Official Languages Committee on March 26th, 2018

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Chair, in order to save time, I move that we adjourn the debate.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Are you ready to vote to adjourn the debate?

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

We are listening, Mr. Choquette.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

If we put an end to the debate, will that also adjourn the meeting?

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

The purpose of the motion is to adjourn the debate.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

So we can adjourn any debate in this way because it doesn't suit us?

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

I am going to defer to our clerk.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Very well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

The debate would not be closed, but simply adjourned.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, in closing I would like to say that all of the witnesses who came to testify up till now will be able to see how ridiculous this situation is.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you.

I must immediately ask that we vote on the motion that the debate be adjourned.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

I request a recorded vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Very well.

The vote having been held, I see that the votes are tied. I am going to refer to Speaker Regan's decision. You will remember that a few months ago the same thing happened in the House of Commons. There were equal yeas and nays and Speaker Regan had to decide.

With regard to continuing the debate, I want to say that we have not yet heard everyone. There are still people who want to give us their points of view. We are members of Parliament and it is important that we all get a chance to express our views and have them heard.

I am going to vote in favour of adjourning the debate so that we can come back to it and hear those who have not yet spoken on this.

(Motion agreed to: yeas, 5, nays, 4)

Let's get back to our business.

When I say that the debate on this topic is adjourned, it does not mean it is ended; it has been adjourned. When we get back to it, we will be able to hear those who have not spoken yet.

Mr. Choquette, you have the floor.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Chair, you started out well but you seem to have tripped up. According to tradition and what the Speaker of the House, Mr. Regan, said, when there is a vote and the speaker or chair must decide, he must act so that the debate continues and is not stopped.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

That is correct.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

So, for the debate to continue, you have to vote for it to continue and not for it to be adjourned. That is what Speaker Regan's decision says.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Mr. Choquette, you are right; the debate must continue. The fact of adjourning it will allow those who have not yet spoken to do so. My objective is to give the members around the table an opportunity to speak. And it is from that perspective that the debate has been adjourned.

We are pressed for time and there are witnesses here before us. I want the debate to continue, but we are going to adjourn it for now and get back to it later. That is what we did the last time. In fact, we had adjourned the debate and we picked it up again today. I am willing to go back to this debate at some point, when Mr. Clarke or others want to pick it up. For the moment, the debate is adjourned.

In fact, Mr. Clarke still had a few minutes.

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

How important are you to the survival of your communities, respectively? How important is your newspaper for the survival of your linguistic minority community?

[Sharon McCully]

I would say it's critical. We've seen, evidenced by community newspapers that have folded in other communities, that the demise of the institutional network follows afterwards. We're also the front door, the gatekeepers, for people to have information about health, social services, and education. Those institutions rely on our newspaper to provide information about them. I think the community vitality aspect is critical, and if we're not there to do it, nobody else is going to do it.

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Sir, is it the same for you?

[George Guzmas]

Absolutely.

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Okay. Did you come to Ottawa today principally to speak about all the burdens that your papers go through—because your association did that—or did you come here to see action from this committee?

[Sharon McCully]

I came to see action. As I said at the beginning, I've been 40 years in the newspaper, and I've been before many of these committees. This is not my first rodeo, if you will.

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I see.