Industry Committee on Sept. 28th, 2023

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

I apologize, Mr. Chair, but can I change my vote to a no?

[Voices]

We're not done the vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

MP Sidhu, we'll finish the vote and then you can ask for that.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Madam Sidhu, you wanted to raise a point of order?

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Chair, can I vote against?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

On a point of order, she already voted. She voted yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I have just verified with the clerk, and it's been registered as a nay.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

She said yes. Is she changing her vote to “for”? Why is she changing her vote?

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Colleagues, order.

Madam Sidhu, can you clarify how you voted initially in the first round? I didn't hear it. The clerk has registered it as a nay.

As you know, Mr. Perkins, the clerk is fully independent, as am I as the chair. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of how Madam Sidhu voted, and I trust that members act with honesty and integrity.

Madam Sidhu, in the first round, when the clerk called your name, did you vote yes or no?

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

I voted against, Mr. Chair.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Wait one moment, Madam Sidhu.

Thank you, but my question was how you voted in the initial round. I understand you are saying that you voted nay, but I have a point of order from Mr. Perkins.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

The member of Parliament clearly said yes. She would not call a point of order to reverse her vote if she had said no in the first place, because then she would be reversing it to yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I have Mr. Gaheer next. I'll take that under consideration. We might just have to rewind.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Chair, can I speak?

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I know she can't change her vote unless she has unanimous consent.

Yes, of course, Madam Sidhu, go ahead.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

When you called my name, I said yes, and then for clarification, I was just asking what was happening because communication was low, and then I voted against. When you called my name, I said yes, but when I voted, it was against. My vote has to be registered as being against.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Thank you. Mr. Gaheer, if the member says she voted yes in the first round.... Wait just one second. I'll verify with the clerk to make sure.

Wait one second, Madam Sidhu.

[Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

What Madam Sidhu is saying is that to her name being called, she said “yes” as a confirmation, like “Yes, it's me speaking”, and then she voted against. Her vote was not “yes”.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Since when in two years of her being a member of Parliament has she had to do that?

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Mr. Perkins, I haven't given you the floor. You can trust my judgment as chair.

When the name is called in a roll call for a vote, how you answer is not “I'm present”; it's how you vote. If the member said “yes”, which she herself said she had, I consider that to be a yea vote—

[Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

But then she said “against”—

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

She said “against”—

[Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

—in the same sentence.