Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 30th, 2023

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

I withdrew on record. I said that so Garnett could finish the point.

Let Garnett finish the point. I withdraw the challenge.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Ms. Stubbs, you were not recognized.

I'm going to ask Mr. Genuis.

The ruling has been made.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, I have a point of order.

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

No, you don't.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

You overruled yourself.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Can I actually...?

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

I'm going to ask you to pause for a moment, please.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Sure. We can suspend as well.

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

The chair has been challenged. Let's vote.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

I withdrew the challenge to the chair on the condition that Mr. Genuis could finish his comment.

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

You can't. It's non-debatable, so we're voting. Let's vote on the challenge to the chair.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

The chair also overruled himself. Therein lies the problem.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

The ruling was made and is final on that item. We're going to proceed to the subamendment.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, I have a right to raise a point of order. I haven't even said what the point of order was.

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

Point of order, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

Okay, you can raise a point of order—

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

Point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, George Chahal]

—but be very succinct on the point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, I will be as succinct as the matter requires.

At a previous session of this meeting, two days ago, you permitted the motion to be moved with respect to the matter of privilege. At the last meeting we spent about an hour, and today we've spent an hour of committee time. We've been debating a question of privilege for two hours.

My understanding is that you are proposing now to retroactively undo your previous ruling because that is very clearly a violation of the rules. The rules provide for—

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

Point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

That's correct. The rules provide for when the chair is ruling on whether a matter touches on privilege when the question is moved. They do not provide for the chair to hours later decide that the same chair's previous ruling was incorrect—

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

Point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

— and to stop the debate after having changed his or her mind.

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

Point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I would tread very carefully in terms of the rules, Chair.