Evidence of meeting #20 for Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
3:40 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
I'm sorry, someone was speaking to me, asking a question.
3:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
We're on page 5.1, Mrs. Jennings. It's the third proposed amendment.
3:40 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
I have it. We didn't have the time to make the adjustment.
3:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
You're going to have to help me on some of these things. This motion is the same as the New Democratic Party motion, and the practice seems to be that we take the one received first, which is yours.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
This amendment follows clearly the recommendation that the law clerk and parliamentary counsel made before this committee when he pointed out that Bill C-2, in clause 2, as it was actually set out, impeded and affected parliamentary privilege, and that this committee had two options: either to do it properly, if we agreed that our parliamentary privilege and that of future parliamentarians of the House of Commons should be diminished, that there was a proper way to do it and that wasn't how it was set out in Bill C-2; or if we felt that this tradition, which has existed without impediment, should not be impeded or abrogated, that this amendment should go forth.
Therefore, I brought this amendment to make it clear that nothing in that part of Bill C-2 “abrogates or derogates from any of the privileges, immunities and powers referred to in section 4 of the Parliament of Canada Act.”
This is directly from Mr. Walsh's recommendation.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Are we in agreement that the NDP proposal and the Liberal proposal are the same?
3:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
3:45 p.m.
Bloc
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
You know, Mr. Chairman, that our staff is eminently competent. In view of the staff's recommendations, I'm making the following comment. It would appear—I may be mistaken and I'm speaking precisely to Marlene—that your amendment on page 5.1 states the contrary of your amendment on page 5.3. We prefer to support the one on page 5.3 because, if I understand correctly, the aim of your amendment on page 5.1 is to delete line 12, whereas the purpose of the one on page 5.3 is to correct it.
3:45 p.m.
Bloc
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC
We think the content of page 5.3 is better than that of page 5.1.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Inadvertently, the amendment that appears on page 5.3, which was submitted under my name, should not have been submitted, so I withdraw it.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
You withdraw the proposal on page 5.3?
We just want to clear this up, Mr. Martin.
Okay, Mr. Martin, while we're talking about this, you go ahead and have your say.
3:45 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I was going to make a point of order that there's a motion on the floor, even though it has been deemed to be moved by Mr. Poilievre: the motion on amendment L-0.1.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
3:45 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Okay, then there's a motion on the floor, so I don't think we should be leaping forward to page 5.3 and deleting clauses that should be properly dealt with when we get there, or we'll never get through this morass of amendments.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I'm going to allow it to go, Mr. Martin. It's on the same subject and it's not unusual to group these things. Mr. Sauvageau is correct in his interjection.
Madam Jennings, just so I'm clear on this, you're still moving the motion on page 5.1, but you're withdrawing the one on page 5.3.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Help us out, Mr. Martin. We've got pages 5.2 and 5.4, which appear to conflict.
3:45 p.m.
NDP
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
You're right. Perhaps I should let you say whether they conflict.
3:50 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
That's right. When I was waiting for my turn to speak, I was going to make the argument that the motion we have on the floor now is to—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative