House of Commons Hansard #32 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was producers.

Topics

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:35 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. This does not seem to be a point of order. Is it a question?

It is a question. I apologize.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

Madam Speaker, I am almost there.

As I heard the member for Guelph speak—

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:35 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Is this on a point of order? The hon. member for Winnipeg North.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Yes, Madam Speaker, now it is a point of order.

I was up on my feet shortly after the vote was called. You had asked for questions and I had twice indicated that, yes, I was standing on a question.

What I want to suggest, Madam Speaker, is that you review what has taken place. On both occasions I made it very clear I was standing up for a question. On both occasions, Madam Speaker, you had canvassed to ask if there were questions on the bill, and I said yes.

It was the government, in defying what is truly correct in terms of democratic principles by bringing forward its motion, that caused a bit of excitement. It did not—

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:35 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. I think the hon. member has made his point. We will indeed review the blues, but it is normally the procedure, when a member of a party speaks, to go to other members to ask the first question.

That is what I will do at the moment.

I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary to complete his question, so that we can move to an answer.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC

Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary said earlier that the Liberals moved the motion to shut down debate of the bill. I would like to make a correction. We wanted to adjourn the debate today but we did not want to shut down debate of the bill. I would ask the member to withdraw that statement. We want to debate and they do not want anything to do with it.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Very respectfully, this is not a point of order, once again. I would like the hon. parliamentary secretary to complete his question, so that we—

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Conservative

David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

Madam Speaker, I appreciate your patience. I understand why it would be tried.

I just got a great reminder in the last couple of days as to why we need to move as quickly as possible on this issue. I finally got to see the teddy bears that the Wheat Board has sent to the opposition. They are little teddy bears eight inches high. They have a little vest on them that sells the Canadian Wheat Board.

Farmers get up early in the morning. Early in the spring they go out in the mud and seed their crops. The Wheat Board takes their money and buys teddy bears. Farmers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on input for their crop, and the Wheat Board spends their money on teddy bears.

Farmers work all night to get their crops in. The Wheat Board spends their money on teddy bears. There is no clearer reason—

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. The hon. member for Guelph in response.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Madam Speaker, I did not quite hear a question in that comment--

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

The hon. member for Malpeque on a point of order.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Madam Speaker, I want to know why the parliamentary secretary gets up in this House and consistently lies. The Wheat Board had nothing to do with these bears. It is farmers who raised the money at rallies, to make their point—

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. Order. I would like a little bit of order, please. The hon. member for Guelph.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

First, Madam Speaker, I would like to thank all my colleagues for being so anxious to get up and answer all the questions that are being posed to me. I appreciate it.

I want to point out that the member opposite is misleading Canadians when he suggests that we are trying to adjourn debate on the entire bill. I am disappointed, frankly, that he would try to do that. The adjournment was merely for today, and as has been stated by the member for Bourassa. In fact it is the Conservatives who are attempting to silence the debate on this issue.

I am also disappointed with that. Canadians are disappointed with that. western Canadian farmers who are looking for answers on why they are not having a plebiscite pursuant to section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board are most particularly disappointed with that.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:40 p.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB

Madam Speaker, what does the hon. member think of the fact that this government is displaying such ignorance and such a lack of willingness to listen to the farmers who have spoken out against what it is doing? The result of the plebiscite has been known for a month now and the majority of farmers have said they want the Canadian Wheat Board to continue operating.

What does the member think about the fact that the government is showing such contempt for the voices of western farmers who elected pro single desk Wheat Board directors to represent them?

What are the Conservatives going to say to their constituents when they go back to hear from the farmers in their very communities that they want the Wheat Board to continue to market some of the best wheat in the world?

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Madam Speaker, it never ceases to amaze me that the government is driven by ideology instead of evidence, first, on the omnibus crime bill and, now, on this particular piece of legislation.

I look at the evidence; I do not look at ideology. The telltale signs are when the government makes this announcement, the shares in Viterra spike. When it makes this announcement, suddenly, Alliance Grain Traders Inc. decides only now to build a manufacturing plant in Saskatchewan to make pasta. Why? Because it said so, because it knows it is going to pay less for western Canadian grain. Those are the telltale signs. That is the evidence that the Conservative Party refuses to look at when it makes these ideological decisions.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said the other day, in terms of responding to a question in question period:

The fact of the matter is that western farmers voted for marketing freedom, and that is what they are going to get.

What I have found is that the current government, more than any other government that I am aware of, just feels that it has this mandate that it can do whatever it is that it wants. If we take a look at prairie grain wheat farmers and the fact that they had a legitimate plebiscite in which in excess of 60% of those grain farmers said, “We want to keep the Wheat Board”, the current government, headed by the current Prime Minister has made it very clear that it does not care what the farmers want, and that is reiterated by the motion that was brought forward just a few minutes ago to limit the amount of debate on the Wheat Board.

My question for my colleague is, what type of leadership does he think this speaks of? How does he feel our farmers in rural Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are going to respond when they see the type of action that the government has superimposed on them? Does he believe the government really cares about prairie grain wheat farmers?

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from--

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Order, please. The hon. member for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale is rising on a point of order?

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Conservative

David Sweet Conservative Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON

Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I waited a few minutes because it got very animated in here.

I would like you to check the blues. The member for Malpeque clearly used unparliamentary language toward the parliamentary secretary, as well as a prop, in his vociferous comments. I would like you to check that and then ask for his apology.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

On the first point, I did not hear any unparliamentary language. However, we will check the record to see if such incident did occur and we will get back to the House, if necessary.

On the second point, members will know that the use of props and other objects to support their points, of course, is not permitted in the House. I would encourage hon. members to abide by the Standing Orders.

The hon. member for Malpeque is rising on the same point of order?

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Yes I am, Mr. Speaker.

In fact, I did use unparliamentary language and I will withdraw that language. Also, I did hold up one of these bears. However, Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, and I will not hold up the bear again, the government cannot bear the truth when it comes to western farmers.

Second readingMarketing Freedom for Grain Farmers ActGovernment Orders

5:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Order, please. I think we are drifting back into debate again.

The hon. member for Guelph.