44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 6, 2023 11:00AM
- Mar/6/23 3:05:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the misleading statements are coming from the government, which actually decriminalized cocaine, crack, heroin and other deadly drugs. We can forgive the company for believing that when it got a permit to get into the cocaine business that is exactly what it meant. In fact, the company got the permit for cocaine in two months, so it is faster to get a cocaine permit than a passport in Canada under the Prime Minister.
Why do we not bring back some common sense and ban cocaine and other dangerous drugs to protect our people?
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- Mar/6/23 3:06:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that Health Canada acted swiftly and has issued regulatory letters to Adastra Labs and Sunshine Earth Labs regarding the misinformation they published. Health Canada spoke to both companies and requested immediate action to retract and clarify their statements. Both Adastra Labs and Sunshine Earth Labs issued a retraction and updated their press release. Health Canada issued a bulletin to all licensed dealers across the country clarifying their responsibilities and authorities under their licences.
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- Mar/6/23 3:07:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The committee has charged the chair to table before the House a report calling on the government to launch an inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections, while also maintaining the committee's agenda and scheduled meetings into these serious allegations.
Will the chair of the procedure and House affairs committee do the right thing, rise in the House today after question period and table the committee's report?
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- Mar/6/23 3:07:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as is the case with all committees, that committee report will be given the opportunity to be—
An hon. member: If the chair's not here, can the vice chair answer?
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- Mar/6/23 3:07:58 p.m.
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Order, please. Can a member answer their own question? Let me talk to the people at the table for just one moment and I will come back.
After consulting with the table, a member cannot answer their own question, so the first person to stand up gets the opportunity to answer that question.
The hon. government House leader.
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- Mar/6/23 3:08:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand, and I appreciate the enthusiasm for hearing me speak. However, as is always the case, when committees bring forward reports, in due course they will appear before the House and there will be an opportunity for the chamber to deliberate on those reports.
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- Mar/6/23 3:09:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, the York Region Liberal caucus announced a $19-million investment in YorkNet through the universal broadband fund. This funding will improve broadband capacity for over 3,800 underserved households in York Region, closing 99% of the underserved gap.
Could the Minister of Rural Economic Development please update the House on the work our government is doing to make sure all Canadians have access to reliable high-speed Internet?
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- Mar/6/23 3:09:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora for his dedication to rural Ontarians.
It is great news for the people of the York Region, for small business, big business, not-for-profits and, frankly, good news for everyone. We know that having access to reliable high-speed Internet is the economic equalizer to open up countless opportunities. Since 2015, we have on the table over $7 billion for connectivity. We have connected over a quarter of a million households, but we are not stopping. By 2026, 98% of Canadians will be connected and by 2030, 100% of Canadians will have access to Internet.
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- Mar/6/23 3:10:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, open-net fish farms pollute our waters and harm wild Pacific salmon. The health of wild salmon is critical. First nation chiefs across British Columbia have been calling on the Prime Minister to get these harmful fish farms out of our waters, but he is refusing to meet them. He is in luck as B.C. first nations are currently in Ottawa advocating to protect wild Pacific salmon.
Will the Prime Minister meet with these first nations and commit to get these fish farms out of the water, with a plan for all those impacted?
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- Mar/6/23 3:10:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that I met with the delegation this morning and we have plans to continue working together so that we can include all of the first nations affected by open-net pen aquaculture as we transition away over the coming years.
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Mr. Speaker, we have reached the final analysis of Bill C‑13 on modernizing both official languages.
Tomorrow, in committee, members will address the amendments on the issue of language clauses to ensure that francophone minority communities will indeed receive the money invested by the federal government when an agreement is reached between the provinces and the federal government or between the territories and the federal government. Such clauses would ensure equity for all francophones in the country. Every francophone advocacy group agrees on that.
I would like the minister to clearly indicate whether she agrees with these language clauses, please.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his important question.
As he aptly noted, Bill C‑13 is currently before the Standing Committee on Official Languages for a clause-by-clause review. Official language minority communities have been waiting for this bill for a long time. Like them, I look forward to having this bill adopted.
I hope that the committee will complete its work shortly since stakeholders from one end of the country to the other want this bill passed as soon as possible.
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- Mar/6/23 3:12:34 p.m.
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It being 3:13 p.m., pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, 2022, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion relating to the business of supply.
Call in the members.
And the bells having rung:
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- Mar/6/23 3:14:11 p.m.
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The question is on the motion. May I dispense?
Some hon. members: No.
[Chair read text of motion to House]
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- Mar/6/23 3:27:29 p.m.
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I declare the motion defeated.
I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, Government Orders will be extended by 13 minutes.
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- Mar/6/23 3:29:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order arising out of question period. A question was asked of a committee chair, and I am looking for clarification. I have had some personal experience with this in the chamber.
I would refer you to the 42nd Parliament. As a matter of fact, it happened to be the day the Prime Minister first decided to do Prime Minister's questions, where he answers every question. At that time, I was the second vice-chair of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee, and the chair and the vice-chair were both away on parliamentary business. A question was asked of the committee chair for that committee, and as the second vice-chair at that time, I stood to answer the question.
As it happens, the Prime Minister did not answer all of the questions that day, but more importantly, I think it served the House well to have someone who was an authorized spokesperson for the committee answer the question. There is often debate in this place about the appropriate role of parliamentary secretaries on committees and the right posture of the government toward committees, and I do not think it makes a lot of sense to have government members answer questions about committee business.
I wonder if the Chair might reflect on this point and come back with some guidance. I think the House would be well served if the Chair first looked to see if an authorized spokesperson for the committee is standing before proceeding to the government bench. I would welcome the Chair's reflection on that point at some appropriate time, whether that is right away or further down the line.
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- Mar/6/23 3:30:37 p.m.
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I will refer to it at a later point, but I will go to the hon. member for Perth—Wellington on the same point of order.
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- Mar/6/23 3:30:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would refer you to Beauchesne's, sixth edition, which is one of this House's great authorities. It makes note of the importance of seeking information from the committee, in which case the chair or the vice-chair is certainly the appropriate person.
I would seek the guidance of the Chair, however, for situations in which the chair of the committee may be available online but nonetheless failed to indicate to the Chair that they were present online to answer the question. Therefore, I would seek the Chair's guidance. I would add that as vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, I am certainly ready, able and willing to table the committee's report at the soonest and nearest convenience of this House.
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- Mar/6/23 3:31:59 p.m.
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It is not often we get to bring out House of Commons Procedure and Practice, but I thought we would do that.
On the same page that was quoted, in the section “Questions Concerning Matters Before Committees”, footnote 92 cites pages 10,207 and 10,208:
On occasion, questions directed to committee Chairs have been answered by Ministers and points of order have been raised. For example, during Question Period, opposition Members twice addressed questions to the Chair of a standing committee and the Government House Leader responded.... In the 2008 example, the Liberal House Leader rose the following day 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”.
I can say that during today's session, no hands went up on Zoom and no other vice-chair stood up. The person who asked the question could not answer the question. Therefore, the government House leader was the one who got to answer that question, because he did stand to answer it.
However, we will look at it further. I do not want to be revising this book, so it is probably going to stand, but we will have a further look at it as well. I appreciate the interest.
The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.
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- Mar/6/23 3:33:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just to add a bit to it, the concern I would have is that the types of questions that could be posed to chairs, from what I understand, are somewhat limited, dealing strictly with the timing of things on a committee's agenda. For anything beyond that, as I understand, it should be the option of the government to determine who answers the question.
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