Official Languages Committee on June 13th, 2024

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Tell me how much time I have left.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

My clock says four minutes and 54 seconds.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Is that the number of minutes I've used or the number remaining?

[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.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I have two full minutes left.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I'm generous, like your neighbour on the right.

[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.

[Julie Boyer]

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.

[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—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

One moment. Mr. Godin. Technically speaking, are you moving a motion?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

What is it?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I only have one. I'll read it and then get back to my comments.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, if you could. It has to be done officially.

Go ahead.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I always try to follow the rules. It's important to respect our institutions.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Indeed.

[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.

[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.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Chair, what is the point of order?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

One moment, please.

[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…

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

There can be a point of order if an identical or substantively identical motion was proposed.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Is there such a standing order?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

No, it's not a point of order.