Bill S-8 (Historical)

Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act

An Act respecting the safety of drinking water on First Nation lands

This enactment addresses health and safety issues on reserve lands and certain other lands by providing for regulations to govern drinking water and waste water treatment in First Nations communities. Regulations could be made on a province-by-province basis to mirror existing provincial regulatory regimes, with adaptations to address the circumstances of First Nations living on those lands.

Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act

[The Deputy Speaker]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Deputy Speaker]

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Pursuant to an order made on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, the division stands deferred until Monday, June 10, 2013, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions.

The House resumed from June 6 consideration of the motion that Bill S-8, An Act respecting the safety of drinking water on First Nation lands, be read the third time and passed.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

I think it best if we move on to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at the third reading stage of Bill S-8.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #742

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I can appreciate the leader of the official opposition on the front bench was a little confused. My understanding of the rules is that a person can only vote once. We saw members of the NDP from the front bench initially support the bill. I believe they should have to withdraw their original vote.

If we think of the ramifications of allowing members to stand and not denounce their first vote, it could lead us into further complications going forward.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Perhaps the hon. opposition whip can clarify this.

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if you check, you will find that the members voted against the motion.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. It has been our practice that when members do find themselves in a situation where they have inadvertently voted on both sides, they clarify to the House which was their intention. That has just been done by the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer, so we can move on.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I do not mean to challenge you, but there are many bills for which I would like to vote on both sides when I go home and tell my voters that I voted with them.

However, the fact is that it is very unclear. Mr. Speaker, you cannot allow members to vote one way and then appear to vote the other way without a correction. We typically expect that of members as we have in the past. The rules of the House have to apply to all of us equally.

I ask that they stand and record their votes properly, as my seatmate had to some time ago.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

I am sure the member's seatmate appreciates that. I know it is getting into the middle days of June and that has strange effects on some people. It is pretty straightforward. It will not be counted as a vote; it is a clarification. If the member wants to go one by one, I do not know what the advantage is to the House.

The whip for the official opposition, as is often our practice, has indicated which way the votes are meant to be cast. Unless there is a member who wants to contradict his or her whip, he or she can feel free to do that now. Otherwise, we will move on to the next question.

I hope the hon. member for Winnipeg North has a comment on a new point. I have made my ruling on this.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, just to give a bit of a difference in perspective, as individuals—

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

I think we will move on.