Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 19th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm sorry, but I did not understand your points. I'm sorry.

Go ahead, Ms. Thomas, and be mindful that we're speaking to the subamendment and not the main motion. That's all I'm reminding you. Keep that in mind. Remember that.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Chair, I do feel a bit berated by you, and so I am confused. I was speaking specifically about bringing Ms. Catherine Tait, the head of the CBC, to this committee and why that is important, and yet I feel corrected by you, that I'm somehow not speaking to the subamendment, so can you please clarify for me how I am in the wrong?

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I did not say you were in the wrong, Ms. Thomas. I'm asking you to focus, because you made these comments when you spoke to your main motion many times, and so I didn't know where you were going with them.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Generally when someone is interrupted and told to stay focused, it means that they're somehow not focused—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

It does not necessarily—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

—so I'm hoping that you can help me understand so that I can respect you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Ms. Thomas, please, with respect for the committee, can you continue? Just remember to focus on the subamendment. Thank you very much.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

Again, you're issuing a correction, asking me to focus on the subamendment, so I'm curious as to where I was going wrong and how I might better be able to focus on the subamendment, which is to bring Ms. Tait to this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

It would be up to you to decide how to do that.

Focus, Ms. Thomas. I was just listening to you continue the same statements you made when you were speaking to the main motion, and I wondered if you wanted to speak to the subamendments specifically, which are, as you can see, to invite the president for two hours, within seven days of the motion being adopted and to add, to appear separately, Jack Nagler and George Achi to address the CBC's position on journalistic standards and practices.

Those are the new things that have been added. Meta has been added as well. If you want to speak to those issues, that's fine, but I just think one can continue to reiterate the same points over and over. Let's be mindful of the fact that we need to move on in this committee and be efficient.

Thank you, Ms. Thomas. Would you speak to the subamendment? Begin your arguments. Thank you.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Ms. Thomas, I really don't want to engage in a debate with you. Would you continue your debate on the subamendment? Thank you.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I would love to discuss the subamendment. I just want to make sure, though. The subamendment doesn't say anything about Meta or Google being included, and you just stated that it did, so I just want to make sure that we're clear as to what the subamendment is.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I don't know if you have it in front of you.

It says, “The CBC received—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Yes, Madam Chair, I do. That's the amendment. It's not the subamendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Now I'm looking at the subamendment where Mr. Waugh in fact explained that he did in fact want Rachel Curran to come to speak about Meta. It did say that.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

That was part of the amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

That's why I allowed it. He did continue with that. I had thought he had removed it completely and he pointed out to me that in his next bullet, he did not.

Now, Ms. Thomas, I really do not wish to indulge in debate with you. You have the floor. Please speak to the subamendment.

Thank you.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Chair, I don't wish to debate either—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mrs. Thomas, you do wish to debate me and I don't wish to debate you anymore. I've ruled that you should continue to speak. You have the floor. Please speak to the subamendment.

Thank you very much.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Thank you.

I do just—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mrs. Thomas, please speak or I will remove you from the floor and give it to someone else.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Wow. That would be quite something.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mrs. Thomas, please speak to the subamendment and be respectful of everyone in this room who wants to move on here.

Thank you.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

For the benefit of those who might be watching this committee, I could not have been more on point with the subamendment. The subamendment adds Ms. Catherine Tait into the amended version, and I was speaking exactly about Catherine Tait, as the head of the CBC, coming to this committee.

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

I have a point of order.