Natural Resources Committee on Sept. 22nd, 2022

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Who makes things a circus here? I'll actually suggest that maybe the inmates are running the asylum in the back row there, but that's not for me to make comment on here, so I won't make that comment, obviously. We need to move forward here with actually hearing what the actual point of privilege is.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Can we see if there will be a challenge to the chair?

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, are you going to actually rule that your running mate here in the NDP is actually going to ruled out of order when he speaks over me, or am I the only person you're going to rule out of order when I speak over Mr. Angus? You have to apply the same rules equally.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I'm sorry, I have a point of order.

Mr. Chair, your credibility is being attacked here, and I think that's not acceptable. We need to move on.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I think I still have the floor here.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

They're turning this into a circus.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

[I'm just going to ask everybody to mute their mikes for a second. I'm just consulting with the clerk—

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I can hear the talk—]

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

—on a point here.

Mr. McLean, we'll just ask everybody for silence for a moment. I'm just confirming a procedural piece with the clerk and we'll be right back.

Thank you.

I appreciate, Mr. Bragdon, your bringing your point forward. I've heard from enough people to determine that I'm not accepting this as a point of privilege. We've had points of order and I've heard from all sides, and what I'm going to do now is say that you have a motion that's been made that can be brought forward. It can be voted on at such time as it's deemed appropriate, but at this point I'm not accepting the point of privilege, and if anybody wants, they can challenge the chair on that—

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

—and then we will move into our witnesses.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Mr. McLean, you have a point of order.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

How on earth can the chair rule that it's not a point of privilege when he hasn't even heard the member speak about what the privilege is that's been contravened here in this committee? Now that's something—

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I've heard enough of his case. It goes back to the discussion—

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

No.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

We haven't heard enough, Mr. Chair. He hasn't made the case, and every time someone raises a point of privilege, you have to hear the case.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

It goes back to a discussion we had previously.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I have the floor right now, Mr. McLean. I'm speaking and I'm going to ask you to stop speaking when I'm talking, or I'm going to have to.... Anyway, we'll just ask you to cease and desist when I'm speaking.

We've had this discussion before; it's the issue of proportionality of witnesses according to seats in the House of Commons. That is the point that's being raised. In this particular study, we had decided that the parties had put forward their witnesses and they were accepted. We had a motion brought forward by the NDP, which we accepted, to have one more panel of witnesses today, and that's what we're doing.

To go back to another point of proportionality, we can have that discussion at another point in subcommittee if we want. There's a subcommittee meeting on Tuesday. We have the opportunity for other parties to bring forward a motion that can be voted on to add additional witnesses to the study, but at this point I'm ruling that there is no point of privilege here. I'm not going to take any more. We are going to move forward with hearing from our witnesses.

If somebody wants to challenge me, I will take a challenge to the chair. We'll go to a vote and then we'll go into hearing witnesses. That's how we're going to proceed through this morning.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Are you challenging the chair?

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I'm raising a point of order, in case you can't hear me.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

What's your point of order?

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

My point of order is that there is a process here as far as how we raise points of privilege in the House of Commons. If we have a point of privilege—