I'd like to start off by thanking Mr. Silva for coming to make his presentation today and for trying to shed some light on this.
I know my colleague Mr. Reid is talking about the two different sets of standing orders that are driving this.
It's my thought, and I think it's accurate, that Bill C-415 is substantially similar to Bill C-257 in the sense that they both have the same stated purpose. They're both acts to amend the Canada Labour Code for the use of replacement workers in a strike. If on the surface that doesn't make them substantially similar, and we only have to meet a criterion of substantially similar, they both attempt to accomplish the same thing, which is the use of replacement workers in the case of a strike. Full stop.
That starts me off by saying we've already met the criteria. They are substantially similar because they're trying to accomplish the same thing. But let's take it a little further.
In this case, I'll take the example of two beautiful, candy-apple red Mustangs sitting in a parking lot. I know that I love them both, and I'll even take the red colour. One has a CD player, and of course, the other has a satellite radio. They have some different options, but I think anybody looking at them would say the two cars are substantially similar, even though they have a couple of different options.
I look at these two bills in a similar way. They accomplish the same thing. They look to accomplish the same thing. They are substantially the same thing. There are a couple of different options built into one.
To address the other piece, I know Mr. Reid has the standing orders that talk about this. But talking about the Speaker ruling it out of order in the case of Bill C-257 or ruling it in order in the case of Bill C-415, it's exactly that. It's ruling it in order or out of order; it's not ruling it votable or non-votable.
Many bills that come forward in this House are ruled in order and out of order. They're still discussed during private members' business to the point of talking about which way they were voted on. It can certainly be in order in the sense that it's in order and it can be discussed in the House.
But the criterion of the subcommittee on private members' business and the work of this committee today is on whether it is votable or not. It's not whether it's in order or not. The Speaker rules on whether or not it's in order. This committee is only ruling on the fact of whether or not it's votable at the end of the day because it is substantially similar to another bill that we've already voted on in this House.
I give to you the point that it is, and I'll stop at that point.