Evidence of meeting #23 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:42 p.m.
An hon. member
Mr. Chair, this is way off point.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
It's on the point exactly, because those are the kinds of things that it's our privilege to bring forward. You may object to it, you may object to how long we elaborate on it, but that's our opportunity to expose the flaws and the follies of this particular bill.
The fact that the Liberals are now supporting it—
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Let me just conclude. I'm wrapping up here.
The fact that the Liberals are now supporting this demonstrates how irresponsible it is to sign on to something, anything, that they have no intention of keeping on climate change.
So I rest my point.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like Canadians to hear an alternative narrative about what's going on here. The official languages committee is effectively disbanded. The procedure and house affairs committee has been filibustered for over seven months. The justice committee has a chair who sets his hair on fire and runs out of the room in repeated fashion and will not hold a meeting. And now it's the environment committee.
These comments speak entirely to the issue of privilege, because what Canadians have to know is that they send people to the House of Commons to do their jobs, and the privileges that attach to doing those jobs have now been killed by the government for a single purpose. The government is desperately trying to construct a case to legitimize going to an election earlier than they wish with a fixed-term election date, and so they're sowing seeds of havoc, they are shutting down the privileges of MPs, and even the House leader's staff is here now instructing the MPs on what to do.
Now, if in fact Mr. Warawa gave any consideration to privileges, he would tell Canadians the truth about something else. This committee voted to first exclude the parliamentary secretary from a steering committee that is struck to review the work plan of this committee, precisely because of this kind of conduct that we anticipated. Only six weeks ago, Mr. Chair, you will recall, as a matter of privilege, this parliamentary secretary raised the fact that he wasn't on the steering committee so his privileges were being impeded. You recall that debate. So these members of the opposition said, we shall in good faith bring this parliamentary secretary back on the steering committee.
Are you speaking to this point of order? It's a point of privilege. You can't interrupt us.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
It's a point of privilege, not a point of order. It takes precedence. You can't have a point of order without--
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
May I finish, Mr. Warawa, or are you afraid of what I'm saying?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
May I, Mr. Chair? While he's actually going through another text to find more time-killing opportunities, could I finish my remarks?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
April 1st, 2008 / 3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
There was no indication on the steering committee that this parliamentary secretary was put back on to. This is the work plan Canadians that should be aware of. This work plan was agreed on by all members of this committee--all members of this committee, including this parliamentary secretary. He came to the steering committee and this committee and agreed with the work plan. I asked the clerk yesterday, and he's given me, with gracious help, the actual time. We're now at 12 hours and 18 minutes of deliberate filibuster by this government. It's 12 hours and 18 minutes--and counting, in fact.
Do you want to talk about privileges, Mr. Warawa? What about the privileges we have to do our jobs as members of Parliament, the privileges we have to go through this work plan to deal with this bill, to deal with Bill C-474, to deal with your national water strategy--which has disappeared--and to deal with our water study on the oil sands? That's our privilege, isn't it, Mr. Warawa?
Why are you deliberately taking instructions from your House leader to obstruct this committee?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Where are the amendments, Mr. Chair? Where are the privileged amendments this member says he had no time to deliver?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Could you please cut off the microphone for Mr. McGuinty?
Obviously we can suspend this session if that's the desire of this committee. I would like to carry on, and I would like to postpone the decision--defer it--to consider, hopefully, an intelligent response that I can read into the record so that everybody has that response to a point of privilege by Mr. Warawa.
I think I've probably heard enough. I don't really think I need to hear any more, and I think we can then move on to the motion that we're here to discuss today. We have a speaking order, which we're carrying on from yesterday, and we'll get back to you in due course with a decision on this point of privilege, but I really don't think I need to hear a lot more.
Do you have a question, Mr. Vellacott?
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
I have a question. How can you proceed to move to discussion and debate on the particular motion that is at question, the particular thing that you're going to wait now until maybe tomorrow or next time to consider? How can that be now considered, when in fact that's the whole point of what you're going away to deliberate on?
I don't understand how we could proceed on that. I would think that in fact, if we're to carry on here today, we would rather revert to Mr. Warawa, who was speaking prior to this sabotage and piracy that occurred here yesterday with Mr. Cullen, and go back to that, because you're now giving consideration to the whole issue before us.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Ultimately we're going to have a decision. We are going to vote on that decision, and that decision then ultimately would go to the House. That's how it would be handled. The members at that point would listen to the decision. The decision hasn't been made yet. I obviously need time to look, consult, and be sure that I'm serving you as best I possibly can.
I do take Mr. Vellacott's question about debating something when a decision is pending. I have no idea how long it's going to take me to do this, but I'll certainly work as fast as I can--with the clerk's help, with the help of the Clerk of the House, and probably with the Speaker's help--to come up with a decision that I hope will be fair for everyone.
I think at this point I'll certainly listen to a couple more questions if you want, but it might be best to simply suspend and come back once a decision is rendered. I'll do it as quickly as I can.
I'm prepared to entertain some comments at this point. I believe Mr. Godfrey is next, and then Mr. Harvey.
3:42 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
We're not talking about this point of privilege any more. I've said what I'm going to say.
3:42 p.m.
Liberal
