Evidence of meeting #106 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Is that the number of minutes I've used or the number remaining?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Those are the minutes expired. Time flies. I'll take off 20 seconds from earlier.
There was a point of order, but I had to consult the clerk on your question, so I'll give you two more minutes.
Conservative
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you.
As you are familiar with what happened in committee, do you find it acceptable for members of the government party to have treated witnesses in an unacceptable manner? I'd like to hear what you have to say on that.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
I'd like to thank the member for his question, Mr. Chair, but I don't feel that I can reply.
He's asking for my opinion. We officials come here to present facts.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you, Ms. Boyer.
I wasn't expecting another answer from you, but that's all right. You're complying with your code of ethics, which is to your credit.
Mr. Chair, I would now like to move a motion that was sent to all the committee members. It is admissible, and will, I believe, demonstrate the Conservative Party of Canada's intent to recover the time that was lost.
I believe that everyone is aware of what happened on May 6, when a member of the committee who is here this morning dealt in an unacceptable manner with witnesses who had generously and freely come to share their knowledge and information, to enable us to be better legislators and do our work properly, specifically in the area of post-secondary education.
The process used by my colleague, who in our opinion treated witnesses in a rather coarse and unparliamentary manner, demonstrates that the situation was trivialized. It took four days before he apologized and only after rising on a point of order, which you, Mr. Chair allowed. A point of order ought not to be used for an apology.
I'd like to remind everyone that on May 6, he said that witnesses were “full of…” and I'll say no more. On Tuesday, he told a journalist, who was here in the room, that he would not apologize. On Wednesday, while leaving the Liberal caucus in the middle of a media scrum, he said that if he had offended or harmed anyone—that's not the exact wording, but that's what he meant—he would apologize. The following day in committee, while the minister—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
One moment. Mr. Godin. Technically speaking, are you moving a motion?
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I only have one. I'll read it and then get back to my comments.
Liberal
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I always try to follow the rules. It's important to respect our institutions.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, this motion was sent to the committee members on June 10:
That considering that the committee has accumulated lost working hours due to the obstruction by Liberal MPs who are trying to protect MP Francis Drouin and prevent his removal from the committee, it is resolved that the committee requests the Chair to hold at least five meetings between July 8, 2024, and September 13, 2024, to address the study on federal funding for minority-language post-secondary institutions as well as to finalize the report on economic development of official language minority communities and the report on language obligations related to the process of staffing or making appointments to key positions.
I'm going to continue on the assumption that you know what happened. We lost seven meetings because the Liberals didn't want us to vote on the motion moved by my Bloc Québécois colleague, Mr. Beaulieu.
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
I just want to ask Mr. Godin whether this is the same motion as the one that requested holding five committee meetings between July 8 and September 13, a motion that was presented in the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the 24 other committees. The same motion was presented in all the other committees.
Conservative
Liberal
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
I simply want to know whether it's the same wording, because what I have in front of me is…
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
There can be a point of order if an identical or substantively identical motion was proposed.
Conservative
