Environment Committee on April 9th, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

--where we simply suspend.

As to this heckling back and forth, obviously our Speaker has to put up with it from all sides, but I don't think in the confines of this committee we do. I have issued warnings. I'm getting pretty tired of listening to the backtalk from all sides.

I would ask all members to just shut up, listen to the person speaking. I'd ask the speakers to stay on topic and refer to the motion at hand. Ultimately we're going to vote on this motion, someday, sometime. I guess we're all going to be here as long as that takes.

So I would just ask everybody to stay very calm. I'll start giving out stars for good behaviour if that's what you want. But right now I would ask everybody--and there are some people guiltier than others--to just pay attention to the speaker, do your work if you want to do your work, but please let's try to stay on topic and let's try to stop the heckling.

Mr. Godfrey.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Very quickly, in order to help you undertake this very difficult work, Chair, would you find it helpful or not, because it's very difficult for anyone just to keep listening, to have--

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

He's got his prop up, showing at the camera.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

--other folks raise issues of relevance, just to help? I mean, if you're having any doubt about whether the thing is relevant or whether it's germane to the topic, would that be helpful?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

If you look at the actual rules.... We're talking about a very broad topic—we're talking about this motion—and I've asked members to refer to it. I believe they're doing that. They are, of course, giving all of the reasons why two minutes isn't long enough to cover whatever particular topic it is, and they're developing that point. I believe that's within the realm of this motion.

I guess the thing that's probably delaying us as much as anything is the constant heckling back and forth. I would ask that you stop doing it.

Let's carry on, Mr. Warawa. I'm trying to keep order here. It's getting less and less easy.

And of course, once again, remember that the consequence is simply that we suspend to the call of the chair. I guess I throw it back to you guys to go somewhere and sort it out. When you come back, when you want to call the chair and say, “I'm ready now for you to call the meeting”, we'll call the meeting. Whether that's next week, next month, next year, I guess is up to you. But that's where we're heading.

We have a motion that we're going to take to the House, where I'm going to lobby and push to try to get this problem solved for all of us so that we can all move on. We have now passed it unanimously; I'm really pleased about that. I'm going to really try to push it. You've given me the mandate, I guess, to do that.

But it surely doesn't help if we have to shut down the committee. That's not what I want to do. Some may want me to do that; I don't want to do it. I want to carry on with this committee. I want to get clause 10 done. I'm thinking of that in my sleep: “Shall clause 10 pass?” And here we are—

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

That's clause 10 as amended, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

—debating a motion, a difficult motion. And I'm asking Mr. Warawa.... I believe he's getting close to wrapping up. We, of course, are going to votes. We will suspend and we'll come back here as quickly as possible. As long as we have a quorum, we'll continue, and we'll continue to debate this motion.

We have a speaking list. I don't know how long everybody can keep speaking; that is totally up to you. I will constantly try to listen and to keep people on topic, which is two minutes: is it long enough or isn't it long enough to make your points about climate change and about the bill that's before us? Is this time allocation right or wrong, yes or no?

We are hearing why it is not. I assume we're going to soon starting hearing why two minutes is good, and then we'll carry on. Until we exhaust the speaking list, we will listen to debate on this motion and ultimately vote on it. When we vote on it, we'll then go to the amended clause 10 and discuss the amended clause 10.

So right now, unless it's something that I haven't covered, Mr. Watson....

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

It's a point of order, Mr. Chairman, a brief one.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Yes, Mr. Watson.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Just so that procedurally we stay on track, I know that when Mr. Cullen raised his point of order he didn't quite move a motion, but he was close to moving a motion seeking unanimous consent to withdraw his motion from the table. That can't be done on a point of order, Mr. Chair. It would have to wait until he has the floor, if he in fact wants to do it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

If it is unanimous, Mr. Watson, it can be done, but it was not unanimous, so there was no motion.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Not while he has the floor.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

There was no motion because it wasn't unanimous.

Anyway, we're back to Mr. Warawa.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

I have a point on that same point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Yes, Mr. Vellacott.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

I would just make the point that even if Mr. Warawa wanted to consent to give up or cede the floor, there are others of us who have some good things to say—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

It has to be unanimous for all members.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

Exactly.

The other thing is that I want to draw to your attention that Mr. McGuinty has a habit of trying to get a prop forward in his own sneaky kind of way, but I'm beginning to wonder at this point if the number that is showing on it is the number of times—he has a count sheet—that the Liberals have abstained, and whether it includes the time of the extension—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Mr. Vellacott, I don't think you want to go there.

I want to go back to Mr. Warawa, because—

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

He can't answer that question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Again, I will remind him to talk about why two minutes isn't long enough to develop his thoughts, his feelings about this bill.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Do I have the chair now?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

You have the floor.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

It's 19 abstentions, 19 times sitting on your hands.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Go ahead, Mr. Warawa.