Justice Committee on Feb. 23rd, 2021

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Waugh, it is no secret to anyone that the Bloc Québécois is in favour of your bill.

We in the Bloc Québécois also feel that there are a number of reasons to leave the governments of Quebec and the provinces to manage this industry and use the profits that it generates as they see fit. We are on the same wavelength in that respect.

Could you quickly explain to us the difference between Bill C-13 and Bill C-218? We understand that Bill C-218 would repeal the paragraph in question completely, whereas the proposal in Bill C-13 is to keep the provision as it applies to horseracing.

If Bill C-13 is passed, would you be satisfied? Does our choice have to be to completely remove the paragraph in its entirety?

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes. Last Thursday in the House of Commons, the government withdrew their Bill C-13. It was similar to mine. It had a couple of amendments dealing with horse racing, the protection of the horse-racing industry, and the parimutuels. I would be open to those amendments in the justice committee.

I am surprised at you, because you lost a professional hockey team in your province in the Québec Nordiques.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

The best team.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

You've never recovered from it. You have an empty arena in Quebec City, and here you are asking questions about Bill C-13 when we need the Québec Nordiques, who in their demise went to Colorado, to fill the Colisée de Québec.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

As I understand it, you could be satisfied with the amendment that Bill C-13 is proposing but you prefer it to be repealed entirely. Your position is that your Bill C-218 is the one we should pass. Is that correct?

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

It is, but the government did support my bill. Theirs included the horse-racing amendments. So yes, you will look at those in the justice committee and make the decision, but I am open.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Waugh.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you, Monsieur Fortin.

Now we'll go back to Mr. Masse for two and a half minutes.

Go ahead, sir.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I remember the Nordiques and the last time we went through this bill...was the promise of the Nordiques being returned to Quebec as reason not to do the bill by some.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

So it didn't work out that way, either.

Mr. Waugh, you mentioned consumer protection. That doesn't get a lot of attention. If you go on your phone, you can get all kinds of apps for sports betting. You can bet overseas and so forth, but we don't know the margins and also the consumer issues with some of these nefarious sites.

Can you maybe note how consumer protections might be better regulated through this? Some are better than others with regard to these offshore sites. Maybe you can highlight that a bit, please.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

You're right. Bodog and Bet365 have different odds to lure the bettors onto their sites. I did notice today in the Toronto Star that they had the six NHL games and the lines. They had the nine NBA games and the lines. But they will change. I mean, that happens. Most papers in this country now provide betting lines each day. It's not prevented.

Years ago, it was Pro-Line that would buy an ad in the paper and give you the list of games. That's not happening now. The consumer realizes that single-game betting is where it's at. That's what their appetite is. The provinces need to have this to compete against the illegal sites and criminal organizations. This will be regulated in part through Las Vegas because of the gaming and the set of the lines. For example, if somebody is out of the lineup, that will certainly change the odds of that game when you do come to bet on it.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Thank you.

I know I'm running out of time, Madam Chair, but I agree that we should look at the considerations of the horse-racing industry. Although a lot of their issues will be regulated provincially as well, they're worth examining and taking very seriously.

Thank you, Mr. Waugh.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Thank you, MP Masse, for all your work on your bill and for piggybacking with me on my private member's bill, Bill C-218.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you for that, Mr. Masse and Mr. Waugh.

This concludes our time here today with Mr. Waugh. Members, thank you for a very informative meeting, and I'll see you at the next one.

The meeting is adjourned.