Official Languages Committee on Nov. 1st, 2022

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

Mr. Chair, Mr. Serré’s last proposal, which you just mentioned, does not seem very clear.

Could he send it to us in writing?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Can you send it in writing, Mr. Serré?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Chair, we were discussing the four points of Mr. Godin’s amendment. I did not move a subamendment. I just said that we're ready to accept the first four points of Mr. Godin’s amendment, while keeping the fifth point of my motion, the purpose of which is to add a week to the deadline. We can hold more meetings, as Ms. Ashton was saying.

It was a simple suggestion to move the debate forward. We can deal with Mr. Godin’s amendment one point at a time, if you want, then move to a vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I’d like to clarify some things on a procedural level so that we can all agree on the terminology.

Mr. Godin tabled an amendment to Mr. Serré’s main motion. Mr. Serré just told us that he is ready to accept the first four points of Mr. Godin’s amendment as written. The fifth point, intended to push the deadline back, which Mr. Godin moved to delete, still stands. Then, we were going to bring forward an amendment and add a sixth point. That said, it was only mentioned unofficially. No one moved an amendment or a subamendment to that effect. That was the state of things when we suspended the meeting, and Mr. Godin had the floor.

So, this is what I propose. I will write down the names of those who want to speak as the clerk communicates them to me, or as I see them on the screen. Mr. Godin had the floor the last time we suspended the meeting.

That said, I recall that, hypothetically speaking, even though there seemed to be a consensus to pass Mr. Serré’s proposal, it had to pass unanimously. Otherwise, we must study Mr. Godin’s amendment point by point, as we had agreed.

Is that clear for everyone? If it is, I will now give the floor to Mr. Godin.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

In fact, what Mr. Serré tried to do was hoodwink us. That’s my own interpretation. It involves no one else, and I’m sharing it with you.

During our last meeting, held on Tuesday earlier this week, you told me that I had to vote in favour of this amendment because it was mine. It’s important to put it back into context.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Godin, I must call you to order. I never told anyone to vote for or against an amendment. Are you talking about me, or Mr. Serré?

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

I’m talking about you, Mr. Chair.

I seem you have heard “Mr. Godin, it’s your amendment,” but maybe that was my own interpretation.

I just wanted to share it with my colleagues, Mr. Chair. I didn’t want to cast any aspersions on you. I have too much respect for you to do so. You know that I appreciate you as a person. As a member of the party in power, that’s another story.

Coming back to what I was saying, when my amendment was tabled at the beginning of November, it was relevant. The party in power, through Mr. Serré’s suggestion, recognized the importance of having the Minister of Canadian Heritage testify, because he is involved. We, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party of Canada, won that. I’m just clarifying the situation for everyone.

My amendment proposed November 24 as a date, and now it is November 17. It seems to me that my amendment was relevant on November 1, but we’re not going to start hearing from ministers today, obviously, as we have already started this two-hour meeting. We know that ministers are very busy, and they are not always available. Managing all that means that it is almost impossible to implement the first point of my amendment, which I moved on November 1.

I thought it was important to clarify that. I’d like to hear my colleagues’ opinion on it, those from the party in power and those from the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party.

I repeat that we must take the time to do things right. I don’t understand why we’re putting on so much pressure to rush the study of this bill.

I’ll stop there for the moment and invite my colleagues to take the floor. I’ll come back to this before we move to a vote if there are no other comments.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Godin.

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.

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

My comment is somewhat similar to Mr. Godin’s. The goal of the amendment, to have all four ministers appear before us for two hours each by November 24, is becoming unworkable, I think.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Chair, I raise a point of order.

I believe we are in camera. Can you check to see if that is the case?

[The Clerk]

We are having technical difficulties at the moment. The meeting is listed as in camera, but it is public. The team is working right now to resolve it.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Madam Clerk, is the meeting listed as in camera?

That's not what I see here.

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

The meeting is listed as in camera, but in fact, it is public.

[The Clerk]

I’ve just received confirmation that the problem is solved, and we are live on ParlVu.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

All right.

However, I’d like to confirm that the meeting was public from the beginning. Otherwise, I think we will have to restart from the top.

[The Clerk]

The first few minutes of the meeting were in camera, but that will be corrected after the meeting. The missing part will be downloadable on the site.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Very well.

Mr. Beaulieu, I have not forgotten you, but Mr. Godin raised his hand to talk about this very issue.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

Indeed, Mr. Chair, it’s important.

I understand that the technical team does everything in its power to make the deliberations available. That said, if it’s important for the government to accelerate study of the bill, it is also important for the public to be able to access the entirety of the committee’s deliberations in real time.

I therefore raise a point of order asking you to let me repeat my previous statements in real time, hoping that I clearly remember everything I said.

That is my right, as a parliamentarian.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Madam Clerk, if I understood correctly, for the general public, the entire meeting will be available, but a minute or two are missing from the live stream.

Is that right?

[The Clerk]

Yes. The start of the meeting was not live, but if we go on ParlVu vu right now or after the meeting, we can see that the adjustments added in the missing part back in.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.

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

We have people who want to watch the start of the meeting, but that’s not yet possible.

[The Clerk]

You can check on your side, but on my end, I have confirmation that everything is working.

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

All right. It seems that everything is working, but my understanding of Mr. Godin’s comment is that he would prefer to repeat live what he said earlier, rather than have it delayed.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Madam Clerk, what do you suggest?

Should we just restart the meeting from the beginning?