Order, please. The answer is pretty much the same every time. I will accept a few more, but I do not want to use all the time we have for debate today on these points of order.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Yvan Loubier Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, an article from the December 11 issue of The Gazette questions the fact that under the bill to be tabled today a no will have more weight than a yes. Following the announcement of the tabling of this bill, I ask the unanimous consent of the House to table this article from The Gazette .

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

The Speaker

Is there unanimous consent?

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that you are trying to be fair in a situation that may seem delicate at first glance, but I think it is the role of the Chair to allow members to speak in the House, a role that you have always played properly.

Nobody can assume what request will be made and nobody can decide in advance whether a member may or may not ask for the unanimous consent of the House to table a document of some kind, given that all the documents tabled by my colleagues or regarding which unanimous consent was requested were basically all different.

Either you go beyond the standing orders and presume that members of the Bloc Quebecois cannot ask for the unanimous consent of the House or you declare that the government is so stubborn and narrow-minded that it will never give consent for any document.

I do not know on what basis you can sincerely assume that my colleagues' requests are out of order or inadmissible.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario

Liberal

Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, in the holiday spirit of co-operation, it might help the House if I said right now that the government does not intend to give consent to have any document tabled today. This might help the Chair in his decision later on.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely and honestly thought I had seen it all in this House.

Not only does the government House leader hold the all-time record for the number of closure and time allocation motions in this parliament, not only, contrary to the usual practice, has he reneged on his word last week to deceive the Bloc Quebecois and trample Quebecers' basic rights, but today we have this unique, extraordinary situation where, for the first time in living memory, a parliamentarian, the government House leader to boot, is forewarning the House, saying “Today, we will not accept any document whatsoever, whatever the topic”. That is closure at its worst.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

The Speaker

I remind the hon. members that the Chair will decide as appropriate how many points of order we will have. I believe it would be irresponsible to have much more than 10, or 20 at the most.

Let us hear a few more and see what happens.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Guy Chrétien Bloc Frontenac—Mégantic, QC

Mr. Speaker, this is in the same vein as what the Parti Quebecois House leader said. Following last week's announcement by the Prime Minister, who tabled a draft bill, I am asking for unanimous consent to table a report. I urge the government House leader to think twice before saying no.

It is part of a report on Quebec's territorial integrity in the event of sovereignty, which was tabled before the committee to examine matters—

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

The Speaker

I am sorry to interrupt the member.

Is there unanimous consent?

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Bellehumeur Bloc Berthier—Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, before introducing its draft bill undermining the basic human rights of Quebecers, the government across the way obviously did not take the time to go over the new modern and exciting Quebec-Canada partnership proposal put forward by the Bloc Quebecois and distributed throughout the province of Quebec.

I ask for the unanimous consent of the House to table the document so that the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs can read it.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

The Speaker

Is there unanimous consent?

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Rocheleau Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, I ask for the unanimous consent of the House to table a document that should enlighten the minister and all the hon. members. It is the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the basis of democracy and equality in Quebec.

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

The Speaker

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

Points Of OrderOral Question Period

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.