Evidence of meeting #25 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vote.
A video is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
With all respect, Madam Chair, my question was for my colleague.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
The chair will allow for certain questions if I think they're in order.
Ms. Chi, would you like to answer that?
Liberal
Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON
I think that we've already had unanimous consent from everybody.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you. That's good.
Now I'm going to move to Mr. Eyolfson.
Speak, please, Mr. Eyolfson.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to propose the following amendment. That the motion be amended by deleting parts a) to e) and replacing them with the following text:
That the committee recognize the importance of reviewing and considering the most recent official statistics and publicly reported data related to the Canadian Dental Care Plan, including ongoing updates on enrolment, service update and provider participation.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I just want to be sure that everyone has the amendment. You still have the floor.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Does everyone have the amendment in both languages? No, you don't have the amendment. The clerk does not have the amendment.
Can you repeat it, please?
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
I'll start from the top.
That the motion be amended by deleting parts a) to e) and replacing them with the following text:
That the committee recognize the importance of reviewing and considering the most recent official statistics and publicly reported data related to the Canadian Dental Care Plan, including ongoing updates on enrolment, service update and provider participation.
Madam Chair, I want to speak to this amendment. It asks the committee to do something reasonable and useful, which is to consider the most recent official statistics and publicly reported data related to the Canadian dental health plan. That is what I intend to do. I intend to go through those figures on the record because they are relevant to any serious discussion on the program.
Members opposite may suggest that the numbers are already available and that there is little to add by reviewing them here, but the purpose of this committee is not simply to note that information exists. It is to examine that information, place it on the record and consider what it tells us about the implementation of a major public program.
The Canadian dental care plan is, by the government's own description, one of the largest social programs in the country. The Canadian dental care plan is a significant federal initiative and, for that reason, it is entirely appropriate that the committee take the time to look carefully at the available data. I do not intend to rush through that exercise. I intend to do it in a careful and orderly way. That is the purpose of the amendment, and that is how committees are meant to do their work.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Madam Chair, I have a point of order.
I really do think what you've mentioned so far is basically gutting the whole motion. It drastically changes the whole intent of the motion in the first place, so I would rule this out of order.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
It is in order because it is dealing with the motion on the table, which was moved by Mr. Strauss.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
All right. You're going to challenge the chair, but it's not a challenge.
Do you understand what a point of order is, Mr. Mazier?
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
You ruled that it was in order. I say that it's not in order. You made a ruling.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Yes, but do you understand, before we go into all of this, what I consider to be just raising up issues just for the sake of raising issues? I think you should understand what a point of order is.
A point of order is when somebody speaks outside of the agenda item on the table. This is in keeping with the agenda item on the table. It is in order as an amendment to the motion by Mr. Strauss, which is being moved forward. If we're going to have to rule on a point of order that is definitely not a point of order, then you're going to be subverting the whole reason for having chairs and having committees, because you're ignoring the basic rules of a committee at the moment.
If we're going to have people voting on basic committee rules, we're going to have to take this to the chief clerk who wrote the book on this and move on it. I think it's kind of frivolous, Mr. Mazier.
Conservative
Liberal
Maggie Chi Liberal Don Valley North, ON
I think it's unfair to make that ruling, because Doug has just started stating why he's moving this amendment. I think it's premature to move anything or to rule on anything, because Mr. Eyolfson has not even finished his speech yet.