Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 12th, 2024

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

No kidding.

I know the Conservatives, of course, are trying to say that, no, they're not standing in the way, but their record speaks for itself. As we saw with Bill S-245, the Conservatives filibustered that bill for 30 hours, and then even after it got through committee here and was reported to the House with amendments, the Conservatives and the member for Calgary Forest Lawn refused to bring the bill up for third reading eight times and moved it back in the order of precedence eight times.

I'm not surprised by where we're at with respect to that. With respect to this particular motion, this is something that I've been trying to motivate for a very long time. The motivation behind all of that is to say the law needs to be corrected. The unconstitutional elements of, in particular, the “second generation born abroad” provisions and allowing them to have access to citizenship conferred on them from their parents needs to be rectified, as has been indicated by the Ontario Superior Court. It is not only the morally right thing to do. It is the legally right thing to do and is required by law.

The subamendment and the closed work permit study, a study my good colleague MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe brought before this committee and to which I made an amendment, is to really address the findings of the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and for Canada to properly address that issue. I would be happy to work expeditiously to see that work finished so we can get on to other business, including, of course, Bill C-71 at committee stage, and other items as well, including the Afghan letter, regarding which a grave injustice has taken place with respect to the Afghan situation. I was surprised that the Conservatives would actually agree to adjourn the debate on having that letter and the motion contained in that letter voted on at this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Ms. Kwan.

Is anyone else on the list? There are no speakers. We can take a vote on the motion as subamended by Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

It's just on the subamendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

It's just the subamendment—not the motion. A recorded division has been called. I will ask the clerk to take a vote on the subamendment proposed by Mr. Redekopp.

(Subamendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Now we are back to the amendment as subamended.

Mr. Kmiec, go ahead.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Chair, after hearing the partisan attacks on the Conservative position on Bill C-71, I'm going to move the following motion. It's the first day, so let's start with what we all expect this session is going to become.

This is my amendment after the title—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I raise a point of order, Mr. Chair.

My understanding is that we are currently debating Mr. Chiang’s motion—

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Actually, it is on another subamendment.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Ah, I see. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Kmiec, you have the floor.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

After this title, this is the amendment I am proposing: “, and after a carbon tax election is held so that Canadians and Québécois can vote out this tired, out-of-time NDP-Liberal coalition government”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Okay, so we have—

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

I'm happy to speak to it too.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Go ahead on a point of order, Ms. Kayabaga.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Is this in order because we still had a motion?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Yes. Any subamendment can be brought forward.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

As a motion...?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

It's up to the committee.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

This is completely different from the current motion. Is this in good standing?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

It can be.... Members have every right to bring in a subamendment. It's up to the committee—

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Chair, with all due respect, this is not a subamendment. It's a completely different motion from what we're discussing right now. I'm still on a point of order, so I'd like an answer.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

I will give the floor to Mr. Kmiec.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

I'm sorry, Chair. I was going to say that I hadn't given up my time and that it sounded like debate, because this is totally in order. My motion is basically doing a time delay, which is the previous amendment, the one we're debating right now, and now, we're on a subamendment.

The amendment that Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe proposed is basically affecting the timing of the main motion, so what I'm doing is affecting the timing of what would happen when this is reported out of this committee and back to the House, which would only take effect after a carbon tax election is held.

Frankly, what I heard at doors across the country.... I went to the greater Toronto region, Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Seymour, to all those places and places outside of Toronto, like Hespeler, and that's what I heard at the doors. At least half the doors, people wanted to talk about the carbon tax and the impact it's having on their bottom lines every single month.

What this subamendment is simply doing is basically establishing when the main motion takes effect. I think it would be perfectly reasonable for Canadians to have a say and to have a say, now, in the way they want it.

You can see it in the polls, Chair. I'm sure you follow them like all of the political class does. We all do it. We all check the polls, whether we go on 338Canada or whether we go on any other websites like Abacus or Leger. We're checking what the polls are, usually in our ridings. I'm sure that in Surrey the polls are affected as well. We're all checking the polls all the time because we're always wondering what Canadians are thinking.

Right now, they're thinking they would like a carbon tax election. What they want is for their pocketbooks, at the end of the month, to have more money in them. They want to have a lighter load and want the carbon tax not to be imposed on everything they purchase when they go to the grocery store or when they go to the pumps to buy gasoline or diesel. Whenever they're going—

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

I'm sorry. I have a point of order. I would like to ask the clerk if it is legal to move a motion when we are debating a motion. Can you illustrate that for us, please?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. El-Khoury, this is a subamendment to the motion. This is not a new motion.