Justice Committee on April 8th, 2008

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

Nonetheless, if the Liberals and Bloc want to take the vote in my absence, that is their prerogative. As chair, it is my job to protect the committee for its stated purpose under the routine Standing Order 108(2). It's an important purpose.

I can understand the need for firm and fair criminal justice legislation. That is what I have spent my career doing. My life's work has been dedicated to the pursuit of justice. We have Bill C-27, which is an important piece of legislation that will protect Canadians from identity theft. I want to see it passed.

We now have a backlog of very important business to process by this committee. We have not dealt with confirmation of the nomination of the Director of Public Prosecution with Bill C-27, as already mentioned.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Respect the rules, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

We have not dealt with Bill C-25--

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

That is your doing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

--which updates the Youth Criminal Justice Act; the impaired driving study report; or private members' bills, BillC-426, Bill C-484, Bill S-207, and Bill S-213, which have been referred to this committee.

I would like to turn everyone's attention to a recent and most unprecedented statement by the Speaker of the House, which is aimed directly at our committee.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Respect the rules! Mr. Chair, call for a vote. It is out of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

On March 14 he said:

Inherent in the power the House grants to its committees is the basic principle that each committee will respect its mandate.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

You are breaking the rules.

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

Finally, gentlemen and ladies, the Speaker says:

...neither the political realities of the moment nor the sheer force of numbers should force us to set aside the values inherent in the parliamentary conventions and procedures...

There are procedures on which the ruling was based, by which we govern our deliberations. My job is to protect this committee, which is why—

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Respect the rules.

Your job is to respect the rules. If you choose to not respect the rules you are going to lose, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Art Hanger]

If certain members want to move that motion again, I'm telling you now that I will not preside over it. But if I vacate this chair again in the interest of upholding our parliamentary rules, let me be clear that there is absolutely nothing stopping a vice-chair from holding the vote once I walk out of the room, just as there was nothing stopping the vice-chair from hearing witnesses at any of the previous meetings.

So to the members of this committee, I would say we are clearly at a crossroads again. I would like to see the proper functioning of the justice committee restored within the rules that govern Parliament. We have done a lot of work that we can be proud of, but as the Speaker said, we are on the verge of anarchy, and I will not allow this anarchy to prevail under my watch.

Mr. Murphy, would you like to take the count? I am vacating the chair.

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Why are you leaving? Act like democrats and apply the rules, because you're going to lose. Shame on you!

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Réal Ménard, Bloc, Hochelaga, QC]

Shame!

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Brian Murphy]

It's a shame that a man who has purportedly dedicated his life to the law chooses to ignore the law with respect to appeals, procedural fairness, and natural fairness.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Brian Murphy]

The committee is in disarray. There's anarchy caused by the chairman.

The meeting is adjourned.