Health Committee on Feb. 12th, 2021

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I challenge the chair on your ruling—

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

The chair has been challenged.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I challenge the chair on your ruling that this is not a matter of privilege.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Ms. Rempel, I hear your challenge, but you don't have the floor to make the challenge at this point.

I just wish to make it clear that this is a matter of House administration. For resources, they make arrangements for staff, for rooms, and they have done so with the agreement of the House whips and of the leaders.

To your point of order, if you wish to appeal my ruling, then it is—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I do.

On my point of order, Chair, if you open up your green book, on page 1060.... If you open up your—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

You've appealed my decision, so let's deal with that firstly.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

You asked for my point of order, so let's start with that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

All right.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

On a point of order, if you open up your green book—and I encourage you to do that right now—to page 1060, you actually do have the power to do what I'm talking about. You actually have the power and are required to say whether or not you consider it a matter of privilege. Since you have done that, I challenge your ruling. I argue that it is a matter of privilege and I request that the chair's ruling not stand.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?

Mr. Clerk, I would ask you to take the vote.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Chair, just for clarification, I'm not 100% clear what we're voting on. What is your ruling, that is or is not a point of privilege?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

I have informed the committee that we are out of resources and we have to quit, which means that we have to adjourn or suspend. Ms. Rempel has raised that as a matter of privilege: that it's a violation of her privilege to not continue with this debate at this time.

I have ruled that it's really not up to us on the committee. It's not up to me as the chair and it's not up to the staff. It is a matter of the House administration that allocates resources and determines what resources are available in conjunction with conversations with the whips and House leaders. I have ruled that, in my view, Ms. Rempel's matter is not a matter of personal privilege, and she has challenged that ruling.

If you vote yes, you support the chair's decision that, in this case, it's not a point of privilege. It's for the committee to deal with. It still leaves it open for Ms. Rempel to raise it in the House as a question of privilege. If you vote no, then you would agree with Ms. Rempel's contention that this is a violation of her privilege as it stands.

Is everybody clear on that?

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Chair, just to that, a few moments ago, I heard you say specifically that it's not up to the government to find resources, so that's the concern—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

We're getting into debate here. We have a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair. Let us deal with that.

Mr. Clerk, if you would, please take the vote on that.

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 6; nays 4)

Thank you. The decision of the chair is sustained.

Now we have really no choice. We are nine minutes past—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I have point of order, Chair.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

No more points of order. We have no more time.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

A point of order....

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

This is unfair—

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Interpretation is exactly what I would have liked to have. I heard absolutely nothing and, because of that, I couldn't even vote. It's insulting, it's maddening. Technology is all well and good, but I didn't have interpretation. My channel is open, the interpretation channel is open, everything is still there. This is the second time this happens. I've had more than enough.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

On a point of order—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Madame Vignola, will you tell us what your vote was: yes or no?

[The Clerk]

Your microphone is turned off.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I'm well connected, but I don't have sound. I hear absolutely nothing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

All right, thank you.

Mr. Clerk, would you include Ms. Vignola's vote in the tally you just acquired?