Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 30th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

I'll ask Mr. Genuis to hold.

We have a point of order from Mr. Blaikie.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

I'll just wait for it to quiet down, Mr. Chair.

I understand that there are thousands of amendments being considered by the committee tonight. Apparently, they may have been created with generative AI. I appreciate that the Conservatives have to get intelligence wherever they can find it. I'm wondering if there are any resources for the committee to be able to use AI to do analysis of these amendments or if we're stuck with analogue analysis for digitally created trouble.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

May I actually speak, Chair, since I have the floor?

I'm very frustrated with these constant NDP interruptions.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Mr. Genuis, I'll ask you to hold.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I have the floor.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

We have a point of order.

Mr. Blaikie, you are correct. We do have a large number of amendments, potentially over 19,600. We have a tremendous amount of work to do this evening. I'm hoping we can get to that work.

I think as parliamentarians, we are all well equipped and sent here by our constituents to do this work. They've elected everybody around this table. They have confidence in all members here to be able to work through these important amendments.

I'll ask us to refocus and make sure that we get there.

Now, before I go back to you, we have another point of order.

Mr. Angus, we have a point of order from you. Go ahead.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to do this with the best goodwill possible.

We have gone for six weeks where the Conservatives did everything to stop witnesses, but now we're getting down to this. We only have 15 minutes and 31 seconds left before we switch into the new time. I don't know if the Conservatives are going to use Chatbox to replace them once they get tired, with 20,000 amendments.

I am more than willing to see if Mr. Genuis is ready to bring his subamendment to a vote so that we can actually show goodwill. I believe—and correct me if I'm wrong—that, now that we're 15 minutes and 10 seconds away from the clock changing, at this point we just vote on it anyway.

My colleague, Mr. Genuis, now has 15 minutes and 3 seconds to show some goodwill and leadership and say that he's ready to vote on the subamendment. We could vote on the subamendment and move on, and I think it would show some goodwill. I don't know if they're getting their punch lines from Chatbox, but they're not that funny. We have 14 minutes and 41 seconds left now. I'd like to know if Mr. Genuis is ready—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Chair, I'll continue speaking now.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

—to speak to his amendment because now we're coming down to—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Are you going to enforce the rules here?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

—14 minutes and 20 seconds.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Mr. Angus, thank you.

Colleagues, at 8:30 we will be moving forward, so we have roughly 14 minutes before that comes. If anybody is watching at home, that's where we're at, and then we will be moving to getting into the next stage at 8:30, as ordered by the House.

Mr. Genuis, you have the floor.

Go ahead, please.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Here's what's happening.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

I have a point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I'm trying to speak in defence of workers in my riding—

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Mr. Genuis, I'm going to ask you to pause again.

Go ahead, Mr. Blaikie, on your point of order.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I know that, from time to time, members will take exception to something that's in a subamendment and then may like to move an amendment to the subamendment in order to try to find more conciliatory language that more people around the table can agree to.

I wonder if you might be able to take a moment for this. In some cases, you can amend the subamendment, and in other cases you can't. I'm not exactly sure of the context we're working in, because I'm a visitor. Scratch that; I'm an associate member. I don't want to upset anyone in the peanut gallery.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

This is not a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

I wonder if we could take a moment and advise the committee if amending this subamendment is possible, in which case we may wish to undertake such a thing. Of course, if it's not possible, then we would not want to do that, Mr. Chair, and waste any more of the committee's time.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Thank you, Mr. Blaikie.

If you give me a moment, I can provide some further commentary on that.

I'll ask all members to hold for a moment.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Chair, he can't move a further amendment while I have the floor anyway. Why don't you allow me to speak while you consult on that?

Mr. Chair, maybe I'll just continue.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Mr. Genuis, I'll ask you to hold until you're recognized.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

But I have the floor, do I not?

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

When you're recognized, you will have the floor.

Mr. Blaikie, there has been an amendment brought forward by Mr. Patzer, and there is a further subamendment brought forward by Mr. Genuis. We cannot move another subamendment to the subamendment. I think that provides the clarification that you were looking for on your point of order.

Thank you for that, Mr. Blaikie.

Mr. Genuis, go ahead.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to briefly thank the officials who are here, by the way.