Mr. Speaker, I am almost tempted to argue that first, the point is moot because of course the motion was not carried and second, no one rose to challenge it immediately afterward, as we all know. In any case, let us get to a few of the points that were raised by the hon. member.
I am very familiar with Standing Order 56.1. It says in paragraph (b):
For the purposes of this Standing Order, “routine motion” shall be understood to mean any motion, made upon Routine Proceedings, which may be required for the observance of the proprieties of the House, the maintenance of its authority, the management of its business, the arrangement of its proceedings,--
--and get a load of this--
--the establishing of the powers of its committees--
It is specifically mentioned that this is an appropriate use of the standing order.
Second is the whole issue that it cannot be moved at that particular time. Let me deal with that. It only says:
In relation to any routine motion for the presentation of which unanimous consent is required and has been denied, a Minister of the Crown may request during Routine Proceedings--
It does not say under motions; it says during routine proceedings. May I suggest, Mr. Speaker, that if the motion was out of order at the time, no doubt the Chair would have told me at that point to put it under motions. Of course the Chair, which never makes a mistake about these matters, did not make such a ruling at the time, as we will note. That takes care of those two points.
There is another issue, a more substantive one, that was raised by the hon. member. He invokes that we should observe the rules. At the same time he is saying that a rule that does not yet exist and which he is proposing to a committee should be the reason we do not concur in the report in order to enable him and others, at least so he hopes, to change the rule or to make one exist that does not exist now and that therefore we should wait for it before moving on with the business of the House. That is a pretty confusing thought process on the part of hon. members and we do not agree with it.
We were told there is no pressing matter. There is a bill that was passed by the House unanimously yesterday and I thank all hon. members. It is on the Kimberley process.
There is a very short timeline to have legislation passed by the committee and subsequently at third reading, and then by the Senate, about a process that will end the diamond contraband in the world, or at least curb it so that people are not massacred in the way that they are now. It is something in which the House participated. That bill is stalled right now because the committees cannot start doing their work. That is just one example.
We passed another bill today, the Yukon bill. It was sent to committee. That committee cannot exist and so on.
I think all of us recognize there is an urgent need for the House to do its work. There is an urgent need for members to sit on their committees to represent their constituents. I do not think any of us should apologize for that. Furthermore, there is an almost unanimous determination; four out of five parties in the House want the committees to start and one party does not want the committees to start.
I do believe it was an appropriate use of the rule. Regrettably for this institution, regrettably for the committees and the legislation, the motion did not pass this morning but it does not mean that the process was wrong. It merely means that those who opposed it this morning were wrong, and that is not the same.