Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I am raising a point of privilege because we were not given the right to consult the Committee Clerks. Mr. Chairman, you are surely aware, having worked in other committees, that Committee Clerks are professional. In that regard, Mr. Chairman, I would like to quote from O'Brien and Bosc:
The Clerk of a committee is a professional from Procedural Services of the House of Commons who serves at the committee's procedural and administrative officer. The Clerk is the Committee's principal advisor regarding parliamentary procedure, especially committee procedure. [...] As a non-partisan and independent officer, the Clerk also provides advice to all members of the Committee.
Earlier, Mr. Chairman, we were treated to a real procedural disaster. We saw our rights as members of Parliament infringed, we were not given an opportunity to consult the Clerks, and we were not able to raise points of order. All of these fundamental rights were taken away from us, even though they are laid out in all the rules and Standing Orders which we, as members of Parliament, are required to follow.
Mr. Chairman, in light of parliamentary standards, it is quite clear that our rights as parliamentarians were systematically breached. As you know, there are clearly differing viewpoints, as we were elected in different parts of the country, and often from different political parties. Moreover, we have the ability to represent our constituents and present their views in the House of Commons and, of course, in committee. All of these rules should be observed. In the past, they have been cited on a number of occasions. In some cases, the Speaker of the House of Commons has refused to accept reports tabled by committees because the principle of respect for parliamentarians was not observed.
In light of all these points, the very least that can be said is that the current procedure is illegitimate. It is a process that does not comply with the rules, no more than it follows O'Brien and Bosc. All of these rules and the different codifications of those rules have been around for many years. All of us are required—just as you are, Mr. Chairman—to observe and abide by those rules.
Mr. Chairman, nowhere do I see in the rules governing committees that the Chair has the right to refuse to allow Committee members to consult the Clerk. I have never seen that before. I have been a member of this Committee for six years and it has never happened. Parliamentarians have never been prohibited from invoking the rules of procedure or raising points of order. Never have the rules been so poorly applied, or so completely ignored.
Now the public is asking that we comply with those rules and follow the established procedures.
At the very least, Mr. Chairman, it is clear that there is a problem. You refused to hear Mr. Laforest's point of order. You also refused to hear Mr. Guimond's point of order. I suppose that by accepting them, you would have been acknowledging that they were right on the question of respect and the point of privilege. It is one thing to let someone talk for a few minutes, but it is another to raise an issue and say that what is clearly laid out in the rules has not been followed.