Evidence of meeting #94 for Finance in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Alexandre Roger
Philippe Méla  Legislative Clerk
Ariane Gagné-Frégeau  Legislative Clerk
Miriam Burke  Legislative Clerk
Jean-François Lafleur  Legislative Clerk

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

On a point of order.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

Thank you.

Question period is a sacrosanct part of our democracy. We know that this government has tried to ride over democracy—

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

MP Lawrence, that is debate.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

We have seen this record over—

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

That's debate.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

—and over again.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

That's debate.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

I know you'd like for us to just go away and be lap dogs to the Liberal Party, but that's not our role.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

That is debate.

MP Lawrence, I'd ask for some decorum, some respect.

We are moving to—

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON

I have a point of order.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

On a point of order, MP Lobb.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON

Chair Fonseca, would a motion to suspend supersede the agreement with the whips?

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

That is not a point of order.

Shall—

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON

It's a legitimate question on the function—

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

That is not a point of order.

Members, we're moving forward.

Shall clause—

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON

How can you not answer that question?

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

—467 carry?

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Sophie Chatel Liberal Pontiac, QC

I request a recorded vote.

(Clause 467 agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

Shall clause 468—

1:35 p.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

1:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

On a point of order, MP Blaikie.

1:35 p.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

There are a couple of things that I think are worth saying in response to some of the previous points of order.

The first has to do with the conversations among the whips. There are times when various parties are on the wrong end of a decision taken at the whips' table. They do make a lot of decisions about which committees meet when, which committees are cancelled and which other committees go longer. I don't think it's helpful when one party doesn't like the outcome at the table, where they are sometimes on the winning side, for them to reflect on decisions that are taken at that table.

The reason I'm willing to sit through question period is that I would like to get through this process. If we can group clauses in order to make up for the time we won't spend voting while we're in question period, then I'm happy to break for question period, but I'm not prepared to lose the time in a process that, frankly, has been very frustrating, and I'll leave it at that.

We've been doing about 50 votes an hour. If we want to group 50 clauses now and go until two o'clock, I'd be prepared to do that.

For me, it's about the time, so if we're not going to be able to group clauses, as is often done in clause-by-clause, then we're going to sit at this table. I'm happy to make that a decision of the committee. If folks object to the whips doing that, I'm happy to vote to stay through question period. I'm happy to do that at this table. I recognize that we can't because it's out of order. That's a little problem for the chair to solve, but we could do it by UC.

In any event, this is a problem with a solution. We can be reasonable and talk about it, but that has not been a feature of this process for weeks now, so I don't have a lot of confidence in that.

1:35 p.m.

Conservative

Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

1:35 p.m.

Liberal

Sophie Chatel Liberal Pontiac, QC

I have a point of order on the point of order, Mr. Chair.

1:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca

MP Chatel, is your point of order on MP Blaikie's point of order?