N. Simons (Chair): We have a motion on the floor to approve and adopt the report as slightly amended.

M. Stilwell (Deputy Chair): I move:

[That the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth approve and adopt its report, entitled Annual Report 2017-18, as amended today.]

N. Simons (Chair): Moved by the Deputy Chair, seconded by Ronna-Rae.

Motion approved.

N. Simons (Chair): The second motion needs to be moved as well.

R. Leonard: I move:

[That the Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth present the Committee’s report, entitled Annual Report 2017-18, to the Legislative Assembly at the earliest available opportunity.]

N. Simons (Chair): Any discussion on that?

Motion approved.

N. Simons (Chair): So we’ll all sign our individual motions.

K. Ryan-Lloyd (Clerk of Committees): Or just the movers of the motions.

N. Simons (Chair): That concludes item 1 of the agenda.

Other Business

N. Simons (Chair): We can move to item 2 of the agenda, which is any other business. I’m looking for comments, questions.

Looks like we’ve had a long day. I thank everybody for their attendance and for their work on this committee. I look forward to the challenges that are coming. I look forward with great anticipation, actually. It’s going to be a fun time.

With that, adjournment of this committee. Sonia moved, Rachna seconded.

Motion approved.

N. Simons (Chair): We are adjourned. Thank you very much, everybody.

The committee adjourned at 3:44 p.m.