44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 18, 2024 10:00AM
- Apr/18/24 3:13:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member to come see me later to discuss the situation in person. Obviously, people who have to apply for a visa need to do so from Mexico. That is the rule. If exceptions need to be made, he can come and see me and we can discuss them together.
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- Apr/18/24 3:13:20 p.m.
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Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence.
I now invite the House to rise and observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the tragic event that happened four years ago in Nova Scotia.
[A moment of silence observed]
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- Apr/18/24 3:15:12 p.m.
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The hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie is rising on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 3:15:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the past, you have ruled that false titles for individual members must not be used in the House, and you have ruled that those need to be immediately withdrawn.
Today, during question period, the member for Milton used a false title. You ruled, correctly, as you have consistently, that the member needed to withdraw that immediately. The member for Milton refused to do so. He had a flippant apology, saying that he was sorry he caused “disruption”. That was not what you had ruled. You had ruled that he must withdraw the false title that he used for the member of the official opposition.
The concern that, I think, members of Parliament have, especially on these benches over here, is that there seems to be an inconsistency to the rulings that you have undertaken.
If you will allow me—
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- Apr/18/24 3:16:17 p.m.
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I appreciate the point that the member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie has raised, and it is one that I intend to address immediately.
I do see that the hon. member for Milton is rising. I hope it is to do what would be consistent with the Speaker's observations and rulings in the past.
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- Apr/18/24 3:16:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the comment.
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- Apr/18/24 3:16:44 p.m.
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I did hear the hon. member withdraw this comment.
The hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie is rising on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 3:17:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the member for North Island—Powell River did not immediately withdraw her comments, and she was sanctioned for the remainder of the day.
There is an inconsistency in the rulings in the House. That member was not offered a half an hour to decide whether they would withdraw.
For the benefit for the House, what will your rulings be, henceforth?
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- Apr/18/24 3:17:29 p.m.
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I thank the hon. member for his intervention. I will continue to apply the rulings as has been indicated in the House.
The hon. member for Drummond is rising on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 3:17:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order as my Conservative colleague, but to add some supplementary comments.
Over the past few months, we have seen a lot of irregularities in the way freedom of expression is interpreted in the House of Commons. Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of parliamentary privilege, and we cannot do our jobs as parliamentarians properly if we do not know the limits the House grants us in terms of freedom of expression.
Some expressions that could be considered more or less serious than others are subject to sanctions of varying degrees of severity, and there is a certain lack of consistency. I would ask the Chair to come back to the House after some reflection and give us some clear guidelines as to where the line is drawn, so that when we rise to speak in the House of Commons, we are not always walking on eggshells for fear of saying something that could end up offending someone or contravening the rules of the House.
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- Apr/18/24 3:18:47 p.m.
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I thank the hon. member for Drummond for his comments. Members can refer to the statement I made on October 18, 2023, which outlines what is acceptable to say in Parliament.
That said, I will have the opportunity to continue my discussions with the leaders of all the political parties to further explore the issue of the guidelines that are needed to ensure that we can have passionate and pointed debates that nevertheless remain acceptable in terms of parliamentary language.
The hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot is rising on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 3:19:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I believe if you seek it, you shall find unanimous consent for the following motion:
“That this House find, just as the Standing Committee—
Some hon. members: Nay.
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- Apr/18/24 3:20:01 p.m.
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Unfortunately, I heard some members say nay.
Once again, I encourage all members to obtain confirmation from all the political parties before seeking unanimous consent to move a motion.
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- Apr/18/24 3:20:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I believe, if you seek it, you shall find unanimous consent for the following motion.
I move:
That the House unequivocally condemn antisemitism, and in particular reject the idea that Jewish Canadians are responsible for the actions of the State of Israel.
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- Apr/18/24 3:21:04 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.
There is no objection. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
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- Apr/18/24 3:21:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, you have just indicated that, over the coming constituency week, you will be reflecting on the usage of false titles or false information in the House of Commons.
As I pointed out yesterday, the use of the term “NDP-Liberal government” is a false term. There is no doubt that it is disinformation. There is no coalition in place. This is something that the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes did withdraw when we were questioning the witness yesterday. I believe it should be common practice in the House that, when any member rises, they give accurate and not false information.
We will certainly be asking you, Mr. Speaker, to make that ruling in the coming days after the constituency week.
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- Apr/18/24 3:22:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we all know, in the House there are many different kinds of governments. There are majority governments, minority governments, coalition governments and governments that rely on the support of another party. What Conservatives and other members have objected to is when the substitution of names causes disorder or is insulting.
If the New Democrats find being associated with the Liberals insulting and demeaning, then they can make decisions to not support the Liberal government. If the Liberals believe it is derogatory or insulting to be associated with the NDP, they could end the partnership.
However, the current government depends on the NDP to pass its budgets and its legislation. NDP members are actively involved in senior-level decisions when it comes to motions in the House and legislation. It is a matter of debate as to what that dynamic should be called. Conservatives are, of course, calling it what it is, an NDP-Liberal government, and there is nothing unparliamentary about describing it in that way.
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- Apr/18/24 3:23:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the point of order that I understand you will be reflecting on during the break week, I would strongly encourage you to consider a few rulings that have been made recently with respect to what members are saying.
In particular, a member might suggest that another member aspires to a certain political ideology. When a member has done that, there is still a Liberal member who has not spoken since a ruling to that effect has come out. It is extremely appropriate and, indeed, our right to be able to express how we feel. Your job, Mr. Speaker, certainly is to control the parliamentary language and to suggest what is not parliamentary language, but I do not think it would be in the Chair's best interest to start going down the path of deciding what is a good statement in terms of political ideology and what is not. I will give an example.
If I were to say a member is pro-Russia, you might interpret that to be inappropriate, Mr. Speaker, but would you consider it to be the same if I were to say a member is pro-United States? I think it is really important that you reflect on that, because at some point we might run into a problem where we are not able to properly express ourselves.
I would encourage you, Mr. Speaker, over the next week, to consider those comments as well.
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- Apr/18/24 3:25:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today during question period, the member for Milton performed a very inappropriate physical action. First, he waved and then he clearly blew a kiss across the way during his exchange with the member for Barrie—Innisfil.
Non-verbal actions that are sexual in nature are not appropriate. I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, to denounce this unparliamentary behaviour and ask the member for Milton to apologize.
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- Apr/18/24 3:25:47 p.m.
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The Chair will have to reflect on this and come back to the House, if necessary.
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