Evidence of meeting #46 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.
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I know you would love to, but Ms. Saks put her hand up. She had a point of order and I had to listen to what she was saying to decide whether or not it was a point of order.
A point of order means that we have moved away from the order of this meeting, which was meant to be listening to witnesses. She's making a valid point of order, Mrs. Thomas.
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I think maybe you need to try to be as collegial as you possibly can now and then. Thank you.
Did you have something different to make as a point of order against what Ms. Saks was bringing up as a due point of order?
2:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Madam Chair, I just would invite you to confer with the clerk as to whether or not Ms. Saks is raising a true point of order.
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I say that she is raising a true point of order, Ms. Thomas. Do you wish to challenge the chair?
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
All right.
We're going to call a vote on the challenge of the chair. Those in the room who think that the chair is correct in suggesting that a point of order is to speak to the order of the business of the day, which is listening to witnesses....
I say that Ms. Saks's point of order is valid. I would like to hear a vote from the committee that I am correct in allowing Ms. Saks a point of order.
2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Martin Champoux Bloc Drummond, QC
Madam Chair, can we ask the clerk to tell us what specific issue we are voting on?
2:30 p.m.
The Clerk
If I've understood correctly, I believe we're voting on—
2:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Well, all right, what are we...? We still have not heard from Mrs. Thomas about what we're voting on.
Clerk, were you given that in writing?
2:30 p.m.
The Clerk
As I understand it, we are voting on the challenge to the chair as to whether or not Ms. Saks' point of order is a genuine point of order.
2:35 p.m.
The Clerk
If everybody is comfortable with that, I'm going to proceed with a recorded division. Once the challenge to the chair has been established, it's supposed to go to an immediate recorded division.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Could we clarify whether, if we vote yea, we are supporting the chair?
2:35 p.m.
The Clerk
I'm going to do that in two seconds.
The question is this: Shall the decision of the chair be sustained? If the chair's decision is to be sustained—
2:35 p.m.
The Clerk
—a yea vote is to agree with the chair and a nay vote is to disagree with the chair.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
We have a vote on the floor, and the clerk is now going to read the vote.
2:35 p.m.
The Clerk
I'll have to pull up my substitution list, because we have a few different members from what we have usually.
(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6; nays 4)
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much.
We shall continue.
Ms. Saks, have you finished with your point of order?
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Ya'ara Saks Liberal York Centre, ON
I am about to complete it.
All I want to simply say, in an effort not to be repetitive, is that the communities are watching. They have waited to have this time with the department. This has been an egregious abuse by Mrs. Thomas and members of the Conservative Party to not allow the Jewish community to have the answers that they want to see today—or the francophone community, for that matter.
I'm profoundly disappointed in such actions. They are selfish and they do not show leadership.
Thank you.
