Transport Committee on Dec. 13th, 2023

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

I have two conflicting notices with respect to the duration of this meeting, how long we're going to be in this meeting for. I'm sorry. It may be my office that misinterpreted, but I would like clarification on the correct start time, which I presume was 4:30, because that's what time I showed up here, so I think they got that right, and they're very, very competent.

I just think that, because we were served notice.... I think I only received notice that the time changed from 7:30 to 4:30 about one hour before, so there was a little bit of confusion.

I would like clarification on what time we expect to be here until and if everything is in order for us to be here for that duration.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Dr. Lewis.

To answer the first question, how long we stay here for is at the discretion of the members. How long we are able to stay here with regard to resources is 11:30. The notice was sent out from 4:30 to 11:30.

Thank you, Dr. Lewis.

I'll turn it back over to Mr. Kurek.

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

Thank you very much, Chair.

I appreciate that clarification. Thank you, Dr. Lewis.

As I was mentioning before, my colleague Ben Lobb has been a Conservative MP for a number of years, including serving in Parliament under former prime minister Stephen Harper. He took what was a bill that had been put forward in a previous Parliament, the previous Parliament to this one, because it had seen a great level of support. Although it's been politicized now to the point that the environment minister threatened to resign, there was, in fact, cross-partisan support at different points in time for this bill. When it was introduced in the previous Parliament, I believe it was my colleague John Barlow who brought it forward. It made it through the House of Commons and went to the Senate but then died on the Order Paper when Justin Trudeau called that unnecessary election in 2021.

Chair, when my colleague Ben Lobb was able to—

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I'm sorry, Mr. Kurek.

Yes, go ahead, Mr. Badawey.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I was giving the member the benefit of the doubt in terms of where he was going to go with this, but as I listen to his intervention and look at the motion—I've done it three or four times now—I can't see how this motion is relevant to this committee.

I know that another committee brought this up sometime this week, whereby the same attempt was brought forward by the Conservatives to bring this motion. I believe it was at the international trade committee, and there they ruled it as not being relevant to the committee. Now that I see it being brought here, I have the same concern that this is not, in fact, relevant to this committee.

Therefore, I'm asking, Mr. Chair, that we rule it not relevant, move forward and get back to Bill C-33.

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

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Badawey.

I would have to agree. I will rule it out of order.

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

Thank you, Chair.

I look forward to being able to move the other motion that Mr. Strahl had put on notice, I believe, on December 1. I do have a copy of that. Being able to ensure that—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Kurek, now that it's out of order, you no longer have the floor.

I will go to a vote.

Shall clause 123 carry?

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

I have a point of order, Chair.

You didn't actually allow me to respond to the point of order as I did and I believe the record would show—

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I conferred with the clerk and I do not need to do that.

Therefore, we are now going to a vote.

Shall clause 123 carry?

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

On a point of order, I challenge the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

We're going to a challenge of the chair.

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

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

We will now go to a vote on clause 123.

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

My apologies, Mr. Strahl. I already went to a vote. You can get your point of order after that.

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

You didn't even call for debate on the clause.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

There was nobody on the speakers list.

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

That's because you cut off the motion and went straight to a vote.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I'm sorry. I called the vote. I'm going to have to send it over to the clerk.

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

I look forward to taking the floor after this vote to move another motion, just so you don't call another motion for a vote before I have an opportunity to speak.

(Clause 123 agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

(On clause 124)

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you.

I want to recognize Mr. Strahl on clause 124. I promised I would give him the floor on that.

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

Put me on the speaking list, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Now for clause 124, I have Mr. Strahl and Mr. Kurek.

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

Mr. Chair, simply because you call a number at the start of this, I guess you're trying to prevent us from exercising our right to move motions that have been duly put on notice.

That's what just happened. Mr. Kurek was not given an opportunity to address the arguments of Mr. Badawey, who was able to move a motion on a point of order, which I think in and of itself is out of order.

We can talk about clause 124 for some time, I guess, if that is the way the chair wishes to proceed, or he can recognize the rights of members of Parliament to move motions that have been duly noted.