Transport Committee on Dec. 13th, 2023

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

I think the clerk has the list of our members.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

The clerk confirms that it is right, Mr. Barsalou‑Duval. Thank you.

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

I have a point of order, Chair.

I believe Mr. Strahl still had the floor.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I made my ruling, so nobody can speak to the ruling of the chair at this time.

The members can challenge the chair.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

I have a point of order.

I'd like to speak to that matter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

You can't speak to a ruling of the chair. You can challenge the chair, Dr. Lewis.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Then I'd like to challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Dr. Lewis.

I'll turn it over to the clerk.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Carine Grand-Jean]

If you vote yes, then you sustain the decision of the chair. If you vote no, you are appealing the decision of the chair.

(Ruling of the chair sustained: yeas 7; nays 4)

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

I have a point of order, Chair.

I'd like to be on the speaking list. Just to ensure that it does in fact happen, I am raising a point of order so that we don't move into that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I actually have Mr. Strahl on the speakers list for clause 124 already, Mr. Kurek. If you'd like to add your name to the speakers list, it would be a pleasure to do so.

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

That's why I raised a point of order, to make sure that it didn't get missed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

That's perfect. It's always good to be diligent.

Mr. Strahl, the floor is yours.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Just to get some clarification there, when am I able to move a motion? There seems to be a moving target as to when members of Parliament can exercise their rights to move motions that have been duly submitted—with notice, translated and distributed to members.

At what point in the discussion...? Can I do so now, or do I need to...?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

The rules state, Mr. Strahl, that you can do so in between the clauses, not when I've already called for debate on a clause.

Right now we're discussing clause 124, but as was the case with Mr. Kurek, whom I recognized and who was able to put forward a motion, you can do so, as he did, in between clauses.

Right now, Mr. Strahl, just for clarification, we are on clause 124. The floor is yours.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

I appreciate that.

I would just let you know, Mr. Chair, that I will be moving a motion at the end of this clause, after the vote takes place, just so there's no ambiguity as to whether or not I'd like the floor before the debate on clause 125 takes place.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Strahl.

I encourage you to raise your hand so that I can recognize you and see that you, indeed, want to speak, as members do change their minds once in a while.

The floor is yours.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Well, I'm not going to change my mind this time, Mr. Chair. I will try to keep that raised hand up. It does automatically go down after a while, which is unfortunate, because I do want to ensure that I am able to speak.

I'm happy to speak to clause 124. As we have been doing throughout this bill, we've been pointing out the importance of the need to consider what we heard from the witnesses who came forward to discuss this piece of legislation, which, as we heard, is one that many have significant concerns with. There were concerns with every section of this legislation. Every clause had concerns raised by different groups, from unionized workers at the ports all the way to the port authorities. We heard from terminal operators. We heard from the Chamber of Marine Commerce and from the railways. They all had concerns with the scope and focus of this bill.

Clause 124 is just another example of the government failing to take what they heard and apply it to this legislation. We heard time and time again that this was all about supply chain efficiency, that this was all about making Canada's supply chains more reliable. Clause 124 talks about when this bill receives royal assent and how the sections are to come into force. We've had many different discussions about how that should be done. When should the provisions of this bill come into effect? When will the royal—

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Kurek.

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Thank you.

I believe that Mr. Strahl is the vice-chair. I know that he's not in the room, but I would just take this opportunity. There seems to be a trend as of late that committee chairs may have taken lessons, or something to that effect, to tread a very fine line, where it seems that members' privileges can be violated without regard, and that by using a coalition of left-leaning parties the rights and privileges of members can be trodden upon without discretion.

Certainly, we've seen that at the natural resources committee, where there were such egregious violations of members' privileges that it seemed to truly disrupt and delegitimize the democratic process that we have—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Kurek, is this debate? Are you referring to anything in particular?

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

I'm on a point of order, and I have before me Bosc and Gagnon. Again, I think it is absolutely key that we keep the context of the very foundation of where we are in the context of how we are able to most effectively do our jobs in this place, and the basis of that is the rights and privileges of members.

Now, many people watching will not understand some of the context and nuances surrounding what this looks like, but what we have witnessed, Chair, before this committee—I mentioned natural resources, and there are other examples as well—and how it seems to me is that, with the observances of many who are watching, there is—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Kurek, your point of order is debate. I do not deem it in order.

I made a ruling and therefore I'll turn the floor back over to Mr. Strahl—

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Chair, with respect, you made a ruling on an item that specifically you are not given the ability to make a ruling on.