Official Languages Committee on Oct. 30th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Samson.

Ms. Kayabaga, you have the floor.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think my colleague has read my mind. We are here to discuss matters that relate to our committee.

If our colleague opposite wants to participate in the discussion, he is entitled to do so, and that is important. However, the Commissioner is only here for an hour and we do not want to waste our time on other matters.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Kayabaga.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I am grateful to my colleagues for their comments, except that you have a practice of allowing each parliamentarian to give an introduction.

My colleague spoke of questions, but I have not heard Mr. Brock ask a question yet. We therefore cannot judge a question before it has been asked. I think we have to give our colleague some time. Then we can determine whether his comments are relevant.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I am going to rule on the question immediately. I did not hear the words "official languages", "RCMP" or "Commissioner of the RCMP"; I did hear the words "criminal" and "Prime Minister of Canada".

Mr. Brock, if you have questions concerning the matter at hand, I will give you back the floor. However, if you keep talking about something that has no connection with today's study, I will stop you.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Chair, with all due respect, you cannot judge my colleague's intention as long as he has not completed his presentation. The fact that he did not name the RCMP and referred only to the Prime Minister does not mean that he is not entitled to speak at this committee and question the Commissioner.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Brock, I would point out in passing that I have stopped the clock.

Mr. Godin, Mr. Brock should not be making a presentation. He should be asking questions during his five minutes' speaking time. However, he started out by saying that ignorance of the law is no excuse. He then referred to criminal law and alluded to the Prime Minister of Canada.

Mr. Brock, I am going to allow you a few seconds to get to your question.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

To the comments of my colleague, Monsieur Godin, it would be common courtesy from the Liberal bench to allow a question to be framed before there is any opposition. Quite frankly, Chair, I don't think I have to be confined by a time limit by the chair in terms of how I want to frame the question.

The question is relevant to the study at hand, and I will explain the relevancy if I'm permitted the professional courtesy of asking the question.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a moment, please, Mr. Brock.

Mr. Iacono, do you wish to speak?

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

When we're talking about professional courtesy, I think first of all the courtesy should be attributed to the witnesses here today. They've come here because the parties across and the government party want to question the commissioner based on everything that deals with languages.

If we're going to talk about courtesy, don't preach courtesy the way you want it to be. Preach it the way it is.

I think the utter respect should be to our witnesses who are here. The commissioner has an important job to do. We all have important jobs to do. Your questions do not pertain to languages. Those questions can be asked in another committee that takes care of those matters and—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

That you shut down.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Excuse me?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a second.

Mr. Brock, you're talking about courtesy. Can you retract what you just said to this colleague, please?

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

I'll retract it, but I wish to have an opportunity to speak again, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, there are people before you and after you. I respect the order.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Iacono, you have the floor.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

I'm asking to suspend until the member across apologizes to the whole committee, to the witnesses and in particular to me for the words he said.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Iacono, I asked Mr. Brock to withdraw what he just said to you, and he has just done that. You are now asking that Mr. Brock apologize.

Mr. Brock, do you agree to apologize to the committee and the witnesses for the comment you made to Mr. Iacono?

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Chair, you asked if I was going to withdraw the comment. I did.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I just made a separation of the two. Retracting the comment is not what Mr. Iacono is asking for. He is asking for you to apologize.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

I apologize to the committee—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

—and I apologize to the witnesses, but I still have more to say with respect to the original objection.

Thank you.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.