44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 17, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Montcalm for bringing up that point, because I am also a member of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, and what I saw last night was a travesty of the legislative process. We did have very important witnesses and a very delicate subject matter to cover, the protection of persons with disabilities. The antics that I saw in the House, debating which Conservative member needs to be heard while we have witnesses who are trying to report their important life experiences to our committee so that we can table a comprehensive report on a very delicate subject matter, that was a travesty.
It started earlier in the day. Members will recall that yesterday being a Monday, Routine Proceedings started right after question period and the Conservatives decided to move debate on a committee report, something that was unanimously agreed upon at the committee by all parties. When it came to the member for London—Fanshawe, she gave a short, two-minute speech and then asked for unanimous consent for the House to adopt that committee report. The Conservatives refused unanimous consent, showing that they just wanted to continue delaying the business of the House.
I will end here. The great David Christopherson, during my rookie year here in Parliament, said that if people are going to engage in filibustering or delay tactics, they have to know what the goal is, what the endgame is and what they are trying to achieve. Unfortunately, what I see from my Conservative colleagues is a rudderless ship flailing around with no endgame in sight. I just wish they would clearly state what their legislative goals in this session are so that the rest of us here can get to work and do that work on behalf of the constituents who sent us here.
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Madam Speaker, our colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford reinforced the unfortunate circumstance at the joint committee looking at medical assistance in dying. I entirely associate myself with his view on the inability of those witnesses to be heard on an issue as important to Canadians and as sensitive as medical assistance in dying. This is exactly what the House of Commons should not do.
If we set up a committee like that, and if colleagues want to serve effectively and honourably on a committee like that, to represent their constituents and their colleagues in the House and do that important work, which necessarily includes hearing from Canadians, as I said, with different perspectives and in some cases with professional experience, then anything that would ensure that important work is disrupted is disrespectful to those witnesses. It is disrespectful to colleagues in the House, and it is also disrespectful to our colleagues who serve in the other place, who are also working with colleagues from the House of Commons on this committee.
What the Conservatives did last evening with a series of votes is what has made it important for the government to take this necessary step tonight to ensure this goes through. If the Conservatives were really interested in debate, they would have actually debated the bill last night, and not debated, as our friends have said, which Conservative member should be heard in order to delay the bill coming to a vote.
We think the House of Commons should have an opportunity to vote on this bill. I am confident that the members who are seeking to disrupt and vandalize the legislative process will ultimately vote for the bill. If we ever wondered if it was ridiculous, it will be when they end up voting for a bill they did absolutely everything they possibly could to ensure would never be adopted. One could perhaps see, as my friend from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford said, referring to our former colleague David Christopherson, that they do not know what the ultimate legislative objective is other than to try to burn it down. That is their objective. They start the fire and then pretend to show up with a hose to put it out. That is not the way the parliamentary process works. They cannot be the fire chief and the pyromaniac at the same time.
It is important for the House to proceed to a vote.
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Madam Speaker, any Canadians I know from my riding who have been watching the debate over the last couple of years have seen the government run roughshod over the democratic process, and then it hears them lecture us about how bad the Conservative Party is, calling us all kinds of names.
We have a Prime Minister and a Liberal Party that think they are a majority government. Then we hear from the NDP down the way, and it thinks it is the Liberal Party. Once again, instead of standing in opposition to the government, which is running roughshod over democracy, the New Democrats are carrying their water again. I hate to overuse that term “carrying their water”, but my goodness, we hear them again supporting what the government is doing, and then we hear the same from the Bloc.
The Conservative Party is the only party, the only group in Parliament, that is doing its job. We are doing our job of being in opposition to this out-of-control Liberal government.
They represent the Liberal Party. I have a simple question for the minister: When will you represent Canadians once again?
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Madam Speaker, I hope our colleague was not asking you when you will represent Canadians, because I think not only that you represent very well the people of your great Quebec constituency, but also that you represent all Canadians when you sit in that chair. I cannot imagine my colleague would be casting that aspersion on you because that would be inappropriate.
There is a level of manufactured indignation and fake outrage from the Conservatives about parliamentary procedures that actually allow the House of Commons to pronounce itself on legislation. As the Speaker will remember, I also sat in opposition on the other side of the House. We watched the government House leader at the time, Peter Van Loan, so many times—
An hon. member: He did it over 100 times.
Hon. Dominic LeBlanc: Madam Speaker, yes, it was over 100 times. Can members imagine it? A Conservative House leader, these great professors of democratic principles, did it over 100 times. Peter Van Loan introduced time allocation or closure measures that many times in the House of Commons.
In fact, the chief government whip at the time wrote a manual of how to ensure that a parliamentary standing committee could be driven completely into the ditch. It was sort of a how-to manual of what to do if something went wrong in the committee, and how to ensure the whole thing could be ground directly into the ditch.
These are the authors of those kinds of documents. I think Peter Van Loan moved time allocation and closure so many times that the words are actually carved into the desk to the right of where I sit. If we lift the desk, we might see that he has engraved in that desk all of the words necessary to bring time allocation and closure. That is what the Conservatives did in government.
Now they are in opposition, and they do everything they can to ensure that the government agenda, which is important to Canadians, cannot advance to a legislative vote. They will not allow the House of Commons to pronounce itself on legislation.
When my colleagues ask when we are going to start working for Canadians, the answer is that we have never stopped working for Canadians.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague asked who among the Conservatives is a firefighter. The reality is that they are all pyromaniacs. We have seen over the course of the last few months how they have blocked systematically every single piece of legislation. We are talking about teachers and farmers asking members of Parliament to pass legislation like Bill C-8. The Conservatives never offered an explanation. They never said they were blocking it because there was a reason for it. They just blocked it for the sake of blocking.
What we see now, after last night's travesty, is a group that seems to have as its only goal anarchy and chaos in the House of Commons. My question for my colleague is this: Why?
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Madam Speaker, I obviously agree with my colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby when he characterized what is really a very unfortunate series of procedural shenanigans the Conservatives have participated in. Why?
In French, they want to be able to tell their colleagues from Quebec who support Bill C‑14 that they are in favour of maintaining the number of seats in Quebec. However, in the House of Commons, and especially in their English remarks, they are doing everything in their power to prevent a vote on this bill. I think that was the reason in this case.
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- May/17/22 7:06:26 p.m.
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It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the House.
The question is on the motion. Shall I dispense?
Some hon. members: No.
[Chair read text of motion to House.]
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès): 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.
The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.
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- May/17/22 7:07:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we request a recorded division.
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- May/17/22 7:07:44 p.m.
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I declare the motion carried.
The hon. government House leader is rising on a point of order.
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- May/17/22 7:52:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I move:
That this House do now adjourn.
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- May/17/22 7:53:04 p.m.
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Pursuant to order made Monday, May 2, the motion is deemed adopted.
Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 7:53 p.m.)
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