Canadian Heritage Committee on May 2nd, 2024

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Ms. Ashton, is this a point of order?

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

I'm concerned that you as chair have challenged our regular chair and her motives, frankly—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Yes, thank you.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

—going after her reputation. As a member of this committee and as a parliamentarian, I'm quite concerned that we're even going down this path. I feel like that this kind of approach is just not befitting of any chair. I mean, to know where the chair is.... Who knows what the personal circumstances are? This is a public meeting, and it's simply not okay.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Thank you, Ms. Ashton.

Go ahead, Mr. Coteau.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

After the meeting when this notice of motion was introduced and you asked for unanimous consent, I went back to where I stay when I'm in Ottawa, and I was flooded with emails and phone calls because the way in which it was written....

Actually, I wasn't even in the room. I wasn't even here, actually. I was virtual and I couldn't tell who said what was said.

The first thing is that I was identified by Ms. Thomas on her social media. She tagged me as @Coteau and said that I had just basically.... I don't want to read the text, but it's something to do with saying that I stood in the way of anti-Semitism.

I want to say right now for the record that I am—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Go ahead, Ms. Thomas.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I wish he stood in the way of anti-Semitism. It would actually appear that the member supports it.

[An hon. member]

Whoa, whoa....

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

It's fine.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Mr. Coteau, continue, please.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

It was that I stood in the way of fighting anti-Semitism.

The member put this out. It was very political. It was very misleading. It was very charged. People were calling me. Friends in the Jewish community that I have worked with for 20 years in fighting anti-Semitism called me to ask me what was going on.

You know what? Mrs. Thomas occupied eight hours of my time afterwards—I was phoning people and constituents to explain what happened. Unanimous consent was asked for a motion that was never shared with this committee, that came in at the last minute when we were doing a study, without any attachments to policies it was talking about. It was asking us—the way I read it—to call out York University for its policies. I don't even know what the policy was.

It was very misleading. It undermined my efforts, over the last two decades, of fighting hate, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-indigenous hate and anti-Black racism. You know what? It was really difficult, Chair.

I would like to ask the member opposite this: Can we come together in a meaningful way to look for a way to really.... There are students on our campuses—Jewish students, Muslim students, and students who are there fighting for different causes. It's all fought, in many ways, to look for ways to fight for equity, equality and fairness. People really believe that they're looking for ways to make the world a better place. There are deep divides on each side, but we need to look for ways, as politicians, to bring people together—

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I have a point or order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Go ahead, Mr. Lawrence.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I would go back. I know we're given a wide latitude. This is, I agree, a very important issue. Quite frankly, I congratulate the member for fighting racism. It truly is a scourge.

The reality is that he now has had notice. Let's just move to a vote and condemn anti-Semitism, as we all should.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Thank you, Mr. Lawrence.

Go ahead, Mr. Coteau, if you can.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Lawrence.

I have been looking for ways to fight hate for a long time.

My point is that we should come together. I don't mind reaching to the other side, working together and pushing away our partisanship. In politics, it can get pretty rough sometimes, and the divides are strong.

When it comes to racism, when it comes to Islamophobia and when it comes to anti-Semitism, we need to hang up our political colours—our stripes—and we need to look for ways to work together. When we put motions on the table that are designed to create wedges, it actually starts to impact people in our communities—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Go ahead, Mrs. Thomas.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Through you, Chair, I understand the member likes to throw accusations my way and insinuate why I would do something. My motives were pure. I believe the Jewish community is under attack in this country and that we need to stand for them. This government has put forward an anti-racism strategy, and they need to abide by that.

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

You know it's not a point of order.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I would ask the member opposite to watch his words very carefully and not attack me—

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Here we go again.