Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu.
From time to time, in the course of clause-by-cause consideration, the chair has to decide whether a proposed amendment is in order or not. In this case, I have to tell you, Mr. Beaulieu, that your amendment is out of order.
Bill C‑13 amends the Official Languages Act by providing for certain measures to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society. Under your amendment, in the event of conflicting statutes, the Charter of the French Language prevails over the incompatible provisions of the federal act.
Page 770 of the third edition of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice states the following:
An amendment to a bill that was referred to a committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.
The chair is of the view that giving precedence to a provincial law is a new concept, which is beyond the scope of the bill as passed by the House of Commons at second reading. Accordingly, I find the amendment to be out of order, unfortunately.
Is everything okay, Mr. Beaulieu? This is the first time this has happened in quite a while, so I just want to remind you that you have the right to challenge the chair's decision.