I'd like to take exception to some of the comments from Mr. Housefather. I thought some of his language was rather inflammatory, prescribing ill motive to our Conservative motion.
I echo Mr. Lawton's comments. When that agreement was brokered, Bill C-16 had not been referred to the committee.
I circle back to my earlier comments with respect to moving my original motion. This is exactly what the Prime Minister of Canada and our justice minister, Sean Fraser, referenced, both in the House of Commons and outside the House of Commons, in that the priority would be the passage of these two justice bills: Bill C-14 and Bill C-16. There was no mention by Sean Fraser or Prime Minister Carney about prioritizing Bill C-9 over Bill C-14, or Bill C-9 now over Bill C-16.
It's not just Conservatives who want this priority; it's what Canadians have been asking for for 10 long years. It's what stakeholders, premiers, mayors, law enforcement and victim advocacy groups have been asking for. This is what they're asking for.
We are not suggesting that we will forever not return to Bill C-9. It is only the beginning of February. Absent our break weeks over the next several months, we are not rising for the summer vacation until the second or third week in June. We're not asking for a full-on, multimonth extension of consideration of Bill C-16. We will work as collaboratively and co-operatively as possible to move Bill C-16 through the process, absent any other priority bill that Sean Fraser introduces.
I know he's talking about an online harms bill, which, again, may take priority from the perspective not only of our justice minister, but of the Prime Minister. We have ample time before we rise for our summer vacation to return to Bill C-9.
Thank you.