Evidence of meeting #39 for Canadian Heritage in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was crtc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
When those people tell me about the Canada Media Fund and filling out those forms, it's a different world from what you're talking about.
When you talk about it, they're your amendments. You can talk about your amendments. The chair just said that, going forward, if there are amendments, you could talk about them. Would you like to?
Green
Paul Manly Green Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
I have been. The funding process is different from the certification process. It absolutely is, because if you're going to get funding, and if my amendments that are coming up come through, then people will have to hop through those hoops to show that what they are doing is Canadian content, produced and directed by Canadians in Canada with Canadian actors, because that's what those funds should be allocated to.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
Do you believe, then, that there would be more equalization?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Mr. Shields, I'm sorry to interrupt. Let me provide a little bit of further clarification.
You can't do indirectly what you can do directly, meaning that I understand you urging him on, but he cannot argue his future amendments. He can touch on them as far as subject matter is concerned, but I ask that he not argue his future amendments.
Mr. Shields, you still have the floor.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We tried. I appreciate that and I'll leave it at that.
Green
Paul Manly Green Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
I have nothing further to add. I think I have said enough. Thank you. I'd like to move along.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Every question put to you was....
Go ahead, Mr. Housefather.
Mr. Housefather, we can't hear you.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you. I think I was on the wrong speaker.
[Technical difficulty—Editor] for committee members and Canadians what is exactly happening and what's been happening for the last hour and a half. We have an amendment on the floor that not one member of the committee is actually voting for. It's been clear from the comments that have been made, yet we've been debating it for more than an hour. This is exactly the reason this committee—
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
I have a point of order.
The member who was just speaking presumes to know how I am going to vote—
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
I'm giving Mr. Housefather some latitude here, because he's talking about other people's arguments.
Let me go back to Mr. Housefather first. I don't have a sound check from you, Ms. Harder, but I'll get to it, because you're up next.
Mr. Housefather, go ahead. You have the floor.
Liberal
Anthony Housefather Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As I was pointing out, we are now incessantly prolonging debate on an amendment that is going to be defeated. The simple goal is to stop the committee from doing its work. I think Canadians are starting to see that.
It's exceptionally frustrating, as a member of this committee, to see a committee that used to work very well descend to this level, which I think has gone far below the level any parliamentary committee should operate at. I just voice my disappointment. That really explains why I think we need to go to time allocation at this point.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Ms. Harder, we don't have a sound check. Can you tell me the name of your riding, which we already know, and could you tell me in one sentence or less what's so wonderful about it?
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
It's pretty great, Mr. Chair. It would be difficult to do in only one sentence. I represent the best riding in the nation. I'm sorry. I know that's unwelcome news to you. Don't get me wrong; I think your riding is really great, too, but mine is a bit better.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
I have always said, as a member of Parliament, that if you don't think your riding is the best in the country, you should not be that member of Parliament.
Ms. Harder, you have the floor.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you so much.
Mr. Chair, interestingly enough, the member who just spoke before me brought up a really good point, and that is that he feels the members of this committee—in particular, I think referencing the members who are on the Conservative side of the table—are frustrating the process. I can understand that he feels maybe a little bit frustrated by that process.
Nevertheless, there is something very important that is going on here. In the same way that he felt it was necessary to clarify that for the Canadian public who might be watching today, I feel that it's very important to further clarify.
Right now at committee, we are discussing Bill C-10, clause by clause, which means that we're going through it line by line and we're determining which parts of this bill are great and should move forward and which parts of this bill may be questionable. Perhaps there are some that need to be amended. Maybe there are even some subamendments that are necessary in order to help strengthen this piece of legislation. In addition to that, there may be some parts of the bill that need to come out altogether.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
This sounds a whole lot more like debate than a point of order, and we have an amendment on the floor.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Scott Simms
Hold on one second, everybody, please.
I gave Mr. Housefather quite a bit of latitude here to talk about the process we're working through here. I'm affording Ms. Harder the same, although Ms. Harder might.... That can only go on for so long, because, as Ms. Dabrusin pointed out, we are on PV-21.1.
Some people refer to the debate that has happened in the House. I have absolutely no instruction from the House, other than what we are doing right now, which is that we're in the middle of clause-by-clause on C-10.
Ms. Dabrusin, yes, she does have the floor following Mr. Housefather.
Ms. Harder, you have the floor.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you, Chair.
What is being discussed here at this committee then is.... To your point, we are discussing an amendment that was brought forward by Mr. Manly, and that amendment has to do with discoverability.
Interestingly enough, there are a number of amendments that are before this committee that have been given notice of, and, of course, it would be great if this committee could discuss each and every one of those amendments, including Mr. Manly's, which is the one we are currently on. However, the current government has chosen to move time allocation, which would then force this committee to ignore the discussion of those amendments that have been presented, and it would cause us to have to force this piece of legislation through and back to the House.
Now, Mr. Manly's motion deserves to be discussed in the same way that every single motion that is before this committee deserves to be discussed, because that is the right legislative process.
