Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond briefly to the question of privilege raised by the House leader of the New Democratic Party and supported by two other members of this House earlier this day.
I think the Chair will need to consider two issues. One, is the House leader of the New Democratic Party correct about what he has alleged this afternoon? Two, is he also correct in the purpose of the amendment that he has offered to the House along with other members?
Let me take the points in reverse. The amendments that are before us today, just to remind the Chair, are as follows. The amendment offered in the name of the member for Calgary Southwest reads “that this House declines to give second reading to Bill C-2” and so on. That amendment is further amended by a subamendment in the name of the hon. member for Halifax West.
In his presentation, the hon. member from the New Democratic Party conceded to the fact that the purpose of the amendment was to prevent the bill from proceeding. He said it in this House some moments ago. In other words, the amendment is specifically designed to prevent us from having the committee study of the bill. That is what he admitted to on the floor of this House.
Having established that the opposition has admitted today and possibly in its speeches over the last couple of days that the purpose of what it is doing is to prevent the bill from proceeding to the next stage, I believe that any reasonable person would claim that the government has an equal right to propose measures to ensure that the bill does proceed in good and proper form.
Hon. members across are heckling, very rudely I might add, at this moment but they should be listening in particular to the judgment that Mr. Speaker will no doubt be giving in a few moments.
It has been alleged that there was no consultation. Let me remind the Speaker of the rules of the House to that effect. Standing Order 78(1) refers to the procedure as follows: “When a minister of the crown, from his or her place in the House, states that there is agreement” and so on. Standing Order 78(2) states, “When a minister of the crown, from his or her place in the House, states that a majority of the representatives—have come to an agreement—” and finally, Standing Order 78(3) is the procedure when an agreement cannot be reached.
Yesterday afternoon at 3.30 there was a meeting in which I asked all members present, and all parties were present, whether or not they intended to put more speakers. Only one of the four opposition parties, I believe it was the Bloc Quebecois, indicated a definite number of speakers that it wanted to put up.
Shortly afterward after having held the consultation in which I did not get a commitment from all parties represented pursuant to Standing Order 78(1) and (2), then on the floor of the House moments later, a further dilatory motion was produced within minutes of the end of our meeting, this time proposed by an NDP member, the purpose of which was again to further delay proceeding on the bill. That was after the consultation was held.
Finally, later yesterday afternoon before I proposed a motion on the floor of this House I even informed my counterpart in the official opposition which I believe was the good and proper thing to do so a motion would not be introduced behind his back. That was done in good and proper form at a meeting at which Your Honour was present.
Mr. Speaker, you must judge whether an amendment that you will be receiving later is in order. Of course the House has not been seized of that motion yet, which could come later this day. Once you receive such an amendment, if one is forthcoming, the Chair will have to decide whether the amendment is in order and acceptable to this House.
Mr. Speaker, I submit to you that on the third day of debating this bill, the purpose of which is to refer it to committee after years of consultation in the public generally, to move it to committee so we can hear witnesses on this federal-provincial agreement is not wrong. To send it to committee for detailed study is not wrong. It is the good and appropriate thing to do.
For the opposition to produce two different amendments, the purpose of which is dilatory as admitted on the floor of this House today, and the purpose of which is only to make the same hon. members speak not once, not twice but even three times on the same bill at second reading is nothing short of a dilatory measure. It is quite legitimate for the government and for this House to want to listen to ordinary Canadians, people from the private sector and the provinces as to why this measure is necessary in order to ensure a pension plan for our children and grandchildren.