House of Commons Hansard #333 of the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was election.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Excise Tax Act Third reading of Bill C-323. The bill aims to exempt psychotherapy and counselling from GST/HST. It was amended to include massage therapy. Parties generally support the goal of making these services more affordable, though some raise concerns about definitions and universal access, noting similar measures in government bills C-59 and C-69. 6200 words, 40 minutes.
Bill C-69—Time Allocation Motion Members debate a motion to limit time on Bill C-69, the budget implementation act. The government highlights budget investments in social programs and economic development, citing opposition delays. Other parties criticize the budget's spending, economic impact, capital gains tax, and the use of time allocation. 4600 words, 35 minutes.
Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1 Report stage of Bill C-69. The bill implements provisions of the 2024 budget. Debate focuses on government spending, debt, and their impact on inflation and affordability. Measures for housing, social programs like dental care and school food, and changes to taxes like capital gains are discussed. Opposition criticizes the budget's economic effects and lack of support for farmers and defence, while the government highlights fairness and investments. 41500 words, 5 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Record of the Proceedings of the House—Speaker's Ruling The Speaker rules on a question of privilege about an editorial change in the Debates. A Member's word was changed after he admitted misspeaking. The Speaker accepts editors' reason for coherence and finds no breach of privilege. 1100 words.
Bill C‑65—Time Allocation Motion Members debate Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act. The government invokes time allocation [/debates/2024/6/17/steven-mackinnon-2/] to advance the bill, citing dilatory tactics [/debates/2024/6/17/dominic-leblanc-6/]. Opposition criticizes this, arguing the date change primarily benefits MPs' pensions [/debates/2024/6/17/michael-cooper-1/] and disrupts municipal elections [/debates/2024/6/17/kristina-michaud-4/]. Debate also covers making voting more accessible [/debates/2024/6/17/lisa-marie-barron-1/], online registration risks, and indigenous language ballots. 2900 words, 20 minutes.
Bill C-65—Time Allocation Motion Members debate Bill C-65, legislation aiming to enhance voter accessibility for groups like students and persons with disabilities. Liberals support the measures, citing democratic benefits. Conservatives criticize the bill, arguing its main purpose is to change the election date to benefit Liberal MPs' pensions and calling for an immediate election. The NDP supports accessibility but plans an amendment regarding the election date. 1600 words, 10 minutes.
Alleged Premature Release of Speaker's Ruling on Social Media—Speaker's Ruling The Speaker apologizes for a premature tweet about a ruling and addresses an MP's profanity. An MP (Leah Gazan) questions why her language is addressed while racist language is tolerated. 400 words.
Electoral Participation Act Second reading of Bill C-65. The bill amends the Canada Elections Act, proposing changes to increase voter participation and election integrity, such as addressing disinformation and party privacy. Opposition parties strongly criticize a provision to change the election date, alleging it primarily serves for MP pensions. 9000 words, 1 hour in 2 segments: 1 2.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on Motion No. 34 stands deferred.
The next question is on Motion No. 38.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Adam Chambers Conservative Simcoe North, ON
Madam Speaker, we request a recorded vote, but you can apply this result to the next 14 that you are about to read.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on Motion No. 38 stands deferred.
Following the hon. member for Simcoe North's request, the votes on Motion Nos. 42 to 154 will be deferred until tomorrow.
Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the recorded division stands deferred until Tuesday, June 18, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
The House resumed from May 31 consideration of the motion that Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee, and of the amendment.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, I am being encouraged to see the clock. If we could pass this bill, I would be happy to do so.
At the end of the day, we have before us an important piece of legislation, and the first chance I had to debate the issue inside the chamber, I thought I was rather generous to the Conservative Party in my comments. However, the Conservatives moved an amendment indicating that they would be filibustering the legislation, and because of that, we are now in a position where the bill is limited in the amount of time for debate in an attempt to try to get the legislation to at least the committee stage.
The minister, earlier today, answered a series of questions and talked, in essence, about how the minister is open to improvements to the legislation if, in fact, there is something that members opposite would like to see. I would encourage those members to bring forward their ideas and make those suggestions to the minister, possibly even directly. They do not have to even wait until we are at committee, but could maybe send an email or approach the minister.
I talked about many things when I previously addressed the bill. However, in going through the legislation, a couple of things came across my mind about what the legislation would do and why it is that the Conservatives have indicated that they are going to be voting against the bill.
It is a fairly well-known fact that the crypto king, the member for Carleton, is a big cryptocurrency fan. However, the problem is that it is a way to hide donating to potential candidates or to a political party, which is something that is incorporated in the legislation. It would ensure that there would be a higher sense of transparency and accountability with donations to candidates and political parties. I can appreciate that the crypto king, the member for Carleton, has some concerns regarding that, but I would hope that some of the Reform- Conservatives would see the merit of transparency and a higher sense of accountability in who is donating to political parties and candidates. The bill before us deals with things of that nature.
Interestingly, if we go into some of the details of the legislation, members will see that there is a stronger stand on disinformation that is intended to disrupt the conduct of an election. We know for a fact that that actually takes place. It was not that long ago when we had a good example of it, which was when we had robocalls being made that were trying to suppress individuals' opportunities to go out and vote. Members might remember that there was even a high-profile Conservative member who ultimately went to jail as a result of it. This is the type of thing in which information is so vitally important, and we have the Conservative Party not even recognizing the need to fix the issue.
I do not quite understand why it is that the Conservative Party is in opposition to the legislation. I look at it as modernizing, to a certain extent, certain aspects and encouraging more people to get engaged in the democratic process. The minister himself, in answers, provided some excellent examples of how it encourages people to get more involved. There are certain things that we learned from the pandemic, such as ensuring that those in long-term care facilities have the opportunity to have more involvement—
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Madam Speaker, the member is right. This government has dealt more with foreign interference in elections than the Stephen Harper administration did. It is a very good point.
We will continue to look at ways to enhance the strength of our election laws, and part of that goes to what I just used as an example: long-term care facilities and making it easier for residents to be engaged and vote. That is a positive thing. At the end of the day, it also allows, for example, for youth to be more engaged, with voting at campuses. Why would the Conservatives oppose this stuff? The bill even talks about going into the 2029 election and how we can make it easier, with the hope that Elections Canada will put into place such things as being able to vote at any polling station within a riding.
I use the comparison of a provincial election, where people can vote for their candidate in a local constituency anywhere in the province. It is a step forward. The legislation would, I hope, move us in that direction. These are the types of initiatives that really make a difference.
We could talk about expanding the number of voting days. We might not be able to implement it for the next election, but in 2029, we may have three days on which people can mark their ballots, with “election day” becoming “election days”.
The legislation would do many things. The only thing Conservatives want to talk about is how we supported 32 Conservatives with regard to changing the election date. It is not about helping those 32 Conservatives. It is about making sure the committee understands and appreciates that there are things happening. Edmonton and Calgary were having elections on that day. The entire province of Alberta listened to what the Bloc had to say when it came to the date being too close to Quebec's municipal elections. Where are those Alberta MP advocates?
The House resumed consideration of Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024, as reported (with amendments) from the committee, and of the motions in Group No. 1.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, I do not believe there was unanimous consent to lump all the votes together and defer them. We will need to take them one at a time and confirm whether any members in the House wish to have a recorded division. We need to complete that process.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The hon. member is correct. We did not receive the email confirming unanimous consent prior to 6.30 p.m., so we have to go back to moving the motions.
The next question is on Motion No. 39. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 40 and 41.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
An hon. member
Madam Speaker, we would ask for a recorded division.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division stands deferred.
The question is on Motion No. 42. A vote on this motion also applies to Motion No. 43.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, I would ask for a recorded vote.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division stands deferred.
The question is on Motion No. 44. A vote on this motion also applies to Motion No. 45.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, it would be in the best interests of all members of the House if we had a recorded vote.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on the motion stands deferred.
The next question is on Motion No. 46. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 47 and 48.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, I would like to add my voice again to request a recorded vote on that important amendment.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on Motion No. 46 stands deferred.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The question is on Motion No. 49. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 50 to 78.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, it would be best if we had a recorded vote on that.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on the motion stands deferred.
The question is on Motion No. 79.
A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 80 to 129.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, I apologize for my passion on this tonight, but I would request a recorded vote on that item as well.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on the motion stands deferred.
The question is on Motion No. 130. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 131 to 141.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Madam Speaker, I would like to request a recorded vote on that one as well.
Bill C-69 Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The recorded division on the motion stands deferred.
The next question is on Motion No. 142. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 143 to 145.
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.