Parliamentary Speeches
4,697 speeches by Chris d'Entremont — Page 83 of 94
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Oral Questions
Order. As much as I like the fisheries questions, I like the fisheries answers and I want to be able to hear them.
Oral Questions
I thank the member for his intervention. Of course, we will look at that with great interest.
Oral Questions
I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of an all-woman delegation of the members of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Will they please rise?
Oral Questions
We are honoured that they are here with us today.
Government Orders
I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded divisions, Government Orders will be extended by 15 minutes.
It being Wednesday, I will ask the member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation to lead us in our national anthem. [Members sang the national anthem]
Before we start Statements by Members, I just want to remind everybody to make sure to keep them all to a minute. The last thing I want to do is shut people down on their statements. The last few days they have been a bit long, but they have been great statements nonetheless.
Oral Questions
The first three questions were great. Everybody was listening and it was awesome. The hon. member for La Prairie.
Oral Questions
Order. Let us quiet down a bit. The hon. Minister of Housing has the floor.
Oral Questions
Order, please. Let us all restart here. The parliamentary secretary can restart his answer.
Oral Questions
That is all the time we have for question period today. Thank you so much for your interest. We have a point of order from the hon. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Oral Questions
All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion to table the document will please say nay.
Routine Proceedings
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to please rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. House Leader of the Official Opposition.
Routine Proceedings
Call in the members.
Routine Proceedings
I declare the motion carried.
Government Orders
Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30-minute question period. I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places so that the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period. Questions and comments, the hon. House leader for the official opposition.
Government Orders
Order. There is a lot of heckling going on here. I will let the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands finish his question.
Government Orders
It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon, Taxation; the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni, Health; the hon. member for Kenora, Health. It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the hous… Read full speechShow less
It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon, Taxation; the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni, Health; the hon. member for Kenora, Health. It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the house. The question is on the motion. Shall I dispense?
Government Orders
[Chair read text of motion to House] If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division, or that the motion be adopted on division, I invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Government Orders
I declare the motion carried. The hon. Minister of Justice is rising on a point of order.
I am now ready to rule on the point of order raised on March 22, 2022, by the House leader of the official opposition concerning the status of the New Democratic Party as an opposition party. While I would have preferred for the Speaker himself to rule on this important matter upon his return, there is an immediate issue that needs to be addressed. In his observations, the member alleged that the … Read full speechShow less
I am now ready to rule on the point of order raised on March 22, 2022, by the House leader of the official opposition concerning the status of the New Democratic Party as an opposition party. While I would have preferred for the Speaker himself to rule on this important matter upon his return, there is an immediate issue that needs to be addressed. In his observations, the member alleged that the confidence and supply agreement between the New Democratic Party and the Liberal government is a coalition and that by supporting the government, the New Democratic members have ceased to form an opposition party. He argued that, as a result, the New Democratic Party should no longer have the same rights as the other opposition parties with regard to the proceedings of the House and its committees or to the related procedural and administrative rules. In response, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby argued that there have already been supply and confidence agreements in a number of legislative assemblies in Canada, as well as in other countries. This type of agreement is very different from a coalition government, in which the members from two or more parties hold ministerial posts. Rather, it means that an opposition party agrees to support the government on certain issues in exchange for the implementation of that party’s main priorities. He also added, as did the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, that when such agreements occurred, these parties remained in opposition, with all the privileges attached to that status. As for the member for La Prairie, he said that he was primarily concerned about the agreement to have public servants share information with the New Democratic Party and a possible imbalance between the powers of government and the opposition’s role to hold it accountable. As members know, the Chair deals with procedural issues, not political ones. Fundamentally, the agreement in question is a political one. It is not the Chair’s role to interpret or give meaning to such agreements between parties. The procedural issue therefore rests on the rights exercised in our proceedings by members of the opposition and those of the government. Let us first look back at the basis of our political system. Members are elected to the House under the banner of a political party or as independents. The party that can obtain the confidence of the House forms the government. As such, it is the governing party and it consists of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and backbenchers who, without being members of the executive, are all part of the same political group. The other parties in the House and independent members constitute the opposition since they are not members of the governing party. In a ruling of September 24, 2001, Speaker Milliken, dealing with the question of the identification of parties, specified at page 5491 of Debates: …these are matters that the House has always left entirely to the discretion of MPs. They identify themselves as individuals and are free to identify themselves as a group. Their spokespersons are theirs to select. Neither the Speaker nor other members has a say in such matters. It is clear to the Chair that there is no change in the status or designation of the members of the New Democratic Party, nor in that of their officers, as a result of this agreement. The Chair wishes to point out that it is not unusual for opposition parties to form certain agreements with a minority government without thereby becoming members of that same government. As was mentioned, this has happened in a number of provincial and international legislatures. The House has also seen formal and informal agreements between the government and an opposition party, such as during the 29th Parliament from 1972 to 1974, among other examples. We also saw an example of a formal coalition in 1917, the only example in our federal Parliament’s history. In the current case, it is not for the Chair to determine if this agreement between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party is a coalition. However, this agreement does not equate to the creation of a new government party or a new political caucus. No NDP member is holding a ministerial post. There has been no change in the representation of the parties in the House. As a result, it seems obvious to the Chair that the NDP still forms a recognized opposition party, just like the Conservative Party of Canada and the Bloc Québécois. The Chair is confident that the specific provisions of the agreement between the two parties, including those relating to the sharing of and access to information from public servants, will respect the rights and privileges of the House and all parliamentarians. I thank all members for their attention.
Oral Questions
Order, order. I will ask the parliamentary secretary to start again to answer the question.
Oral Questions
Order. The hon. member for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.
Routine Proceedings
I declare the motion carried.
Oral Questions
The hon. member for Scarborough—Agincourt.
Oral Questions
A minister does not require the approval of the House to table documents. It is up to him to do so.
Routine Proceedings
It being 3:12, pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion to concur in the third report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Call in the members.
Routine Proceedings
The Chair would like to make a statement regarding the recent use of certain language that may be deemed inflammatory. Members are regularly reminded of the importance of conducting themselves in a civil manner. While views can be expressed forcefully and even passionately, they must remain focussed on the subject matter at hand. Members must always be mindful of avoiding statements that attack or… Read full speechShow less
The Chair would like to make a statement regarding the recent use of certain language that may be deemed inflammatory. Members are regularly reminded of the importance of conducting themselves in a civil manner. While views can be expressed forcefully and even passionately, they must remain focussed on the subject matter at hand. Members must always be mindful of avoiding statements that attack or demean the character of other members. We are all here as elected representatives and each of us is entitled to respect. Personal inflammatory language has no place in our debates. It is also true that, as parliamentarians, we possess an exceptional degree of freedom of speech. As Speaker Milliken observed in a ruling of April 17, 2007, members must “use their freedom of speech in a responsible fashion and...exercise moderation in their choice of language.” The use of inflammatory and provocative statements is contrary to the respect owed to all members. Accordingly, the Chair reminds members to be mindful of the language they use in debate, with respect to their colleagues, in order to maintain proper civility and respect in our proceedings. I thank the members for their attention.
Government Orders
I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, Government Orders will be extended by 12 minutes.
Government Orders
There is another point of order from the hon. member for Vancouver East.
Government Orders
That is really not a point of order. We are getting into debate. I will recognize the hon. member for Saskatoon—University.
Government Orders
As we know, those in the press gallery are the only ones who can take photos in the chamber. I may have an opportunity to talk to the member for Saint John—Rothesay in due course, but no photographs are allowed to be taken on the floor when the mace is in the blocks. It being 5:43 p.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of Private Members' Business as listed on today's Order Paper.
Private Members' Business
Just before we move on to the next speaker, the reason I really enjoy PMB is that there is really no heckling that goes on between members. That is not bad. Continuing debate, the hon. member for Shefford.
Private Members' Business
The time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business has now expired, and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.
Adjournment Proceedings
The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 7:10 p.m.)
I thank the hon. member for his intervention, which the Chair will take into account before making its decision. It being 11:08 a.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of Private Members' Business as listed on today's Order Paper.
Government Orders
Order.
Government Orders
We did get a little off-base in our timing here of what questions and answers really should have been. I want to make sure. There are a lot of interruptions here. Let us try to keep things to something sensible, and have good questions and good answers as we have all around. Continuing debate, the hon. member for North Okanagan—Shuswap.
Routine Proceedings
It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 61(4) of the Canadian Human Rights Act, the report from the Canadian Human Rights Commission for the year 2021. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(e), this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Government Orders
I thank the member for his intervention. There will be about six and a half minutes left when he gets back to this matter. During the last couple of Statements by Members, it has been getting pretty noisy in the chamber. I am hoping that members could keep their conversations outside in the lobbies, and as they come in, they could listen to these great statements that members are giving.
Oral Questions
We are on question six and it is getting hard to hear already, so just keep it civil. The hon. member for La Prairie.
Oral Questions
Order. The hon. member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies.
Oral Questions
That does it for question period today. I do want to remind members, when talking about other ministers or members of the House of Commons, that we do not use their first or last names.
Oral Questions
All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
Oral Questions
All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
Oral Questions
The member for New Westminster—Burnaby is rising on a point of order.
Oral Questions
We are getting far into debate on this one. I want to render a decision as soon as I can on this. The hon. opposition House leader is rising.
Oral Questions
I want to make the House aware that we will try to render a decision tomorrow if we possibly can.
Oral Questions
All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.