Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2023-06-13 20:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Mark Gerretsen",
        "fr": "M. Mark Gerretsen"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"7858589\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, before I answer the question, I just want to point out that a member from literally the other side of the country, and I am assuming he is in his riding, is participating in this debate right now. I am so lucky I am an hour and 45-minute drive from this place. If I leave right now, I can be home in two hours, which will happen tomorrow evening sometime. Think of the commute this member has to do in order to participate here. I am not saying he does not want to come here, but I am just saying there are times when it makes sense for him to participate in this manner because he can still participate from his riding. Something that has perhaps been lost in this discussion is the equal opportunity for members to physically get to Ottawa because our capital happens to be located here.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7858590\" data-originallang=\"en\">Having said that, why do I think Conservatives have been against this before and against this now? I do not think individually any of them are against it. Collectively they have decided this is the best narrative. They decided they can sow the narrative within the public that the NDP and the Liberals do not want to work and want to just work from home and sit behind their computers at home in their pyjamas and participate in the House of Commons. That is the narrative they ultimately want to sell. We will have to wait for the fundraising videos to come out later on to find out.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"7858589\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, avant de r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 la question, je tiens \u00e0 souligner que le d\u00e9put\u00e9 participe pr\u00e9sentement \u00e0 ce d\u00e9bat depuis l'autre bout du pays, car je pr\u00e9sume qu'il se trouve dans sa circonscription. Je me compte chanceux d'habiter \u00e0 une heure et 45 minutes de route du Parlement. Si je partais imm\u00e9diatement, je pourrais \u00eatre chez moi dans deux heures. D'ailleurs, c'est ce que je ferai demain soir. Pensons au d\u00e9placement que doit effectuer ce d\u00e9put\u00e9 pour participer aux travaux de la Chambre en personne. Je ne dis pas qu'il refuse de venir ici. Je dis simplement qu'il est parfois logique pour lui de participer par vid\u00e9oconf\u00e9rence, car cela lui permet d'\u00eatre pr\u00e9sent dans sa circonscription. Une chose qui se perd peut-\u00eatre dans cette discussion, c'est l'in\u00e9galit\u00e9 des chances des d\u00e9put\u00e9s lorsqu'il s'agit d'\u00eatre physiquement pr\u00e9sent \u00e0 Ottawa, \u00e9tant donn\u00e9 que c'est ici que se situe notre capitale.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7858590\" data-originallang=\"en\">Cela \u00e9tant dit, pourquoi, selon moi, les conservateurs s'y sont-ils oppos\u00e9s dans le pass\u00e9 et pourquoi s'y opposent-ils encore? Je ne pense pas qu'aucun d'entre eux, \u00e0 titre individuel, n'y soit oppos\u00e9. Ils ont collectivement d\u00e9cid\u00e9 que c'\u00e9tait le message le plus vendeur. Ils ont d\u00e9cid\u00e9 qu'ils pouvaient faire croire \u00e0 la population que les n\u00e9o-d\u00e9mocrates et les lib\u00e9raux ne veulent pas travailler, qu'ils veulent travailler seulement de la maison et rester assis en pyjama devant leur ordinateur pour participer aux travaux de la Chambre des communes. Au bout du compte, c'est le message qu'ils veulent faire avaler aux gens. Nous allons devoir attendre la diffusion des vid\u00e9os de financement pour le d\u00e9couvrir.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2023/6/13/mark-gerretsen-16/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/mark-gerretsen/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4311/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "12290401",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": "Ordres \u00e9manant du gouvernement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Government Business No. 26\u2014Amendments to the Standing Orders",
        "fr": "L'affaire \u00e9manant du gouvernement no 26 \u2014 Les modifications au R\u00e8glement"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2023/6/13/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2023%2F6%2F13%2F"
    }
}