Thank you.
My ruling is as follows. Bill C-31 seeks to amend the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Act by removing the requirement that a comprehensive report be submitted by the agency president to the responsible minister. The amendment aims to re-establish the requirement for a report, and that it be submitted to the minister every four years.
House of Commons Procedure and Practice, second edition, states on page 766, “An amendment to a bill that was referred to committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.” In the opinion of the chair, the amendment seeks to maintain the report requirement, which is contrary to the principle of the bill. Therefore, I rule the amendment inadmissible.
That deals with NDP-14.
Is there any discussion on clause 177?
Mr. Cullen.