Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2016-06-10 12:10:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)",
        "fr": "M. Kevin Lamoureux (secr\u00e9taire parlementaire du leader du gouvernement \u00e0 la Chambre des communes, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"4419442\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I rise to respond to the question of privilege raised by the member for <a data-HoCid=\"214382\" href=\"/politicians/elizabeth-may/\" title=\"Elizabeth May\">Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands</a> on June 6 respecting her ability to participate in the committee proceedings relating to government bills.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419443\" data-originallang=\"en\">The member alleges that motions adopted in committee have impeded her ability to fully represent her constituents and to fully do her job. In her intervention, the member acknowledges that committees of the House have adopted motions to allow independent members to move amendments to government bills.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419444\" data-originallang=\"en\"> On June 9, 2015, the Speaker ruled on a closely related matter raised by this same member, and I quote:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419445\" data-originallang=\"en\"> I also know that committees have shown great flexibility in the past, not only about deadlines, but more generally in how they consider amendments in clause-by-clause. In fact, one such example of that flexibility is the very process that committees adopted, allowing members of non-recognized parties to have their amendments considered in committee. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419446\" data-originallang=\"en\">Moreover, on May 7, 2014, the Speaker ruled on a point of order raised by this same member about her ability to move amendments and to speak to them in committee. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419447\" data-originallang=\"en\">The Speaker ruled, and I quote:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419448\" data-originallang=\"en\"> It is evident that the committee chose to handle its consideration of [the bill] in a particular way. A motion setting out the process to be followed was proposed, debated, and ultimately agreed to. [...] Such decisions are the exclusive responsibility of the committee. I do not believe that it is for the Chair to second-guess how committees choose to manage their business. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419449\" data-originallang=\"en\">These rulings speak directly to the matter raised by the member for <a data-HoCid=\"214382\" href=\"/politicians/elizabeth-may/\" title=\"Elizabeth May\">Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands</a>. I support the member's right to air her grievances in the House. However, I do not support or agree with her assertion that by having committees adopt a process to allow and include members from non-recognized parties in the amendment of government bills, this somehow interferes with her ability to discharge her parliamentary functions. I suggest that it accomplishes the opposite.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419450\" data-originallang=\"en\">The precedents are clear on this issue, and therefore I submit that this matter does not meet the test of a prima facie question of privilege. </p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"4419442\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je souhaite r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 la question de privil\u00e8ge que la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de <a data-HoCid=\"214382\" href=\"/politicians/elizabeth-may/\" title=\"Elizabeth May\">Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands</a> a soulev\u00e9e le 6 juin dernier au sujet de sa capacit\u00e9 de participer aux \u00e9tudes en comit\u00e9 des projets de loi d'initiative minist\u00e9rielle.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419443\" data-originallang=\"en\">La d\u00e9put\u00e9e soutient que les motions adopt\u00e9es au comit\u00e9 l'emp\u00eachent de s'acquitter pleinement de ses fonctions au nom des gens de sa circonscription. Dans son intervention, elle reconna\u00eet que les comit\u00e9s de la Chambre ont adopt\u00e9 des motions visant \u00e0 permettre aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s ind\u00e9pendants de pr\u00e9senter des amendements aux projets de loi d'initiative minist\u00e9rielle.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419444\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je cite la d\u00e9cision que la pr\u00e9sidence a rendue le 9 juin 2015 \u00e0 propos d'une question aussi soulev\u00e9e par la d\u00e9put\u00e9e et \u00e9troitement reli\u00e9e \u00e0 celle dont il est ici question:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419445\" data-originallang=\"en\"> [...] je sais \u00e9galement que les comit\u00e9s ont fait preuve par le pass\u00e9 d\u2019une grande souplesse, non seulement \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9gard des d\u00e9lais, mais de fa\u00e7on g\u00e9n\u00e9rale par la fa\u00e7on dont ils ont pris en consid\u00e9ration les amendements \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9tape de l\u2019\u00e9tude article par article. On pourrait justement citer en exemple le processus m\u00eame adopt\u00e9 par les comit\u00e9s afin de permettre aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s de partis non reconnus de soumettre leurs amendements aux comit\u00e9s. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419446\" data-originallang=\"en\">De plus, le 7 mai 2014, la pr\u00e9sidence a rendu une d\u00e9cision sur un recours au R\u00e8glement soulev\u00e9 par la m\u00eame d\u00e9put\u00e9e quant \u00e0 sa capacit\u00e9 de pr\u00e9senter des amendements et de les faire valoir aux comit\u00e9s.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419447\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je cite la d\u00e9cision de la pr\u00e9sidence:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419448\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Il est \u00e9vident que le comit\u00e9 a d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de proc\u00e9der \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9tude du projet de loi [...] d\u2019une certaine fa\u00e7on. Une motion \u00e9tablissant le processus qui serait suivi a \u00e9t\u00e9 propos\u00e9e, d\u00e9battue, puis adopt\u00e9e [...] Ces d\u00e9cisions rel\u00e8vent de la responsabilit\u00e9 exclusive du comit\u00e9. Je ne crois pas qu\u2019il revienne \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sidence de mettre en doute la fa\u00e7on dont les comit\u00e9s d\u00e9cident de mener leurs travaux. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4419449\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ces d\u00e9cisions concernent directement la question soulev\u00e9e par la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de <a data-HoCid=\"214382\" href=\"/politicians/elizabeth-may/\" title=\"Elizabeth May\">Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands</a>. Bien que j'appuie le droit de la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de soumettre ses dol\u00e9ances \u00e0 la Chambre, je rejette son affirmation voulant que l'adoption par les comit\u00e9s d'un processus qui permet aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s des partis non reconnus de pr\u00e9senter des amendements aux projets de loi d'initiative minist\u00e9rielle nuise d'une certaine fa\u00e7on \u00e0 sa capacit\u00e9 de s'acquitter de ses fonctions parlementaires. Je dirais que ce processus a plut\u00f4t l'effet inverse.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4419450\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les pr\u00e9c\u00e9dents en la mati\u00e8re sont sans \u00e9quivoque. Par cons\u00e9quent, j'estime que cette affaire ne constitue pas, de prime abord, une question de privil\u00e8ge.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2016/6/10/kevin-lamoureux-7/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/kevin-lamoureux/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4032/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "8988092",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Routine Proceedings",
        "fr": "Affaires Courantes"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Privilege",
        "fr": "Privil\u00e8ge"
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Report Stage Amendments",
        "fr": "Les amendements \u00e0 l'\u00e9tape du rapport"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2016/6/10/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2016%2F6%2F10%2F"
    }
}