Evidence of meeting #30 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you, Chair.
The reason for my deadline being extended is that I would like to hear from more witnesses. With all due respect, I believe you will find that on the topic at hand.
No...?
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Well, I would like to say to you that as a chair I take my orders from the committee, and a unanimous motion was passed, which is setting the tone for how we deal with this particular issue on Bill C-11.
As far as I'm concerned, that unanimous motion has now achieved what it asked for, so we are now ready to move into amendments and into clause-by-clause. I think that is what we should be talking about, and not going back on a motion that had already been unanimously approved.
I would also like to point out to the committee that there's a hard stop for the minister at 5:45.
Thank you very much.
5:15 p.m.
Legislative Clerk
Madam Chair, perhaps I can give you an updated speaking order.
5:15 p.m.
Legislative Clerk
After Mrs. Thomas, we have Mr. Perkins, Mr. Patzer and Mr. Uppal.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
On a point of order, I do still have the floor, Madam Chair, whenever you're ready to give it back to me.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You had the floor and you were speaking, and then, when I finished saying it, you decided to stop speaking.
There's a point of order. Who is it by?
June 2nd, 2022 / 5:15 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
By Mr. Julian.
I'd just like the clerk to confirm that my name is next on the list and that I'll be able to speak after Ms. Thomas.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I brought that up with the clerk, Mr. Julian, and she said that was on the original motion. We are now speaking to the amendment, so I'm sorry.
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Just to clarify, Madam Chair, the speaking order continues when the person signals, and I did, right after the amendment, so I would be right after Ms. Thomas.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
The clerk did not agree. I'm sorry. I tried to get your name up there and the clerk said no, that we are on an amendment now and that we have a new speaking order, so there you go. I am following what the clerk tells me are the rules that we should follow.
Go ahead, Ms. Thomas. You said you are still speaking, Ms. Thomas. Will you speak?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Madam Chair, perhaps you could just help me out with something here. The reason I was quiet is that you hadn't given me permission to speak yet. I was trying to be respectful of you.
I seem to get in trouble if I go ahead and speak. I seem to get in trouble if I don't speak. Perhaps you could just give me some ground rules that I can abide by. I wish to be respectful.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Just try to be respectful in deed, not just in saying so, Ms. Thomas. Just be respectful.
You have the floor. Speak.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
As I was saying, there is still an opportunity here for this committee, because, as you've stated, the committee is the commander of its own destiny. If the committee does decide that it wishes to hear from more witnesses, there is no reason why it can't do that, which is the conversation I would love to have.
Again, we cannot have that conversation directly; however, it does relate to the amendment I have moved to the motion on the floor, because I am making that amendment in order to allow for more time so that we could possibly hear from more witnesses.
The reason I believe that it is important to hear from more witnesses is that we have many voices that have not yet been represented. For example, one of the things that Bill C-11 is intended to do, or so claims the minister, is to protect or contend for diversity. Now—
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Ms. Thomas, will you please speak to your amendment, which is about the deadline for amendments? We are not discussing witnesses, because I have a unanimous motion from this committee about the time, the number of witnesses: 10 meetings, which is 20 hours. That has been achieved. There is nothing further in the committee's unanimous agreement that tells me I can go beyond that.
You were speaking to moving the deadline for amendments. Can you please speak to that issue, which is what your amendment speaks to?
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Madam Chair, it is appropriate for me to explain the reason for my amendment, so I am unsure why I am being asked not to speak to motivation.
Would you be able to clarify why you're asking me to be silent as to why I would move this motion, as to my motivation?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You asked for a deadline, and the deadline specifically said three days before clause-by-clause. There is nothing about three days and nothing to do with witnesses.
Your motivation may be so, but I would still like to hear you speak to your amendment, which is on a deadline. That's why I ruled your amendment in order, because it did not change the intent of the original motion by Mr. Bittle.
Now, if you decide to speak about witnesses, you are changing the intent of the motion by Mr. Bittle and I would have to rule your amendment out of order, so can we stick to what you wish to speak about, which is the deadline for an amendment?
Thank you.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Madam Chair, I am not changing my amendment. It stands as is, which is that the deadline for the amendments to Bill C-11 be moved to three days before the start of clause-by-clause.
I believe you gave me the mike so I could speak to my motivation. My motivation for moving this amendment is that we might be able to hear from more witnesses.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
There is no motion on the floor to hear from more witnesses. The motion that was carried unanimously had a very strong number of meetings, and that is what I am listening to because that is what the committee asked me to do.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
You could speak to witnesses, but there is no motion that allows for this, at the moment, because there was no minimum on that unanimous motion.
I think you may speak, in which case you could speak to anything. You could read from the phone book if you wanted to, Ms. Thomas, but the issue here is that you talked a lot about good faith. If the good faith is for us to get on with this, if the good faith is for us to move to getting this bill to its amendments and to clause-by-clause, then let's do that and not just use your amendment to continue to just speak about anything, or whatever you wish to speak to.
I already told you that there is an agreement on witnesses and on meetings. The meetings were for 20 hours. The witnesses have been asked and called and the witnesses have already spoken. We do not have any more meetings for witness hearings, Ms. Thomas.
We're talking about the motion brought by Mr. Bittle, which was on a deadline for amendments.
Now, I would like to hear what, if you are proposing three days before clause-by-clause, the deadline of those three days will mean, Ms. Thomas. That is what you need to answer in your amendment. What do you mean by that deadline of three days before clause-by-clause?
As the chair, I will tell you that we have finished what the committee, unanimously, asked me to do, which was to have 10 meetings, 20 hours, within the week of May 30. That has been achieved. We should, then, move to clause-by-clause and we should, then, set a deadline for amendments so that we can do that. This is what the orders of the day and the orders of this committee actually are intended to do.
I just want to let you know that and say that there is no room in your amendment to discuss anything to do with the number of witnesses we have yet to hear.
I have finished, Ms. Thomas.