Debates of March 23rd, 2010

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (C), 2009-10

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is there unanimous consent to proceed in this way?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #11

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

Interim Supply

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

moved:

That this House do concur in Interim Supply as follows:

That a sum not exceeding $27,249,740,435.50 being composed of:

(1) three twelfths ($19,721,272,993.00) of the total of the amounts of the items set forth in the Proposed Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, which were laid upon the Table Wednesday, March 3, 2010, except for those items below:

(2) eleven twelfths of the total of the amount of Canadian Grain Commission Vote 40, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Vote 15, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Vote 25 and Treasury Board Vote 5 (Schedule 1.1), of the said Estimates, $1,009,187,981.08;

(3) seven twelfths of the total of the amount of Canada Council for the Arts Vote 10, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Vote 25, Justice Vote 1 and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Vote 20 (Schedule 1.2) of the said Estimates, $282,925,437.67;

(4) six twelfths of the total of the amount of Human Resources and Skills Development Vote 5 and Indian Affairs and Northern Development Vote 20 (Schedule 1.3) of the said Estimates, $1,071,498,468.50;

(5) five twelfths of the total of the amount of National Arts Centre Corporation Vote 65, National Battlefields Commission Vote 70, Indian Affairs and Northern Development Vote 10, Statistics Canada Vote 105, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated Vote 70 and VIA Rail Canada Inc. Vote 80 (Schedule 1.4), of the said Estimates, $2,963,624,841.24;

(6) four twelfths of the total of the amount of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Vote 15, Public Service Commission Vote 105, Citizenship and Immigration Vote 5, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Vote 15, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Vote 1, Canadian International Development Agency Vote 20, Health Vote 10, Indian Affairs and Northern Development Vote 1, Industry Vote 1, Canadian Space Agency Vote 35, Library of Parliament Vote 10, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Vote 15 and Marine Atlantic Inc. Vote 40 (Schedule 1.5), of the said Estimates, $2,201,230,714.01;

be granted to Her Majesty on account of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

During the taking of the vote:

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Members are voting in favour of the motion. I have not asked for those opposed yet.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In our haste to vote against this budget, we had not yet been summoned to vote in a negative fashion, so I would ask if we could strike those previous votes.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

In the circumstances, maybe what we had better do is finish the yeas at the far end. Then if there are no more yeas, we will start the nays over again. It appears that people may have been overenthusiastic, as they say.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You probably recall it happened to us one time, that everybody was refused and we should be treated the same way.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I do not remember but I suppose these things have happened.

Are the yeas all finished? Then all those opposed to the motion will please rise now.

Before the Clerk announced the results of the vote:

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if the votes of the Liberals who voted twice were counted. I have been a member of this House for 13 years and have never had the chance to vote twice on a bill.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I will have the Clerk announce the result of the vote first.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #12

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I declare the motion carried.

I will now address the point of order that was raised.

I understand that the votes of five members were counted twice because they voted for and against the motion. These votes cancel one another out, which is reflected in the result.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am just trying to make sense of this. It is obvious that the Liberals voted with the Conservatives. It is not right that they rise a second time and that their votes be nullified.

You might say that we have never seen such a thing in the House. The first vote should count and I am asking you to rule on this matter.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The decision made by the House remains exactly the same.

I will consider the arguments raised by the hon. member later and will come back to the House with a ruling if there is a problem. However, according to the advice I have received, it is acceptable. What just happened is certainly not normal, but the motion is carried nevertheless because the result, even with the change, is exactly the same.

The hon. whip for the Bloc Québécois has the floor.