Finance Committee on May 29th, 2023

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I've got it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Okay, are you good?

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I'm going to challenge it, but yes, I get it, thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

There's a challenge of the chair, Clerk.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Aimée Belmore]

The question is, shall the decision of the chair be sustained?

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6; nays 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Now we are on CPC-7. There is a chair's ruling on this one, on CPC-7.

The chair's ruling is that Bill C-47 amends several acts, including the Excise Act, 2001, to add inflationary adjustment clauses. The amendment seeks to establish new amounts of fines related to certain more serious alcohol offences.

As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition, states on page 770, “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, this addition is a new concept that is beyond the scope of the bill as adopted by the House at second reading; therefore, I rule the amendment inadmissible.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Go ahead.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I'd like to challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

There's a challenge of the chair.

Go ahead, Clerk.

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6; nays 5)

It's been sustained.

Members, now we are at amendment CPC-8.

I do have a ruling. The ruling is that Bill C-47 amends several acts, including the Excise Act, 2001 to add inflationary adjustment clauses. The amendment seeks to establish a new amount of fine related to the supply of bulk wine offences.

As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition, states on page 770:

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, this addition is a new concept that is beyond the scope of the bill as adopted by the House at second reading; therefore, I rule the amendment inadmissible.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I will challenge the Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Go ahead, Clerk.

[The Clerk]

Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6 ; nays 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

We are now, members, at amendment CPC-9.

I do have a chair's ruling.

MP Lawrence, I have a ruling here I have to read. Bill C-47 amends several acts, including the Excise Act, 2001, to add inflationary adjustment clauses. The amendment seeks to establish new amounts of fines for alcohol offences in relation to sections 73, 74 and 90 of the act.

As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition, states on page 770:

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, this addition is a new concept that is beyond the scope of the bill as adopted by the House at second reading; therefore, I rule the amendment inadmissible.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Can I ask for a quick clarification? Is it the calculation in the new bill that's the problem?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

We can't get into that.

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

That's debate, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

We are now—

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I will challenge the Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

There's a challenge. Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?

Clerk, we will have a vote.

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6; nays 5 )

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I have a quick point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Mr. Lawrence, go ahead..

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I don't mean this in any disrespectful way. I think I work quite well with Mr. MacDonald, but I have noticed several times that he hasn't said “yes”. He just used his thumbs-up, which I guess we do on an acceptance basis. I was just wondering if there was a technical problem.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

You can use your thumbs-up or thumbs-down, if you want, for voting. That's all we're doing here; we're voting.

If that is what MP MacDonald would like to do, that's what he can do. Other members can do that also if you want to use your thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

But you can only use thumbs-up. That's it.