Human Resources Committee on Feb. 23rd, 2026

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you very much, Chair.

We have this motion that's been put forward by the Liberals. I want to make a couple of quick comments about the context for this motion and then proceed to discussing it.

As you know, Chair, and as anyone following the meeting will know, I signalled my intention to put forward a motion on a matter related to the budget implementation act. This was important because we were in a bit of an unusual situation as a committee. We had been charged with studying the budget implementation act, Bill C-15. Then, as a result of a decision made in the House, our deadline was abruptly moved forward, so we didn't have an opportunity to provide a report to the finance committee on Bill C-15.

In hopes of honouring the work we had done on that, I had put a motion on notice and hoped to move that motion. The motion was dealing with the threat to student grants for students attending private institutions. That was a motion I had signalled an intention to move. I could have moved it during my last round of questioning with Mr. Beech. The reason I didn't move it was purely out of respect for my colleagues across the way. I wanted to give them an opportunity to move their final round of questions.

I recognized the sensitivity of the subject, Bill C-222. Rather than interrupt those proceedings, I wanted to give them an opportunity. I was trying to be courteous to them by not moving the motion until they had the opportunity for their round, but I asked to have the opportunity to move my motion after that hour was over. After I ceded the floor, the Liberals did not return the courtesy. They used their round to interrupt the discussion on Bill C-222 to move their motion.

Look, we're trying to respect the gravity of the subject we were talking about, which was bereavement, and not interrupt those considerations by raising other issues, even though we could have done it earlier. That is the point at which I asked to have the opportunity to move my motion at the end of the meeting. Unfortunately, our goodwill was not reciprocated, and the Liberals moved a different motion during their time.

This is where we are. I want to highlight this, because the Liberal government has a proposal in their budget to strip student grants from students learning—

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

I have a point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—vital, career-relevant skills at private for-profit institutions. They clearly don't want to talk about it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'm sorry, but we have a point of order.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

I thought we were resuming debate on Ms. Koutrakis's motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We are. He is speaking to that.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

He is not speaking to that, Mr. Chair.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, on the point of order, maybe this is a good opportunity to advise new members on aspects of the process here.

The members opposite moved a motion in a way and at a time that was not at all courteous, given what we had signalled we were doing and the respect we were trying to show Mr. Beech, whose private member's bill was there, and the process. This is the second motion that was moved—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you.

I did indicate to Mr. Genuis that I would return to him at some point.

We will deal with Ms. Koutrakis's motion, but Mr. Genuis has the floor. Then we'll come back.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

In light of the way this unfolded, we have a number of amendments that we'd like to discuss with respect to the motion from Ms. Koutrakis. These are amendments that could be negotiated more efficiently in other ways, but the government has chosen to proceed in this fashion. We're prepared to use the procedures and processes of the committee, as they have.

In light of the context and in light of the fact that, as members will recall, I was the one who was first to present that I wanted to move a motion but was trying to respect other members and the process, I'd like to move that the committee proceed to the consideration of the motion I put on notice last week.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'm sorry, Mr. Genuis. That would not be in order, because currently the committee is—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

It's on page 1176 of the green book. It's a “proceed to” motion. You can move to proceed to an item. That's pretty well established.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

As you are well aware, Mr. Genuis, you cannot do indirectly what you cannot do directly.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, if you want to allow the clerk to speak, that might be....

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I will have the clerk speak to it.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

My understanding is that you can move a motion to proceed to another item.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Genuis.

Clerk, would you address the procedural issue and where we're at?

I'm sorry. Currently there's a motion on the floor. You discussed a motion, and then you wanted to move a motion to proceed. That part of the procedure is not in order, Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I can't move a “proceed to” motion at all. I don't think that's correct, and the clerk is shaking his head here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

No.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I know I'm able to move “proceed to” motions. It sounds like you want to give me some guidance about the kind of motion I can or can't move, so I wonder if you can give me some clarity on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'll ask the clerk to provide the committee with clarity on that.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Alexandre Longpré]

Moving a “proceed to” motion is admissible. It would be a dilatory motion, but we are trying to move to a notice of motion that has not been moved yet.

If this motion had already been moved, it would have been considered before the committee, but right now we are trying to move a new motion that has not yet been moved to resume a study. It's like you're trying to move a motion that hasn't been considered by the committee and that isn't on the floor when we currently have a motion on the floor. What we're trying to do is move a motion that doesn't pertain to the order of business to start a discussion on something that's new.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

What you're saying is that I can't proceed to a motion that hasn't yet been moved.

[The Clerk]

I'm not saying anything. It is my clerical opinion that I have given to the chair. The chair—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The chair agrees with the clerk.