Evidence of meeting #40 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 ashton.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
We'd normally have to vote on Mr. Godin's amended amendment, but, since we'll be discussing dates, I'll have to consult the clerk.
The situation is somewhat unusual. We'll be hearing several sub-amendments amending several amendments to the main motion.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
As the saying goes, it's hard to make heads or tails of it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Seriously, I think we'll have to do one thing at a time in order to get through this. We just adopted a sub-amendment and now have to vote on Mr. Godin's amendment.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Rather than vote on all the sub-amendments of one member, we should deal with them one at a time. Once we voted on the first, you could decide to drop the others and go on to something else.
Liberal
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Yes. You said we would deal with the sub-amendments one at a time. So you can't say now that we're ultimately going to skip—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
I meant we would deal with them one at a time but that Ms. Ashton would come again with her sub-amendment. We're really in an unusual situation. There are several amendments and sub-amendments. If you think there's a consensus, we can deal with all the sub-amendments. Let's take two minutes to discuss it.
Here are our two options. First, we can deal with Mr. Godin's first amendment as amended by Ms. Ashton's sub-amendment, an amendment that will be accepted or rejected, which will send us back to the main motion, in the same paragraph.
Second, we can hear all the sub-amendments proposed by Ms. Ashton, which would amend all of Mr. Godin's amendments, and then apply them one at a time to Mr. Serré 's main motion. Those are the two paths we can take.
Let's take two minutes for everybody to come to an agreement. This is a procedural matter.
The floor is yours, Mr. Godin.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, we have voted on Ms. Ashton's first sub-amendment, but you're suggesting that we go to my amendment as the first option. I'm telling you we can't go to Ms. Ashton's second sub-amendment because we have to dispose of the first point in the initial motion. We have to go all the way back.
That's what I've been trying to show from the start. This doesn't work. We're wasting our time talking about dates, and we're spinning our wheels. We're running like a hamster on a wheel, and it's endless.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
That's true, Mr. Godin, except that the content of the first paragraph of the motion stands. Everything turns on the first paragraph.
Your first amendment altered the first paragraph of the motion, and Ms. Ashton's sub-amendment, which we just adopted, is consistent with that. So we're still in context. We can use the first or second option and deal with them all together. I think we can agree among ourselves, or else I'll make that decision. Personally, I would prefer that we agree.
Go ahead, Mr. Godin.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, we're changing the ground rules on the fly here.
The committee agreed to proceed point by point. As I remember it, we had unanimous consent on this. Mr. Beaulieu's proposal and Ms. Ashton's first proposal were withdrawn. We need to continue along the same lines.
Now I think we have to deal with Ms. Ashton's three, four or six other proposals. Then we'll move on to mine and those of Mr. Serré. That's what we've done since we started. Why would we change the ground rules?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
I don't necessarily want to change the ground rules, but I proposed this very openly.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Those were the ground rules, Mr. Chair. Don't tell me they weren't the ground rules.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Yes, but we had proposed to do them point by point.
You moved five amendments, Mr. Godin.
If we proceed point by point, we should normally vote on your first amendment, the purpose of which is to amend the first paragraph of the main motion. That's one piece. We can do it that way; that's the first option.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
According to the practice adopted at the start of the debate on the motion introduced by Mr. Serré, we started at the end, to use the expression of our extraordinary chair. We start at the end and then work our way up.
I don't necessarily agree with the other option. I don't want to change the ground rules.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
When I introduced my amendments, you said we would deal with them one at a time, and we went right to the end. Otherwise, to be consistent, we will require—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
All right.
I suggested two minutes, and that's done. I agree on that.
Ms. Ashton, please introduce your sub-amendment.
Conservative
Liberal
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
No, I'm not.
The second part of the motion reads as follows: "amendments to Bill C-13 be submitted to the clerk in both official languages no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 1, 2022 and distributed to the committee members in both official languages by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2022."