Public Safety Committee on Oct. 4th, 2023

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

I know.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Can I ask to table this with the committee?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

I think that would be out of order, as we're talking about Bill C-20 right now, Ms. Ferreri.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

She can request UC for it.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

She can, but she didn't.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Bittle asked, so I'm saying—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

Mr. Genuis has the floor right now. Should we continue on with debate?

There is a point of order from Mr. Lloyd.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Thank you.

I'm going to request unanimous consent. The witnesses have gone. Discussion on Bill C-20 might be pointless at this point. I think we could use this time. I'm asking for unanimous consent to discuss a potentially revised motion that we can all accept in the remaining 40 or 30 minutes of this meeting. Then we can move on to Bill C-20.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

No.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Okay. Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

There's no unanimous consent.

Mr. Genuis, it's back to you.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

I'll just say briefly that I think—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

Mr. Genuis, can I just remind you that we need you to stick closely to Bill C-20, please?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Absolutely, Chair, I will stick within the rules, which are to speak to the motion as well as the context of the motion. I know those rules very well. They don't require me to reference Bill C-20 in, say, every sentence. In debate in the House, you'll see members who draw on philosophical texts and go on at great length to set the stage for subsequent points.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

Mr. Genuis, Ms. Michaud has a point of order.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

I want to make sure I understand. Are we talking about a new motion? Have we received it in both official languages? I have to say that I've kind of lost track.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

Yes, and he has read it out twice. Did you get it the last time he read it out?

Ms. O'Connell asked for it to be read out, and he did read it out again.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Do we have it in French?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

No one has it in writing, but I thought the translation would have come through.

Do you want him to do it one more time, Ms. Michaud? Tell me if the translation comes through.

I'm sorry, Mr. Genuis. Could you read your motion one more time? Hopefully—

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

If Mr. Genuis wants us to vote on his motion, the least he can do is send it to us in both official languages.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

We're not voting on it right now. Do we need to get that...?

Procedurally, we don't need it in writing right now. We can just do it verbally. That's what the clerk is telling me, Ms. Michaud.

Go ahead, Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Would members like me to read it again, though? I'm happy to.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Doug Shipley]

Did you want it read one more time, Ms. Michaud, for clarification? Are you sure?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Okay. If there's no need to read the motion again, I'll be brief if I'm not interrupted, but I will be longer if I am interrupted. I would like to be able to quickly get out there the ideas that I want to get out there.

It is simply that my colleagues who are regular members of this committee have been trying to work towards a solution that would allow one meeting before Bill C-20 is completed to allow representatives of victims' families to tell their stories before this committee. We have members of the Liberal Party who are no doubt deeply embarrassed by their failure here and their failures on crime more broadly, so they are trying to silence representatives of the families of the victims. That is a crying shame.

Conservatives will not apologize for standing up for victims' families, for standing with victims' families and insisting that they be heard, and for using the tools and the leverage we have to ensure that they are heard.