International Trade Committee on Nov. 7th, 2006

Evidence of meeting #36 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill C-24, An Act to impose a charge on the export of certain softwood lumber products to the United States and a charge on refunds of certain duty deposits paid to the United States, to authorize certain payments, to amend the Export and Import Permits Act and to amend other Acts as a consequence

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Dennis Seebach Director, Administration and Technology Services, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Marc Toupin Procedural Clerk

Clerk

Mary McMahon Senior Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Canada Revenue Agency

Michael Solursh Counsel, Trade Law Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Cindy Negus Manager, Legislative Policy Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency

Paul Robertson Director General, North America Trade Policy, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

None of these amendments has been moved. You ruled earlier today that you had to move all of these motions of amendments; otherwise, they were not considered valid. Now you are very clearly contradicting the common rules of procedure. That isn't a surprise. You've done it all day. But you're also contradicting what is the normal process. We have these motions, not moved, that you are applying votes to.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Thank you, Mr. Julian. We are disposing of all of the amendments and clauses before the committee. We deem that these have been moved. We're carrying on with the votes and moving to the next clause.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Chair, you would need a motion to that effect.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Clause 75. We're on NDP-50.

Yes, Mr. Julian.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

You would need to have a motion to that effect. You have not done so.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

No, Mr. Julian.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Yes.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

We're moving ahead.

NDP-50, a recorded division.

7:05 p.m.

Liberal

Lui Temelkovski Liberal Oak Ridges—Markham, ON

We didn't vote on clause 74.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

We passed that before. It was in the grouping we did earlier.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Chair, we've broken pretty well every parliamentary rule of procedure it is possible to break. We are no longer acknowledging points of order. We are no longer acknowledging the ability to actually move motions.

This is just a free-for-all.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Julian has chosen to abstain from the vote.

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Julian abstains from the vote on clause 75.

(Clause 75 agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

A point of order, Mr. Julian.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

I would like a written interpretation from the head table, from the head clerk, that this type of approach is permissible under parliamentary rules of procedure.

Mr. Chair, that is a point of order--

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Julian, you know that the chair makes these decisions. I get advice from the clerks and from others, and we have done that.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

--and it is a perfectly valid point of order.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

We are continuing.

Clause 76, NDP-51. Let's go to the recorded vote on NDP-51.

Mr. Julian has abstained on NDP-51.

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Let's go to the vote on clause 76, a recorded division.

A point of order, Mr. Julian.

7:05 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

We are now moving on to the NDP amendment....

Oh, thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to say a few brief words as we railroad through Bill C-24.

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Julian, we're on clause 76, actually.

Let's go to the recorded division on clause 76.

(Clause 76 agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

7:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

Mr. Julian has a point of order.

7:10 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

I would like to move the following motion: given that we are not considering this bill in any serious way or doing any due diligence, I suggest we send all of these officials home. There is no due diligence, there are no questions permitted, and there is no debate. We have eight members here who cannot receive questions. People from the Foreign Affairs and International Trade department and Revenue Canada can't answer questions because there is no debate. So I would like to move--

7:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit

We're having no motions here. There is no debate. We've decided that and we're moving ahead with the voting.

7:10 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

I have moved a motion.