Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on June 16th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Mr. Marston is next, and then Professor Cotler.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Well, I'm starting to get a little more clarity here. I understand this is intended to be a stand-alone motion and not part of the report.

[Jean Dorion, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Exactly, it is not part of the report, but it is in keeping with the spirit of the consideration of the report. It does not have to be a part of the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Okay.

Mr. Marston.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Now that I understand that it is not to be an element of the report, I just want to speak in favour of this motion going forward to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Professor Cotler comes next, and then I'm going to remind people that we are discussing the subamendment at this point. So we have to find some way back through a chain of three separate decisions. Just keep that in mind.

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Chairman, this motion deals with the universal periodic review. The universal periodic review takes place within the framework of the UN Human Rights Council, so it also deals with the council. Given that these issues are inextricably bound one with the other, it seems to me it might better find its place in the report.

I also want to say parenthetically, but not unimportantly, that I have appeared a number of times before the UN Human Rights Council, and frankly, some of its deliberations are in the Alice in Wonderland category. I'm putting it rather charitably.

I strongly support Canada's candidacy to return to that council, but not without making it clear at the same time that we are returning with a purpose. That purpose is, as Mr. Silva put forth in his amendment, reforming and strengthening the council. Just to put forward our candidacy doesn't make sense. It's almost as if we're going to rubber-stamp what, as I said, has been an Alice in Wonderland proceeding there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

I'm not seeing anyone else at the moment, so let's find out if there's support for the subamendment.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

I would like to graciously, wholeheartedly, say amen to Mr. Cotler's comments.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Maybe you could do that when we get out of the subamendment and into the actual--

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

I will do that by the way I vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Okay. Let's start with the subamendment. Is there support for the subamendment, first of all? Is there consensus? If there isn't, we'll go to a vote.

[An hon. member]

There is no consensus.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Okay. We have to go to a vote on the subamendment.

Remember, this is the subamendment now.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Do you have it in writing?

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

That's a good point.

In the French version, the words “la réforme” would be replaced by “l'amélioration”.

And in English, instead of “reforming”, it would be “improving and strengthening” the council.

That's the subamendment. Then we'll deal with the amendment and then the main motion.

We don't have a consensus, so let's go to a vote on that.

(Subamendment negatived)

We will now go to the amendment. The amendment is what you see on your sheet. You can go back and look at that. It's now as originally written.

What about that one? Do we have consensus on that amendment?

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

I will make a comment, Mr. Chair, to reassert that I agree with Mr. Cotler. I will be in agreement with this subamendment, but not with the motion after, as I will demonstrate with my vote. I'm in consensus at this point.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Okay, but I'm going to correct you. You're in agreement with the amendment, not the subamendment.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

The amendment, correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

We're dealing with the motion. The motion is as amended. Do we want discussion, or can we go to a vote on that as well?

[An hon. member]

Go to a vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Let's go to a vote. All those in favour of the motion as amended?

We have a tie. Just a moment. I have to figure this out.

This is the motion as amended. We're going to assume there was a counting error and we're going to try again.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Chair, I want to be clear on the record that we are in agreement with the substance of this motion; we're not in agreement with the process.

Since Mr. Dorion wanted to go in public, I will reassert, in public, that although we will be voting against this motion, we will not be voting against the substance of it and we would like to see it as a recommendation in the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

As circumstances have it, that's what we will move to after we deal with Mr. Dorion's motions.

Hold on. I see a whole bunch of hands here. I think Mr. Silva was first and then Monsieur Dorion.

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Just so you can clarify things, if the motion is in fact defeated, can it still be put as a recommendation in the report or not?