Evidence of meeting #19 for Public Accounts in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was camera.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Well, on a point of order, sir, if you ruled in that way at the start, which you did--
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Chair, with all due respect, I have the floor here.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
All right. Just be calm. Nobody's rights are being denied here. There doesn't seem to be a huge abundance of questions, you know. We have time to do this.
We have no choice. The member wants to give his comments, and there are members of the government who say that he shouldn't be allowed to speak down that road. I have to deal with that. I will get back to the main item as soon as I can--
4:35 p.m.
NDP
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Replying to the point of order, Mr. Chair, I think there's not a person in this room who is not seized by the obvious irony that calling electors in a particular electoral district and saying there's going to be a byelection, an imminent byelection, and that the current member has resigned and framing that all as free speech--
4:35 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
--but then at the same time, here we sit in a committee of Parliament, and I have tabled in the proper order a motion before the committee--
4:35 p.m.
An hon. member
Mr. Chair, a point of order.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
Look, I see the government members going....
I gave you three or four points of order. Allow Mr. Byrne at least another minute to state his case and then I'll make my decision.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
NDP
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
As of right now, the only voice I want to hear is Mr. Byrne's.
Go.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Chairman, I have tabled, with all proper order, with all proper precedent, and within the context of the Standing Orders, a notice of motion.
The government is now suggesting that because they in the future intend to call any discussion about my motion into an in camera session, they want to ban my speech about my motion before they even move it in camera. That is a ridiculous restriction on the freedom of a member to be able to present the case about a topic, which is still before, which....
By the way, Mr. Chairman--
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
--the tabling of a motion is a very public process.
