Official Languages Committee on March 7th, 2023

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault]

Mr. Chair, Ms. Ashton could read her version of Mr. Godin's motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Ms. Ashton, could you tell us what your amendment says so it is clear for everyone?

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

What I proposed is to add six and a half hours.

I think we are not at all agreed on the four full hours.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Ashton.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

In fact, Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my colleague Ms. Ashton to amend her amendment, if procedure permits, for it to be six and a half hours and that at the end of the six and a half hours we provide for debating clause 54.

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

At this point, I will support the decision.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

It is past 5:30. Before going further, is there unanimous consent to continue for two more minutes in order to finish the discussion on this point?

[Some hon. members]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Fine.

In that case, we are adding two minutes, at the most, and we will then adjourn the meeting.

First, we have to consider Ms. Ashton's amendment.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Ms. Ashton.

Ms. Ashton is proposing to add six and a half additional hours for debating the remaining clauses. That's all. If I have understood correctly, there is no mention of postponing the consideration of clause 54 of Bill C-13 to the end.

Is that it, Ms. Ashton?

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Yes, the important thing for me is adding hours.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

You have the floor, Mr. Beaulieu.

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

We are going to vote on the amendment to amend Mr. Godin's motion.

If his motion says that we have to deal with clause 54, we are going to vote on that.

Am I mistaken?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Ms. Ashton's amendment leaves out that part of Mr. Godin's motion.

Mr. Godin's motion is corrected by Ms. Ashton's amendment.

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

In part.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, that's right.

If everyone agrees, we can move on to the vote.

Madam Clerk, please proceed with the vote.

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

Forgive me for interrupting, Madam Clerk, but before voting, I want to be quite sure.

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

We are voting, but we don't know on what.

We haven't seen the motion.

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

No, we haven't seen it.

Mr. Chair, I ask that the vote be cancelled and I ask to have Ms. Ashton's amendment. We do not have it in writing.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Ms. Ashton, can you provide your amendment, please?

It is being distributed.

I will suspend the meeting for a few moments.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Resuming the meeting.

I'm sorry, but the voting procedure has been started and we have to finish the vote.

Mr. Godin, I clearly stated what we were going to vote on: that it was about adding six and a half hours, as Ms. Ashton was proposing, and leaving out the reference to postponing consideration of clause 54 back and debating it. That part of your motion will not be dealt with. That is exactly what I had explained, and we can present motions or amendments of this kind during a meeting

The vote has been called, and we are going to continue with it.

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

How does that remove the part about clause 54? It doesn't impinge...

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

It is what Ms. Ashton told us. It is what her amendment proposes.

It leaves out clause 54, but it adds six and a half additional hours.

I have explained it clearly. We could look at the blues.

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

It changes the meaning of the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

That is the purpose of an amendment.

Let us continue the vote, Madam Clerk.

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

Madam Clerk, I find this quite unfortunate, but I am obliged to vote against the amendment.

Ms. Ashton, don't take it personally.