House of Commons Hansard #184 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cannabis.
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, Ms. Meilleur, in testimony on May 18, said that she had talked to Gerald Butts about being a senator or a commissioner. Today in the House, the minister claimed that never happened. Will the minister now apologize for misleading the House?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, the position of the opposition is strange. If the opposition members condemn Mrs. Meilleur for having been involved in the public service for 30 years, would they equally condemn the fact that the former Conservative prime minister, Kim Campbell, was in charge of her nomination process for the Supreme Court? If we both value public service, of course we are able to recognize that we need to have the right expertise and experience and that is why Mrs. Meilleur is the perfect—
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, to clarify, the committee report on electoral reform did not contain any dissent from the New Democrats or the Greens. We filed a supplemental report in support of the recommendations.
In support of those recommendations, within the hour, I am certainly hoping that many MPs, in fact most of us, will vote to support the recommendation of the report so that we can continue to have a conversation. We have never had the conversation to find common ground. Common ground is within our reach if we agree to keep working toward it. Will the minister agree?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, of course I would like to thank my hon. colleague for the hard work that she put into the report. The report is thorough and extensive. I look forward to working with members in this place on many of the things with regard to making voting more accessible, with regard to getting youth involved in politics, with regard to political financing, with regard to fundraising, and of course, with regard to cybersecurity. There are many things that matter to all of us in this place when it comes to improving, strengthening, and protecting our democracy.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Mr. Saber Chowdhury, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, earlier, in an answer, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said that there were 10 people on the short list, the final list, of candidates for the position of official languages commissioner. If I understood the minister correctly, Ms. Meilleur must be on that list, along with the names of nine other candidates.
Will the government table the list of the 10 finalists for the position of official languages commissioner?
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
That is a matter of debate, and I do not see anyone rising to respond.
The hon. member for Outremont on a point of order.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to rise on a point of order.
Earlier, the Minister of Canadian Heritage suggested that Ms. Meilleur never admitted to talking with Gerald Butts about her appointment as commissioner. As the quote clearly proves, she said that she talked with Gerald Butts about her appointment as a senator or as the commissioner.
Twice, Ms. Meilleur promised to clarify some facts she stated during her appearance before the committee. The documents she sent afterward contradict what she said before the committee.
As the leader of a recognized party, I was never consulted, and this is a clear violation of the act. Yesterday I personally heard the interim commissioner say that she did not feel able to investigate even though it is her duty to enforce the act.
For all these reasons, our privileges and our rights have been trampled on by the government. Mr. Speaker, we ask that you act accordingly.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Is the hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix rising on the same point of order?
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order as my NDP colleague and for the same things. When even the interim Commissioner of Official Languages does not want to get involved, there is something going on.
When the minister answers that she consulted us, that is incorrect. She must stop saying that we all agree. On this side of the House, we do not agree at all with this appointment. She must take responsibility.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same matter arising out of question period. I would like to seek unanimous consent to table in the House the evidence from the official languages committee of May 18, 2017, where Madam Meilleur clearly stated that she met with Gerald Butts, in direct contravention of what was said by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the same point of order. We have a very unusual situation where, on the evidentiary record before you today in this House, we have the minister's comments to the House and the member for Chilliwack—Hope reciting into the record in this House the committee report and the witness testimony of Madam Meilleur. Therefore, I would ask you, in light of the evidentiary record before you as Speaker of this chamber, to make a prima facie finding of contempt today in this House, because the minister refuses to correct the record.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. The Chair ruled on this question earlier this week. However, I will consider the arguments I have heard today on this issue and will come back to the House if necessary.
If the member for Perth—Wellington is rising on the same point of order, we are done with that point of order. I hope it is another matter, because we are done with this matter.
The hon. member Perth—Wellington.
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I do not rise on the same matter. In similar testimony, Madam Meilleur informed the committee that she was informed by the justice department that she would be nominated as the official languages commissioner. However, in further testimony, she stated that—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. I urge members to read the decision I gave earlier this week.
As I said, I will consider the arguments I have already—
The House resumed from May 30 consideration of the motion.