Public Safety Committee on Nov. 5th, 2014

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Your time is your time. Each party is allowed 5 minutes for the entire clause.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

That's a terribly short time on such an important bill, but I won't protest that. I'll just present my amendment as quickly as I can. This amendment—

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Excuse me.

On a point of order, Ms. Davies?

This won't be out of your time, Ms. May.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I want to get a clarification. I believe that you're technically right, but because we're also under a time constraint of 5:30, the more we speak on various amendments, we won't get to the other amendments, because we're finished at 5:30. There are two restrictions.

One is 5 minutes per party, and we have now just about used up all our time for a huge clause, which you're not under, but the more you speak on other amendments, it's using up the clock generally, because once we get to 5:30, it's done. That's the problem.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Thank you very much for the explanation, Ms. Davies.

You have the floor, Ms. May.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Given how egregious this bill is, I don't want to cut away time from anyone else. I've submitted it as written and you can take it to a vote to kill it sooner.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

We are dealing with the amendment. All in favour?

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We now have an NDP amendment from the floor.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to move an amendment to clause 5 that replaces line 21 on page 8 and also replaces lines 24 to 26 and line 29. It will be circulated, so in the interests of time, I won't read each one of these.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Thank you.

We can speak on it. You can wait to have it circulated or you can vote.

The chair will take your advice. In order to expedite the situation....

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

You can speak—

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

No, I'm not going to speak. I have precious seconds left. I'm saving them.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

We will wait, then, until it is distributed.

Okay, it has been fully distributed. Does anybody need more time to look at it? Are there any speakers? None?

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Now we have amendment LIB-5.

Mrs. Fry.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, I will not be moving that amendment. I would like to move another amendment from the floor.

Thank you. The amendment would read that Bill C-2 in clause 5—

I'm sorry. I haven't moved my page from Ms. May's last—

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Excuse me for just a second. Do you have a copy of it?

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

No, I don't. I'm sorry.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

That's fine.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

It's not a huge amendment. I move that Bill C-2 in clause 5 be amended by replacing lines 23 to 32 on page 8 with the following:

a letter from the provincial minister of health that provides a rationale for and endorses the application

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Mrs. Fry, we'll need to have that in writing. You'll have to write it out, please, if you would.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Liberal amendment number 5 has been withdrawn and replaced by Ms. Fry's amendment from the floor.

Are there any speakers on this?

Mrs. Fry, did you wish to speak on it?

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Yes. Given what the Supreme Court said regarding the five factors they wanted to see included, I would think that going to a provincial minister of health is sufficient. The minister will outline, in a minister's letter, every rationale that she or he believes necessary to have such a site, based on evidence. That would be all that is needed, not the other pieces that are added later on, which intrude into provincial jurisdiction.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Thank you very much.

Are there further speakers?

(Amendment negatived)

We now have Green Party amendment number 4.

Ms. May, please.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

As briefly as I can, Mr. Chair, these amendments attempt to replace some of the conditions of information required from provincial ministers of health for those items that would demonstrate the cost to the health care system of the treatment of HIV and hepatitis C and emergency treatment, as well as identifying in the next clause a description of how those activities are integrated within the provincial health care system, as well as the resources available to support the maintenance of the site.

So it gives a fuller background that would be more likely to help such injection sites be maintained.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Daryl Kramp]

Thank you very much.

Are there further speakers?

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Now we have another amendment from the floor from the NDP.

Mr. Garrison.