Evidence of meeting #21 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
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Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I'm sorry. Mr. Chair, we are debating the adjournment motion. Is that correct?
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
What you put forward is not an adjournment motion strictly speaking. You seem to be confusing it with a motion to adjourn debate. Madam Clerk, could you provide some clarification, please?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I'm sorry. Are you asking me or the clerk to clarify? My understanding is that we are debating an adjournment motion with a condition that I have put forward. Is that correct?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I think I've made my points with respect to the adjournment. I suggest we accept that adjournment. That will allow us to have the subcommittee do its work and then make a reasonable plan going forward.
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
Before I move on to the next speaker, I'd like the clerk to clarify something.
My understanding is that an adjournment motion can't be debated and has to be put to a vote right away.
Was it an adjournment motion, yes or no?
The Clerk
When an adjournment motion is accompanied by a condition, it becomes debatable. The debate took place, and I don't see any hands up in the room. You can proceed to the vote if there are no further comments.
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
Very well.
I thought Mr. Chong was on the speaking list. If not, we can vote on Mr. Genuis's motion.
Over to you, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chong has let me know that he doesn't wish to speak right now. He'd like to speak after the committee votes on the motion. With your permission, I'll proceed with the vote.
Liberal
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
I'm just trying to understand this because with regarding to adjourning the debate, there are really two motions, I think, as opposed to a conditional motion. There's a motion to adjourn debate and there's a motion to refer this to the agenda subcommittee. My problem with that is that I would like the committee to inform the subcommittee what its opinion is of this motion, as opposed to having this debate happen again at that agenda subcommittee. I would vote against this because we would then be referring something to a subcommittee that would simply go through this debate again. I think we should have the opportunity to express our opinion, as a committee, to inform the work of the agenda subcommittee.
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
Mr. Oliphant, I'm going to stop you there. Once we've dealt with Mr. Genuis's motion, we will resume debate on Ms. Fry's motion.
We will proceed with the vote now, Madam Clerk.
The Clerk
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The vote is on the motion of Mr. Genuis that the debate be now adjourned until such time as the committee has completed its other work.
(Motion negatived: nays 6; yeas 4)
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
Mr. Chong, I believe you wanted to comment on Ms. Fry's motion. The floor is yours.
Conservative
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Mr. Chair, I'm going to suggest a constructive way out of this impasse.
The way I read the motion is that it's a clear reference to the leaked draft from the Supreme Court of the United States. I do not believe that this committee should be studying access to abortion in the United States. I don't think that's constructive for the committee to be doing. I don't think it is the top of mind concern in bilateral relations between Canada and the United States.
But I do believe studying reproductive rights for women globally is within the remit of the committee and is something the committee could take a look at. In order to square that circle, what I'm going to suggest is that we strike part of the motion.
I'll move an amendment that doesn't change the substance of the motion but does change its context. I move that we strike the following words, “given recent reports of international backsliding related to women's sexual and reproductive health and rights”.
Mr. Chair, I move that amendment to the motion so that it's clear it's not in reference to recent events that have taken place in the United States. It still preserves the rest of the motion for the subcommittee to consider. I hope that my suggestion here and my intervention that we not study access to abortion rights in the United States will be taken to consideration when the subcommittee meets to talk about planning our future business.
I think it's well within our rights to study access to reproductive rights globally, but I do not believe we should be studying access to abortion in the United States. I think the committee should focus on countries around the world, but not the current debate that's raging in the United States because of the recently leaked draft decision from the Supreme Court. I don't think it's conducive to Canada-U.S. relations. I don't think it's something that we should be seized with as a committee.
I move that amendment in the hope that we can get it adopted and can then adopt this motion so that the subcommittee can put this into its consideration for future committee business. I hope that's constructive. That will allow us to move forward and deal with the motion at hand.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
We're at 1:25 p.m. We have debate going on in the House.
How long will this go on for?
If members want a recess to have conversations about this motion, how about we adjourn as we are scheduled to adjourn and then bring this motion back at the next meeting?
Bloc
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Stéphane Bergeron
—we will now debate Mr. Chong's amendment.
Ms. Fry had her hand up.
Ms. Fry, do you wish to comment on Mr. Chong's amendment?
