Public Safety Committee on June 14th, 2018

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

I would be okay with the friendly amendment to my amendment.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

I can feel the clerk boiling next to me, knowing that friendly amendments aren't actually a thing, but if we can go ahead—

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

What we're prepared to say, Chair, is we could accept my amendment and then another amendment that wants to add in the language that I've done or we could defeat my amendment and propose the new amendment in its entirety.

I'm fine with either approach if we need to follow proper procedure. I'll leave that to your discretion, Mr. Chair.

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Whatever is simple and efficient.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

I think the most efficient way, in keeping with Mr. Picard's commentary, would be to...Mr. Calkins' amendment, if that is the will of the committee, and we could move the wording that's being proposed. A colleague could move the wording being proposed which would change the wording to add “health care providers” as well as “, including the duty to warn,”.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Let's keep the wording “health care professionals”. Health care providers could be somebody.... Let's keep it at that professional tier, if you don't mind.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Okay.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

Without wanting to instruct committee members in any way, we'll move to the question on Mr. Calkins' amendment. For that, if someone would be so inclined to propose the wording “, including duty to warn,” without any [Inaudible—Editor] by the Chair, that would be certainly appreciated in order to move ahead with this business.

So, we'll vote on Mr. Calkins' amendment.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Sorry, are we having it before we amend it? I'm confused.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Don't we do the subamendment first?

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

We're going to bring in another amendment. In consulting with the clerk, this is the simplest way to get it done.

We'll vote on Mr. Calkins' amendment, please.

(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

What do we have to move now?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

We're moving an amendment to his amendment to add the words “, including duty to warn,”, correct? Does “health care professionals” need to be added or not?

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

You can have it [Inaudible—Editor] your amendment that you move now.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

I'm going to change the wording “medical professional” which is in there now to “health care professional”.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

And add “, including duty to warn,” [Inaudible—Editor]

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Yes, correct, “, including duty to warn,”.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

We'll vote on the amendment.

(Amendment as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We'll vote on the motion as amended.

No, sorry, Mr. Calkins. You want a debate.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

I'd like to move one more amendment.

I actually would just move an amendment to strike paragraphs a) and d), given the fact that those paragraphs actually were dealt with in the confines of Bill C-71 and debated and discussed. I'm not sure why we would be providing direction on them at this particular point in time if these ideas were to be implemented in the legislation. There were several amendments proposed during the legislative process to address these concerns, which were turned down by this committee. I don't see why the committee would then proceed by making a recommendation to the minister to do something through a regulatory process without having the legal jurisprudence to actually implement it when the legislation wasn't amended appropriately to allow for it.

You would likely have unanimous consent for this motion if paragraphs a) and d) were struck.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

We will now proceed to the debate on Mr. Calkins' amendment, which asks that paragraphs a) and d) of the motion be withdrawn.

Ms. Damoff, you have the floor.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

I wouldn't be prepared to remove those two paragraphs.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

Does anyone else want to speak?

Mr. Paul-Hus, you have the floor.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Ms. Damoff, when you say that you are not ready to withdraw those paragraphs, is that because you are not sure that you can do so, or because you do not want to?

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Matthew Dubé]

Madam Damoff.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

On the first one, we were not able to.... It's in the legislation now with regard to the references in the regulations. It's the better place to deal with it. I want to make sure that they do deal with it. On the fourth one, I think it's something that the government needs to look at and if there are solutions that they can propose, perhaps come forward to us at some time.

It may be something that is either through regulations or legislation. We heard that storage is an issue. No one proposed solutions for what the issues are right now.

I'm not prepared to pull those two paragraphs out of the motion.