SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 319 - May/28/24

May/28/24 10:14:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am answering the question. This culture of guns, violence and threats is something we never want to see in Parliament. While what we are seeing today is a further attempt to intimidate the Chair, the Speaker, and engage in delay and unnecessary political games, the fact is that this culture of intimidating the Chair is something we have seen in other legislatures, and I think Canadians are rightly horrified by it.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

May/28/24 10:14:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a question specifically about the Conservative tactics here. I find it incredibly rich that Conservatives are attacking our Speaker of the House of Commons for— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/28/24 10:15:18 a.m.
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Order.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

May/28/24 10:15:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I regret to have to inform my colleagues that he is our Speaker. He is the House's Speaker and this is our House. Unless I have something wrong here, he is a Speaker who was elected by all of us, regardless of how members cast their votes. This further proves my point. The irony of this is that the Conservatives are going after the Speaker of the House of Commons for an image that was added to something about a fundraiser. Meanwhile, the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle, while he was the Speaker of the House, attended a fundraiser of the member for Regina—Wascana. Does the House leader not find it incredibly hypocritical for them to suddenly be attacking this Speaker, our Speaker, given what transpired back in the day with the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle?

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:16:38 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it always amazes me that the people here think Canadians are not watching. They know the facts that he just related. They know that a Speaker of the House, being a member of Parliament, must do the basics necessary to attempt to be re-elected in their constituency. They must do the basics required of them by their political party. They must do the basics required of them as a regional member of Parliament and a representative of the place they come from. The Conservatives think no one sees that, but people, of course, can understand it. What I think troubles those watching today is what has happened to this place. It used to be that when the Speaker was elected, we moved on with our business, debating the issues of the day with a back-and-forth, the various issues that come before us. Instead, the Conservatives try every day to disrupt our work by showing disrespect. We are not allowed to stand, for example, when the Speaker is standing. However, the Conservatives, led by their leader, will stand up in defiance of the Speaker. They will speak over the Speaker. They will send insults that are entirely inappropriate in this place or in any place. The Conservatives would do better to worry about the kinds of seeds they are sowing, because they are breaking the norms, the customs and the respect that have governed this place for centuries.

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Insults

Mr. James Bezan (Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, CPC)

May/28/24 10:18:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the comments by the government House leader are so disappointing. He is not protecting the sanctity of this place. The House of Commons is our House of Commons, and that is our chair; however, the current chair occupant has proven that he is not fit to be in that chair. We had a decision by the Deputy Speaker about the partisan activities of the Speaker. I do not know what type of baseball the Liberals play when empowered by their NDP coalition to shut down debate on a privilege motion, but the last time I looked, in baseball, it is three strikes and a player is out. On three different occasions, the Speaker has been involved in partisan activities and given partisan speeches. This is the fourth occasion. It has been found each and every time that he has violated the rules of this place. We have a question of privilege in front of us. Turning to chapter 3 of the third edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice, on page 150, it says: Once the motion is properly moved, seconded, and proposed to the House, it is subject to all the procedures and practices relating to debate on a substantive motion. The speeches are limited... The House has considered all the conduct of the member, in this case, the Speaker. It goes on to say: A privilege motion once under debate has priority over all Orders of the Day including Government Orders and Private Members’ Business. However, the debate does not interfere with Routine Proceedings, Statements by Members, Question Period, Royal Assent, deferred recorded divisions or the adjournment of the House [or other] scheduled...Private Members’ Business... We have done our orders of the day, but now we have the Liberals, empowered by their NDP coalition partners, shutting down debate and moving closure on a question of privilege that relates to the very confidence that all of us in the House of Commons have in the Speaker. The Speaker should do the honourable thing and resign. The House Leader should do that instead of forcing us to—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/28/24 10:20:34 a.m.
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The hon. government House Leader.

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:20:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member is an experienced member of the House. He knows that we are trying to get back to the business that affects Canadians, that will provide benefits and put food on the table for Canadians in their daily lives. He represents a riding that would benefit, for example, from the rural rebate being increased on the price on pollution. We will vote on that later today, and we will see how the member stands up for assisting people in his constituency. The fact is, though, that the claims being made against the Speaker of the House are fake. These claims are entirely conjured in Conservative backrooms. Why is this? It is because they wish to delay and disturb the proceedings of the House. It is that simple, and we are simply trying to get us back on track.

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Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Salaberry—Suroît, BQ)

May/28/24 10:21:40 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I find it extremely disappointing that the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is completely disregarding the motion of privilege. The motion was introduced because there was a question of privilege. The question of privilege was analyzed by the procedural team and the Speaker, who concluded that there was a vacuum and that it was a very important question, and who allowed debate on the motion. If the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons enjoys bashing the Conservatives for attacking the Speaker, this is a false debate. The current debate is on a motion of privilege. There is nothing more important in Parliament, in the House of Commons, than a motion of privilege, but the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is trying to pass a closure motion to limit debate on a motion of privilege. He can do so because, with the complicity of the NDP, he proceeded with a super motion to muzzle Parliament. This is unacceptable and is key to the current debate. Does the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons not find it curious to question the nature of the privilege motion that was received, heard and analyzed by the procedural team, which found justification for the debates we are currently having? It is as though he were challenging the decision by the Speaker.

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:23:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the whip of the Bloc Québécois knows full well that everything we are doing is entirely within the rules. My colleague knows that this is the umpteenth time her caucus and the Conservative caucus have attacked the Speaker of the House of Commons. She knows we wasted a full day yesterday debating this question, which was resolved several times. We know what happened. The Liberal Party of Canada apologized to the Speaker. She knows this. What I find surprising and disappointing is that the Bloc Québécois is getting in bed with the Conservative Party, which insists on interrupting and upending the House's work. I wonder what could be worrying the Bloc Québécois in the government's proposals and bills that would cause it to act this way.

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Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC)

May/28/24 10:24:31 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Speaker of the House of Commons, while in his robes, did a video for a provincial Liberal partisan. While on an official junket to Washington, the Speaker relived his glory days as a partisan Liberal youth. The Speaker used Liberal talking points to attack the Leader of the Opposition in a fundraising email to Liberal partisans. Does the government House leader think these things were appropriate? Would he see the same problem if a Conservative Speaker had done it, or is there a double standard here that depends on who is in the Speaker's chair?

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:25:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the great thing about this place is that, soon, we will all stand up and say what we think is appropriate. First, in some of the instances mentioned by the member, the Speaker took responsibility and apologized for that, as a new Speaker. In another of the instances he mentioned, the Liberal Party took full responsibility and apologized to the Speaker. A normal Parliament, a Parliament that was collegial, that respected the Chair and that respected the offices, would be satisfied with that. In contrast, this Conservative Party stands up in this place every day, devoid of a simple alternative and a simple idea, and simply obstructs. It tries to prevent the House from moving forward on the issues that will help Canadians today. That is the disappointing part.

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Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

May/28/24 10:26:22 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, yesterday we witnessed the sad spectacle of the Conservatives, along with their allies in the Bloc Québécois, trying to block the pharmacare bill. In Quebec, a coalition of nearly 2 million Quebeckers is calling on the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois to pass this law because it finds it important. The Centrale des syndicats démocratiques, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec and the community organizations in Quebec say that this bill should be enacted. Now, we know that today's debate will derail this entire important discussion. Why are the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party insisting on blocking—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/28/24 10:27:12 a.m.
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I must interrupt the hon. member. The hon. member for Manicouagan on a point of order.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill

May/28/24 10:27:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's comments are off topic.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/28/24 10:27:22 a.m.
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This is a very broad topic of discussion. The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

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Mr. Peter Julian

May/28/24 10:27:31 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-64

Madam Speaker, my comments are definitely relevant because today's debate is derailing all the discussions on Bill C-64, which has just been tabled in the House at report stage. Does my colleague think that there is a connection between the Conservative Party's and the Bloc Québécois's determination to block this bill and the fact that these two parties always want to debate the topic that we are debating today?

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:27:59 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, of course there is a connection. Why? It is because what frightens the Bloc Québécois are bills passed by this Parliament that will help Quebeckers, measures taken by the overnment of Canada that will help the people in our ridings. The Bloc knows that thousands of people walk up to me at hockey and soccer games and tell me they are so happy they qualify for the dental care plan. People with diabetes ask me what the pharmacare plan will do for them. What frightens the Bloc Québécois is the fact that these programs are delivered directly to citizens by the Government of Canada. The fact that we are helping Canadians proves that the Bloc's separatist rhetoric is hollow. It keeps Canada going, and Quebeckers like it. That is what they are afraid of. They would rather debate the speakership.

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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)

May/28/24 10:29:24 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am sure the longest-serving NDP House leader in history, Stanley Knowles, is rolling over in his grave at what the House leader for the NDP just said: He thinks that one of the most fundamental principles of a parliamentary democracy, the neutrality of the Speaker, is not worthy of a privilege debate, when the Deputy Speaker has actually ruled that the Speaker pursued partisan activities, breaching his neutrality. The government House leader, who has a responsibility to enforce and uphold the rules of the House, has called that ruling of the Deputy Speaker “fake”. It is reprehensible that the government House leader would question the ruling of the Deputy Speaker on this issue. As my colleague from Manitoba said, the government House leader has a responsibility, first and foremost, to understand that the rules say a privilege motion debate is more important than any other piece of legislation in the House. I know the NDP does not understand it. I expected more from the government House leader, yet, twice this week, he has imposed closure on issues. On every single bill, every single issue, the government imposes closure. They are cutting off democracy and debate at every turn, and he has no respect for the rules of the House.

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon

May/28/24 10:30:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is what it has come to, of all things. I cannot believe my ears: We have a Conservative, under the current Leader of the Opposition, quoting Stanley Knowles, who had a reverence for this place, who achieved the status of having a permanent place in the House. To compare the actions of the Conservative Party with the actions of a person who inspires us all with his reverence for our democratic institutions is something that, quite frankly, is shocking. It is right out of the MAGA playbook, where up is down, north is south and black is white. The Conservatives have become masters in turning words around, in making base populist appeals. What they really do is stand up every day and stop earnest, honest attempts to make life better for people from becoming reality. We see it in the United States, and we see it here. They obstruct, delay, insult and, yes, disrespect our democratic institutions.

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