44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 8, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/8/22 10:22:04 a.m.
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Before continuing, I want to remind the hon. members to be as concise as possible. It is a very brief outline of what the petition puts forward. I just wanted to remind everyone.
Presenting petitions, the hon. member for Peace River—Westlock.
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I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised on February 1, 2022, by the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent concerning the alleged premature disclosure of Bill C-10, an act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19.
During his intervention, the member argued that the Prime Minister had spoken about the bill in detail during a press conference held the day before. At that time, the bill was on notice and had not been introduced in the House. The member said that the bill is simply entitled “An Act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19”.
He added that the Prime Minister had provided details by indicating that the government was going to present a bill to continue to offer the greatest possible number of rapid tests to the provinces and territories. He also said that such a disclosure breached the convention that members must be the first to learn the details of legislative measures and thus constituted contempt.
The parliamentary secretary to the government House leader responded that the Prime Minister had only spoken about the bill in general terms and had not disclosed any specific details. He also said that sharing a draft of the bill with the opposition parties before its introduction satisfied the requirement that members must be the first to be informed of such measures.
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- Feb/8/22 10:26:12 a.m.
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Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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The convention that members have a right to first access to legislation is a well-established practice. Looking at the relevant precedents, including those cited by the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, the Chair notes in particular that, when a premature disclosure was ruled to be a prima facie breach of privilege, precise details had been disclosed. These provided evidence that the contents of the bill had indeed been shared before they were disclosed in the House.
In the case before us, the Chair must determine whether the information provided by the Prime Minister at the press conference constitutes a disclosure of the contents of the bill, which would be, at first glance, a breach of the privileges of members or of the dignity of the House.
Bill C‑10 is relatively short and contains only two clauses. The purpose is simple. The first clause specifies the maximum amount that can be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purchase of rapid tests. The second concerns the distribution of these rapid tests to the provinces and territories. The second aspect of the bill has been part of public discourse for some time now.
It is the view of the Chair that the Prime Minister’s statement does not give way for the Chair to conclude that there was a breach of the privileges of the House nor to give the matter precedence over all other business of the House. Thus, I cannot conclude that there is a prima facie question of privilege.
In closing, I would like to point out that the disclosure of bills before they are presented in the House has recently been the subject of several questions of privilege. A new practice also seems to have been established in which the government shares certain bills with the opposition before they are introduced. As such, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs may wish to review these elements and, if necessary, share its findings with the House.
I thank the members for their attention.
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- Feb/8/22 2:21:54 p.m.
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Order. The hon. Leader of the Opposition asked a question. She is trying to hear, but she cannot hear above all the heckling and shouting that is going on. I am going to ask everyone to just keep it down so that she can hear the answer coming from the Prime Minister.
The Right Hon. Prime Minister.
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- Feb/8/22 2:33:38 p.m.
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I am going to have to ask the hon. member for Foothills to stop while the members on his side are heckling him. I will let him continue now.
The hon. member for Foothills.
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- Feb/8/22 2:35:04 p.m.
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I am going to have to interrupt the hon. Minister of Health. I am having a hard time hearing him. I really wanted to hear the answer, and I am sure the hon. member for Foothills, who asked the question, would like to hear the answer too.
I am going to ask the hon. minister to start right from the top so we can hear the whole answer.
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- Feb/8/22 2:40:47 p.m.
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Order. If I could have the House's attention, I want to remind everyone that we are in question period and we want to hear the questions and answers.
The hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.
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- Feb/8/22 2:49:38 p.m.
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Order. I want to remind hon. members that some of you do not realize how strong your voices are. Even if they are muffled with face masks, they really echo through. I ask members to respect each other and not shout at each other.
An hon. member: Sorry, Mr. Speaker.
The Speaker: Apology accepted.
The hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford.
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- Feb/8/22 3:02:18 p.m.
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The member for Salaberry—Suroît is rising on a point of order.
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- Feb/8/22 3:02:45 p.m.
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We are going to ask the hon. Minister of Justice to do that over again and make sure his microphone is in the right place.
I will ask him to repeat his answer, and hopefully we can hear him.
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- Feb/8/22 3:03:06 p.m.
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I am going to interrupt the hon. Minister of Justice and ask the hon. Minister of Public Safety to answer while the technical issue is being taken care of.
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- Feb/8/22 3:14:51 p.m.
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During question period, we have had some technical difficulties with our reception here. Regarding the hon. member for King—Vaughan, I know that the answer to her question was garbled. I am going to ask the hon. member to repeat her question and hopefully we will be able to hear an answer, both because of the technical reparations that were made and hopefully because of the hospitality that will be displayed in the chamber.
The hon. member.
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- Feb/8/22 3:17:56 p.m.
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It being 3:16 p.m., pursuant to an 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 first report of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Call in the members.
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- Feb/8/22 3:34:50 p.m.
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I declare the motion carried.
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- Feb/8/22 3:34:50 p.m.
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I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, Government Orders will be extended by 15 minutes.
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- Feb/8/22 6:30:17 p.m.
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It being 6:30 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.
The question is on the motion. Shall I dispense?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
Some hon. members: No.
[Chair read text of motion to House]
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- Feb/8/22 6:36:45 p.m.
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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 rise and indicate it to the Chair.
I see that we will require a recorded division.
Pursuant to an order made on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the division stands deferred until Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
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- Feb/8/22 6:36:56 p.m.
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Pursuant to an order made on Friday, February 4, 2022, the House shall now resolve itself into committee of the whole to consider Motion No. 6 under government business.
I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.
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- Feb/8/22 6:37:27 p.m.
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Before we begin this evening's debate, I would like to remind hon. members of how proceedings will unfold.
Each member speaking will be allotted 10 minutes for debate, followed by 10 minutes for questions and comments, pursuant to an order made Friday, February 4, 2022. The time provided for the debate may be extended beyond four hours, as needed, to include a minimum of 12 periods of 20 minutes each.
Members may divide their time with another member, and the Chair will receive no quorum calls, dilatory motions, or requests for unanimous consent. We will begin tonight's take-note debate.
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