A point of order, Mr. Chair.
Evidence of meeting #94 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 point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #94 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 point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
I want to clarify two things.
One is that the chair did not use the term “open warfare” last meeting.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Kevin Waugh
No, she didn't. That's right. I would agree with that. It's open discussion.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
I think it's important not to mischaracterize that.
Number two, could you clarify for this committee that members can ask witnesses the questions they want to ask?
Conservative
Liberal
Michael Coteau Liberal Don Valley East, ON
I know that this meeting has been very challenging, but I would like to ask you as the chair to ensure that if members are repeating themselves, you hold them accountable. We don't have a lot of time and we have an important study that speaks to issues that this entire committee was committed to. That was the health and well-being of our athletes here in Canada.
I do believe that the issues MP Thomas is bringing up around CBC and accountability are issues that MPs should be able to ask the CEO of CBC. I will vote in favour of asking CBC to come to the committee so that MP Thomas can ask those questions, but the constant repeating of the same point doesn't really allow us to do our work.
The bottom line, at the end of the day, is that we finish this report. It speaks to many examples of athletes being exploited here in Canada. We have a duty as MPs to make sure that this report is put forward, voted on and reported back to the House.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Kevin Waugh
Thank you, Mr. Coteau.
Go ahead, Mrs. Thomas, with your points on the subamendment, please.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
It's interesting to me that the members opposite are prescribing what this committee has a responsibility to do.
While I don't disagree, I would also raise the fact that this committee has the responsibility to hold the CBC to account with regard to telling the truth. The CBC is under the parameters of Heritage Canada. This committee is the heritage committee. Therefore, as members of this committee, we have the responsibility to hold the CBC, the public broadcaster within this country, to account. If the CBC is reporting false information, dangerous disinformation, that is causing significant harm, then the CBC has the responsibility to answer for that decision and to answer for the impact this decision has had on Canadians, in particular on the Jewish community.
Let me be very clear: For the Liberal members and the NDP member of this committee to try to block for Ms. Tait and to try to block—
Liberal
Conservative
October 26th, 2023 / 9:50 a.m.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
I would ask you to clarify what I think, mathematically, is the umpteenth time, that Catherine Tait from the CBC is coming and that members can ask her whatever their hearts desire. Please do that so that Mrs. Thomas can disabuse herself of this notion that somehow that's not what people want.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Kevin Waugh
Okay.
Go ahead, Mrs. Thomas.
On a point of order, Mr. Julian.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Chair, you'll recall that I was a member around this table during the Harper regime and—
Conservative
NDP
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
I'm coming back to that.
Numerous times when I was speaking, the Conservatives would point to the issue of relevance. Of course, relevance and repetition are the two elements around any filibuster, so I would question both the relevance and the repetition here.
When we are talking about the subamendment, it is important to stick to the subamendment, and it is also important to ensure that there isn't repetition.
We know that Ms. Tait is coming next week, so that kind of drive-by comment is simply inappropriate. It's not relevant.
The question that you raised, Mr. Chair, is a very valid one: Should she be coming for two hours? I think that's worthy of debate and let's have that debate.
Conservative
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
To the committee, through you, Mr. Chair, I'm seeing the members of the Liberal Party and the NDP member consistently interrupting me and finding fault with the fact that I'm talking about Ms. Tait, the head of the CBC, coming to this committee. That is the very core of the subamendment that we're talking about.
On the one hand, I am being berated by my colleagues at this table for talking about Ms. Tait coming to this committee and how that's so important, and then I'm also being berated, on this other side, for needing to stick to the subamendment. So here I am stuck in this interesting place, which brings me to the conclusion.
This is just a nonsensical way for the Liberal and NDP members of this committee to try to stop the discussion, to try to stop my comments, because they do not want the truth to be told. They do not want the truth exposed. They do not want to acknowledge that the CBC is spreading disinformation that is dangerous in nature.
The CBC published an article with this title, “Hundreds killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City hospital, Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says”. Let's be clear. The Palestinian health ministry is run by Hamas, so for the CBC to release an article with intel that they received from Hamas is absolutely inappropriate.
It was found, and has been confirmed by the Prime Minister of Canada, the Minister of National Defence, the Canadian Forces intelligence command, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France that this is a false narrative the CBC has been spreading. It is in fact dangerous disinformation that feeds into anti-Semitism in this country. It is wrong, and this committee has the responsibility to hold the CBC leadership to account.
For the members of this committee to try to backstop the leader of that organization is absolutely horrendous. It's despicable. This is the spreading of dangerous disinformation that has had a massive impact on people in Canada.
We're talking about a public broadcaster that is paid to the tune of $1.4 billion from the Canadian taxpayer. Surely this committee can do its job, and surely the members of the Liberal caucus and the member of the NDP caucus who are trying to disrupt at this committee could perhaps have the decency—
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
—to have the conversation and allow Ms. Tait to come forward for two hours, along with her leadership team, to answer the questions that need to be answered.
Mr. Julian is interrupting me again on a point of order.