Official Languages Committee on Oct. 29th, 2024

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Regarding education, I have learned a lot of things at this committee from looking at how my colleages in the Conservative Party play with procedure. That is what I did today in moving my motion, as they have done repeatedly, and yet we have never done what they are doing: close the debate in order to—

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Chair, are you going to let me finish?

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

This is a debate.

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

I am hearing echos. It's rude.

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

I don't understand why we are voting—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a minute, Mr. Godin.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Chair, I am entitled to ask you the question. You know it was me who moved the motion. You are telling me, indirectly, that debate on my motion is going to be stopped. That is not fair.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I understand what you are saying, Mr. Iacono, but Mr. Godin is asking that we follow the rules of procedure. We now have to proceed to the vote to find out whether we have to adjourn debate on your motion. Does that answer your question?

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Good.

If the purpose of the vote is clear to everyone, I am going to ask the clerk to call the vote.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Madeleine Martin]

The vote is on adjourning debate on the motion.

(Motion negatived: yeas 7; nays 4.)

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I will now give Mr. Samson the floor.

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

Mr. Chair, I raised three points of order, but I had also asked to speak.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I thought you had finished. I'm listening.

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

I would like to move an amendment to my colleague's motion. I would like to add the following:

That the committee expresses its disappointment with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's appointment of a Governor General who does not speak French.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

We are debating my colleague's motion, but my opposition colleague is moving another motion. It is not an amendment. This is an important difference. It is therefore not in order.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Godin, please explain how your amendment amends Mr. Iacono's motion. As Mr. Samson has said, we might say that your amendment replaces his entire motion. Is that your intention?

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

Not at all. It is an amendment that is added to the original motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

So please explain how it is added to it.

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

Okay. The motion, as amended by the amendment I am proposing, would say the following:

That the Committee expresses its disappointment at the behaviour of Conservative MPs, notably the MP for Lethbridge and the MP for Brantford—Brant, toward Francophone ministers and toward the entirety of the Canadian population that speaks French, an official langue of Canada; That the committee expresses its disappointment with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's appointment of a Governor General who does not speak French. ...

It is an insertion after the first paragraph of the motion, which would continue after that.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

It is very clearly an insertion.

Mr. Iacono, the floor is yours on this amendment.

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

I am very pleased that my Conservative colleagues have educated me so well on procedure. If an amendment is proposed to a motion, the amendment must have a connection with the motion. I see no connection between my motion and the amendment that my Conservative colleague has moved. I believe this motion should be rejected.