Debates of June 2nd, 2023

Oral Questions

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is this pertaining to question period? I would ask the member for Red Deer—Lacombe to get to his point of order.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Madam Speaker, in lieu of the answers that were given when the government was asked about foreign interference, we requested, in this letter I would like to table through unanimous consent, that the Minister of Public Safety appear for two hours. Do I—

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I already do not have unanimous consent. There are individuals saying no.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, on a point of order relating to question period.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I raised a question respecting committee agendas. I will note page 512 of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice specifically says that members may raise questions concerning matters before committee and that those questions are directed toward the committee chair. Page 512 reads:

Questions seeking information about the schedule and agenda of committees may be directed to Chairs of committees. Questions to the Ministry or to a committee Chair concerning the proceedings or work of a committee, including its order of reference, may not be raised. Thus, for example, a question would be disallowed if it dealt with a vote in committee....

The question I raised was very clearly dealing with the agenda of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. I will note various examples that are in the footnote: “for example, Debates, May 20, 1970, pp. 7126-7; November 4, 1981, p. 12499; March 9, 1987, p. 3955”. Various points continue.

The footnote continues:

In the 2008 example, the Liberal House Leader rose...on a point of order and asked the Speaker if someone other than the Chair of a committee could respond to a question concerning the agenda of a committee. The Speaker advised that his role is to “take a look at those who are standing to answer and choose who is going to answer”. He indicated that he had recognized the Government House Leader because he was the only Member rising to respond and that it seemed preferable for the Member asking the question to get an answer than none at all.

However, in this particular case, there was no opportunity given for the chair or vice-chairs of the committee to rise. Sadly, the right of members to raise questions to committee chairs is becoming in practice almost irrelevant because, every time members have raised these kinds—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member is getting into debate now. He has raised his point of order. As he has indicated, others who rise can be recognized, but no one else rose. There was plenty of opportunity for anybody to rise, so the individual who actually rose is the individual who was recognized.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Respectfully, on the facts, Madam Speaker, I believe someone may have been trying to get the attention of the Chair online. I cannot say for sure, because I was not online and I am here, but I—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There were no hands raised online. As I indicated, I recognized the person who wanted to answer that question.

The hon. member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Madam Speaker, during question period, a number of my colleagues and I asked questions about carbon pricing. We indicated that the Parliamentary Budget Officer had prepared a report.

I would ask for unanimous consent to table the document of May 18, 2023, entitled—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I can already hear members saying no. There is no unanimous consent.

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn is rising on a point of order relating to question period.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Speaker, I rise to seek unanimous consent, following question period, to table witness testimony from the finance committee from May 17—

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am already hearing noes, so there is no unanimous consent.

The hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South is rising on a point of order relating to question period.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Madam Speaker, my point of order is with respect to the Minister of Tourism. I had intended to raise this issue earlier.

The Minister of Tourism, in responding to a question, said, “it is so nice to have so many friends from the blue team from Alberta”. This is doing indirectly what he cannot do directly. Of course, members cannot comment on the presence or absence of a member.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I do not believe it was directed to anybody in particular, but I want to remind members to be careful when they make comments in the House. Again, it was not directed at any one member in particular.

The hon. member for Simcoe—Grey is rising on a point of order related to question period.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Madam Speaker, during question period, there was a lot of discussion, and all parliamentarians are concerned with the food banks and the budget coming up. I hope to get unanimous consent to table HungerCount policy recommendations so that everyone has the opportunity to read them. Hopefully—

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There is already no unanimous consent.

The hon. member for Perth—Wellington.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, as you know, it is a long-standing practice in this House that important government documents are tabled in this place. I would note that typically a minister of the Crown does table government reports in this House. It is a rubric in Routine Proceedings. I would note that the Right Hon. David Johnston's report on foreign interference was never tabled in this House, despite it being a report directly asked for by the Prime Minister.

The Liberals seem to be very proud of the rapporteur, so I would seek unanimous consent to table the David Johnston report on foreign interference.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to table the report?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I do not have unanimous consent.

The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising from question period.

I posed two questions to the government relating to the testimony of the Prime Minister's national security adviser, Jody Thomas, and the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, who was then minister of public safety.

I am seeking the unanimous consent of this House to table the blues from yesterday, wherein the national security adviser indicated that three deputy ministers, as well as her office, had received the memo indicating that the member for Wellington—Halton Hills and his family had been targeted by the Beijing regime, and the further testimony of the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, who incredibly claimed that it was CSIS's fault that he had not read a memo that was sent to him and his chief of staff also indicating that the member for Wellington—Halton Hills was a target of the Beijing regime.

We have a Prime Minister who—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

This seems to be more a point of debate.

Can the hon. member come to his point?

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to table the blues from yesterday from the procedure and House affairs committee, in which that shocking testimony from both the minister and the Prime Minister's—