Evidence of meeting #38 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was quebec.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Chairman, I move that we adjourn the meeting. Is this a debatable motion?
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
On a point of order, there is a motion on the floor, Mr. Chair. There is a time-honoured practice with the committee. I had indicated earlier to Mr. Crête that he'd best bring his pillows, pyjamas, and other things. We may very well need them. But more importantly, if he has finished his debate, we should proceed to the question.
I call the question.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I'm advised that a motion to adjourn supercedes all other motions, and therefore you must move to a motion to adjourn a meeting.
Mr. Crête has made a motion to adjourn.
(Motion negatived)
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
I raise a point of order that the question now be put to Mr. Crête's subamendment.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I am also advised by the clerk that motions to put the question cannot actually be moved in committee.
Mr. Crête concluded his statement, and I was just asking the clerk to read.... My understanding was that Mr. Crête had concluded his—
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
I had not finished. I spoke about the issue of adjournment, because I thought that my presentation would end. We could come back to this again at another meeting. We debated a motion to adjourn. We must continue the debate, and if we continue, I am ready to debate my amendment.
5:30 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Mr. Chairman, you were asking the question when—
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
5:30 p.m.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you. I raised my hand several times to ask for the floor. A little earlier, I was interrupted by Mr. McTeague. You allowed him to speak because he said that the floor should be given alternately to members of the different parties and that two representatives of a same party could not intervene in a row. He took the floor; I did not object. He put forward a motion, we voted, and I lost my right to speak. This time I will not lose it. I want to be a part of this debate. Let's be clear: no one else will table a motion before I have exercised my right to speak. That is not going to happen. I will not accept this. I asked you for the floor; you told me that you had not given me the floor, but you gave it to someone else and then you did not come back to me. This needs to be set right.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Mr. Vincent, I still have you. You requested to speak, but we have not actually gotten to the second person speaking to the subamendment, because your colleague Mr. Crête was the first person, and he just concluded speaking as of now. Then a point of order was raised.
In fact, you are still on the speaking list, and you will be called upon, if there is no other member of any other party who wants to speak to the subamendment. I will go to you to speak to the subamendment.
But I have a point of order from Mr. Pacetti.
5:35 p.m.
Bloc
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Let me answer that, Mr. Chairman. I will not allow you to say that without answering you. As I already said, Mr. McTeague asked for the floor and got it because he said that two members of the same party cannot have the floor in a row and that the floor should be given to the other parties. When he finished, you did not give the floor back to me, although you had told me to wait. Do not try to tell me that we will have to wait because Mr. Crête has finished and that someone else is next. I have a right to speak and I want to keep that right. I want to have the right to speak about this amendment.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Mr. Vincent, you are on the list as the next person to speak to the subamendment proposed by Mr. Crête, but there was a point of order raised, which supercedes debate. Then you raised your point of order, which supercedes debate, and now we have a point of order from Mr. Pacetti.
We'll hear the point of order from Mr. Pacetti, and then we will move, if there are no other points of order, to your debate on the subamendment.
Mr. Pacetti, we'll hear your point of order.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Mr. Chairman, I just felt that we were already voting on a question. Normally in committee, or in the House, when we vote on the question, there is no interruption and we vote on the question. You'll allow Mr. Vincent to speak, that's fine. But I felt that we were in the middle of a vote on the subamendment.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
No, I was simply reading it because Mr. Crête had asked that the motion, the amendment, and the subamendment be read. That's what I was doing. But in fact Mr. Vincent had indicated that he wanted to speak prior to my saying that.
On a point of order, Mr. Van Kesteren.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
I don't know if I'm going to be ruled against on this, but out of the goodness of their hearts, can we ask the Bloc, maybe, if the witnesses could be dismissed. It's in a Christmas spirit.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I will then ask if the witnesses can be dismissed. Do I have the consent of the committee to do that?
5:35 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
No. Pursuant to the motion we just adopted, there is no adjournment. Therefore, I cannot tell them to leave. We might well be here until 6 o'clock tomorrow morning before we need to consult them. You never know.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Okay, Mr. Crête has denied consent for that, so the witnesses will, unfortunately, have to stay.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Mr. Chair, perhaps I could seek the advice of the clerk on this, on the same point of order. I'm wondering whether it might be possible, by straight vote, to allow the witnesses to leave. It's clear that this is filibustering, and whether it's legitimate or not, I don't question that, I just want to make sure that....
There's been no question asked of these witnesses for the better part of an hour, and I think it's clear, in the spirit that Mr. Van Kesteren put forward, that we should consider putting that one, as well, to a vote if it's receivable.
5:35 p.m.
Procedural Clerk
Mr. Chair, the committee had previously agreed that the witnesses be invited to appear from 3:30 to 5:30. Now, once again, it does not preclude the committee from deciding to keep them longer.
So is there agreement that the witnesses be dismissed?
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
But if we've asked them to appear until 5:30 and it's not 5:30, that would indicate that they should be allowed to leave.
5:35 p.m.
Procedural Clerk
The committee had ordered that they be invited to appear between 3:30 and 5:30 in the motion they agreed to, so my advice would be that the witnesses could be dismissed.