House of Commons Hansard #12 of the 40th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was leader.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the only jobs that this deal with the separatists creates are six cabinet jobs for the NDP. If the hon. member wants a vote, let the people of her riding and the people loyal to this country right across this country vote for this country.
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal and separatist coalition is threatening to damage the Canadian economy and Canadian unity. Premiers of the provinces know this and have been calling on the opposition to sit down and take a break.
Can the Minister of Health and Canada's newest member of Parliament from the territories tell the House what the Premier of Yukon has said about this catastrophic event?
Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, Premier Fentie has blasted the backroom deal devised by the separatist coalition. This is what he said: “Canadians did not vote for a Liberal-NDP coalition government supported by the separatist Bloc Québécois”. The premier also called the opposition attack on Canada's Prime Minister patently false.
Northerners know that signing a deal with separatists is a recipe for disaster. Northerners and Inuit are not for sale to the separatists.
There is only one Prime Minister in this House who has delivered real results for the north, and one prime minister to lead us through this uncertain time. That is this Conservative Prime Minister.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise this point of order as a result of some of the language used, in particular by the member for Peterborough, during question period. The member used language that was incredibly insulting and offensive to members of this House. It is truly disgusting.
We ask the member for Peterborough to withdraw his language, such as the use of the word “traitor”. That is completely out of order in this House. It is offensive to members. He should withdraw that remark. I would ask him to apologize to all members of this House.
Dean Del Mastro ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, in my opinion I do not owe an apology to that gentleman. They owe an apology to Canadians. They owe an apology to Canadians to whom they said what this party stood for.
Ed Broadbent stood in this House and said that anyone crossing the floor should face the people. That is what he said. They have crossed the floor twice, once to the separatists and now to the Liberals. They are complete sellouts. I will not apologize.
What they are doing is wrong. I will stand for Canada.
Pierre Paquette Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, with the unanimous consent of the House, I would like to table the document the leader of the Bloc Québécois and I referred to during question period. That document is entitled “Consensus Leadership for a New Century” and in it, the former president of the Canadian Alliance is proposing an alliance to the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party in 2000.
If I had the unanimous consent of the House, I would table that document.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Joliette have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
There is no consent.
Regarding the point of order of the hon. member for Vancouver East, I will take the matter under advisement. I could not hear the language she was referring to. I will look at the transcript to see what can be seen and get back to the House in due course.
Steven Blaney Conservative Lévis—Bellechasse, QC
Mr. Speaker, tempers are flaring. Not everyone will have the same opinion regarding how to address the economic situation facing our country. Various concrete measures can be proposed, but we must always show respect for the political functions and for the highest political function here, which is that of our Prime Minister.
During question period, the hon. member for York Centre used the expression “pathological inability" to describe what the Prime Minister said, and I think that those words are unparliamentary. Our government and our Prime Minister are very competently navigating through the crisis that is facing our country at this time. I respectfully ask the hon. member for York Centre to withdraw his comments.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, as I did not get a chance to ask my question, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House for the following motion: “That the Prime Minister consider, in view of the new evidence in the Mulroney-Schreiber hearings, expanding the timetable and terms of reference of the public inquiry”.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Mississauga South have the unanimous consent of the House to propose his motion?
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I know you have not ruled or felt that it was appropriate to call the member for Peterborough to order for his language, such as “traitor” or “infiltration”, however, I would like to appeal to you, as the Speaker of the House, that my rights as a member have been violated by the member for Peterborough, who continues to shout so loud and with such vulgarity, it is impossible to hear anything at this end of the House. I would like you to bring some order to the House and have him at least show some courtesy and decency in this place.
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would humbly argue that in light of what was just mentioned, the only rights to be violated in our country are the rights of each and every Canadian, which that party proposes to trample all over. It has proposed not to put its separatist coalition to the people. Rather it proposes—
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The Chair is not in a position any longer to hear the member for Peterborough. When the House is making as much noise as we have had today during question period, I could not hear him. I have had him seated closer to me and have been able to hear him in the past, but that is not the case today. Therefore, I am unable to comment on any of the points of order that have been raised and it appears he is not doing so either.
In the circumstances, as I have indicated to the member for Vancouver East, and I do to the member for Winnipeg North, I will seek to look at the transcripts and the video proceedings of the House and see if I can hear something there. If something was said that was out of order, I am more than happy to deal with it, but I want to look into the matter before I give a ruling on this. That is the reason why I have held the member for Vancouver East's point in order.
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, twice we have asked the member for Peterborough to apologize and he has readily admitted that he will not apologize. He has admitted that he has said the word “traitor”. Please have him withdraw--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I have indicated I will look into the matter. I do not think I need to hear more submissions on that point. I will look into it and come back to the House in due course.
The hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord is also rising on a point of order.
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the point of order raised earlier by the hon. member for Lévis—Bellechasse concerning the potentially unparliamentary language used by the hon. member for York Centre, the House needs to hear your views on the reading of hateful emails or letters from constituents.
At the end of the day yesterday during her speech on Government Motion No.1, the hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke started to quote passages from emails and letters she had received from constituents. She quoted Mr. and Ms. Whodida who asked, “When is the Prime Minister going to see the separatists for what they are, namely a bunch of whiners who are only interested in bleeding Canada economically to death to their sole benefit?”
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Someone across the aisle said sure. We will take good note of that.
“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson want us to know that they back the Conservative government. ‘The others are acting like a bunch of baboons and they are idiots’”. These are the words reported in Hansard. She also quoted Mr. and Ms. Caleo, who said, “People should organize and do something before this gang of no-goods take charge of our country”.
As if that did not suffice, the hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke poured it on even thicker during the time for questions and comments at the urging of the Conservative member for Macleod and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. She quoted Mr. Barry Evans, who wrote, “Regarding the three stooges, is there anything as a person I can do to help?” She also cited Ms. Leedum, “who is very opposed to any coalition. She voted for the Prime Minister. She says that French leader doesn't belong with us.” She quoted a Ms. Hopper who wrote, “I would prefer to have another election than have these egomaniacs govern Canada”. She quoted Ms. Jessop, too, who wrote, “These three stooges' affairs must end”.
In addition to section 18 of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, which protects us against this kind of language, I would refer you to page 525 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice by Marleau and Montpetit, where it says:
The proceedings of the House are based on a long-standing tradition of respect for the integrity of all Members. Thus, the use of offensive, provocative or threatening language in the House is strictly forbidden. Personal attacks, insults and obscene language or words are not in order.
Words like “whiners”, “baboons”, “idiots”, “no-goods” and “stooges” clearly constitute unparliamentary language. Whether they were used directly or quoted does not change their insulting nature.
Mr. Speaker, if you refuse to ask the hon. member to withdraw her remarks, it would mean you agree that things can be said indirectly that cannot be said directly. All the hon. members of this House receive emails and letters like the ones that were quoted. I ask the hon. member to withdraw her remarks and would like you to rule on whether members are permitted to read excerpts from the emails and letters they receive from constituents.
Decorum in the ChamberPoints of OrderOral Questions
Prince George—Peace River B.C.
Conservative
Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I will start by stating the obvious about our new spirit of decorum in the House. During your election, Mr. Speaker, on the first day when this 40th Parliament met, I thought all parties and all 308 members of Parliament committed themselves to greater civility in this chamber, greater decorum—
Decorum in the ChamberPoints of OrderOral Questions
An hon. member
And you broke it.
Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
I hear people hollering, Mr. Speaker. A member just said “And you broke it”. It is not terribly helpful to point the finger.
During that day, when successive members of all parties, with the exception of the Bloc Québécois, allowed their names to stand for the august position of Speaker of this chamber, everyone I thought was in agreement that we should try and move beyond the way in which—
