Evidence of meeting #35 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 amendments.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Let's get started. We're going to start with new clause 13.1.
There is an amendment, which is found on page 40, and that's amendment L-20.
June 2nd, 2008 / 3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
I'm just waiting for my book. There are some last-minute negotiations going on over there, so they have my book.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Chairman, you will be interested to know that you missed quite a few last-minute negotiations. The rest of us are hoping these are briefer than some of the previous ones last week.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
While we're waiting, I would just warn that we need unanimous consent to return to two clauses that we've already considered.
In one of them, clause 11, we inadvertently missed a “not” in the text, which I will refer to. As well, we have to return to clause 15, because we had proposed a new clause 15.1, which was known as amendment L-21. Originally our legislative counsel thought—there were an awful lot of things happening—that this section, which dealt with transition measures, wasn't needed, but then she reflected on it, and she's here to explain exactly why we need to return to that clause, because we do need it. We can get Madame Roy to explain that. Those will require two unanimous decisions.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Let's begin, though. I believe you were in debate on amendment L-20. If you just complete your consultation there, we'll begin.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
No. Let's finish with new clause 13.1. We'll go to amendment L-20 on page 40. I understand that debate was going on, so we need to finish that first.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
This has to do with clause 13.1. Let me just double-check that we have the right language here for clause 13.1. We're having a problem with the enumeration, because we thought that.... It was originally an amendment to clause 14, right? It's now become new clause 13.1.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
But as was explained to me, this didn't relate to clause 14, so we introduced a new clause 13.1, which would then encapsulate your amendment L-20.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Okay. I thought we had already withdrawn this. Was it amendment 19.1?
You made reference to something called L-20.
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Right, but now that is being referred to as amendment L-19.1 on this sheet?
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
Liberal
John Godfrey Liberal Don Valley West, ON
In that case, I'm withdrawing L-20, because the content will now be found in a government amendment that is coming further along.
So we are doing two things here. We are withdrawing L-20 or L-19.1. Then I think we need to vote against clause 14 as well.
3:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Can I just clarify? So we are not proceeding with new clause 13.1. We need consent to withdraw it. Does anybody have problems with that?
Mr. Cullen, are you okay with our juggling here?
3:40 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I was with the clerk trying to see if there's a current version of the status of the bill. I appreciate all the work Mr. Godfrey and his staff and Mr. Warawa and his staff have put into this. But the struggle I'm having is that we're now removing clauses that were introduced to replace other clauses that have since been taken out of the bill, so we're two or three iterations down the road. I'm trying to fully grasp where the bill is right now, what portions are being taken out and what portions are being maintained.
I will act with some level of trust about Mr. Godfrey's and Mr. Warawa's intentions here. But as a legislator it is difficult for everyone involved--and particularly for those outside of the negotiation process--to understand exactly what we're voting for and against, which makes me uncomfortable.
I wouldn't mind a little recap of the intention of the thing. That would be helpful.
