Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2024-05-30 10:15:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "The Speaker",
        "fr": "Le Pr\u00e9sident"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"8432459\" data-originallang=\"en\">I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised on May 1 by the member for <a data-HoCid=\"278459\" href=\"/politicians/rachael-harder/\" title=\"Rachael Thomas\">Lethbridge</a>, regarding the content of the Debates of April 30. In so doing, I would also like to comment on several points of order raised subsequently regarding the fallout of that day\u2019s events.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432460\" data-originallang=\"en\">In raising her question of privilege, the member stated that the Debates of April 30 did not accurately reflect the previous day\u2019s proceedings in the House. She alleged that the words \u201cI withdraw\u201d had been removed from the blues in the portion where the Chair had named her. The member stated that those words appeared under her name in the initial version of the blues and were attributed to her and that they could be heard in the audio recording.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432461\" data-originallang=\"en\">She added that, in this specific context, those words were not insignificant, as they showed that she had unconditionally complied with the Speaker\u2019s request and that her withdrawal from the House was therefore unjustified. The member argued that since she was unable to participate in the debates and the votes of that day, her privileges had been breached. She also noted that this misrepresentation of her actions could amount to an improper reflection upon a member. The member was supported by some of her colleagues, who said that they had heard her say those words.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432462\" data-originallang=\"en\">Let us first review the events of April 30. The beginning of question period that day was particularly difficult. There was clearly a lot of strong language and strong reactions that required the Chair to intervene. I issued warnings, but also the possibility to rephrase their comments, to both the <a data-HoCid=\"291215\" href=\"/politicians/pierre-poilievre/\" title=\"Pierre Poilievre\">Leader of the Opposition</a> and the <a data-HoCid=\"214296\" href=\"/politicians/justin-trudeau/\" title=\"Justin Trudeau\">Prime Minister</a>, for particular words they used, those terms being \u201cracist\u201d and \u201cspineless\u201d respectively.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432463\" data-originallang=\"en\">I subsequently asked for the word \u201cwacko\u201d to be withdrawn when it was used as a personal insult. I am certain all members can agree that such terms are not helpful and do not contribute to the kind of civility necessary for our proceedings. In the course of these events, the Chair was subjected to invective from the member for <a data-HoCid=\"278459\" href=\"/politicians/rachael-harder/\" title=\"Rachael Thomas\">Lethbridge</a>. The Chair told the member that challenging decisions of the Chair is contrary to the Standing Orders and subsequently asked her to withdraw her words. The member replied by saying that the Chair was \u201cacting in a disgraceful manner\u201d. At that point, since she did not appear to be complying with my request to withdraw her words, I rose, and her microphone was deactivated. Even though the member was only a few metres from the Chair, I did not hear what she said after her microphone was turned off, as there was too much noise in the House. The member was named pursuant to Standing Order 11. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432464\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> The Hansard blues are the unrevised transcript of the debates of the House of Commons. The Debates, on the other hand, are the record of the proceedings, with the necessary editing and grammatical corrections. As <em>House of Commons Procedure and Practice</em>, third edition, states on page 1227, and I quote: \u201cThe Debates are published under the authority of the Speaker of the House. They are compiled using the audio recording of the proceedings as well as information provided by Parliamentary Publications staff stationed on the floor of the House.\u201d</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432465\" data-originallang=\"fr\">As Speaker Milliken explained on March 20, 2001, on page 1917 of the Debates, and I quote: \u201cThe editors of Hansard always try to be fair and just in reporting and printing what we have said in the House. It is often difficult to determine exactly what was said.\u201d </p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"8432459\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je suis maintenant pr\u00eat \u00e0 me prononcer sur la question de privil\u00e8ge soulev\u00e9e le 1<sup>er</sup> mai 2024 par la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de <a data-HoCid=\"278459\" href=\"/politicians/rachael-harder/\" title=\"Rachael Thomas\">Lethbridge</a> concernant le contenu des D\u00e9bats du 30 avril 2024. Ce faisant, je voudrais \u00e9galement commenter plusieurs rappels au R\u00e8glement soulev\u00e9s ult\u00e9rieurement concernant les retomb\u00e9es des \u00e9v\u00e9nements de cette journ\u00e9e.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432460\" data-originallang=\"en\">Lors de son intervention, la d\u00e9put\u00e9e a indiqu\u00e9 que les D\u00e9bats du 30 avril 2024 ne refl\u00e9taient pas avec exactitude les d\u00e9lib\u00e9rations survenues la veille en Chambre. Elle a all\u00e9gu\u00e9 que les mots \u00ab je retire mes paroles \u00bb avaient \u00e9t\u00e9 retir\u00e9s des bleus, dans la partie o\u00f9 la pr\u00e9sidence la d\u00e9signe par son nom. La d\u00e9put\u00e9e a affirm\u00e9 que ces mots apparaissaient dans la premi\u00e8re version des bleus et lui \u00e9taient attribu\u00e9s, et qu'on pouvait les entendre dans l'enregistrement audio.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432461\" data-originallang=\"en\">Elle a ajout\u00e9 que ces m\u00eames mots, dans ce contexte pr\u00e9cis, n'\u00e9taient pas anodins, puisqu'ils signifiaient qu'elle se conformait aux directives de la pr\u00e9sidence, sans r\u00e9serve, et que, par cons\u00e9quent, son retrait de la s\u00e9ance n'\u00e9tait pas justifi\u00e9. Selon la d\u00e9put\u00e9e, comme elle n'avait pu participer cette journ\u00e9e-l\u00e0 aux d\u00e9bats et aux votes, ses privil\u00e8ges auraient \u00e9t\u00e9 enfreints. Elle a aussi mentionn\u00e9 que la fausse repr\u00e9sentation de ses actions pouvait \u00eatre assimil\u00e9e \u00e0 une atteinte \u00e0 la dignit\u00e9 d'un d\u00e9put\u00e9. Elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 appuy\u00e9e par certains de ses coll\u00e8gues qui ont affirm\u00e9 avoir entendu la d\u00e9put\u00e9e prononcer ces paroles.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432462\" data-originallang=\"en\">Revenons maintenant plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment sur les \u00e9v\u00e9nements du 30 avril dernier. Le commencement de la p\u00e9riode des questions orales ce jour-l\u00e0 a \u00e9t\u00e9 particuli\u00e8rement difficile; il y a eu manifestement beaucoup de mots forts et de r\u00e9actions fortes qui ont n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 l'intervention de la pr\u00e9sidence. J'ai donn\u00e9 des avertissements, mais aussi la possibilit\u00e9 de reformuler leurs commentaires, \u00e0 la fois au <a data-HoCid=\"291215\" href=\"/politicians/pierre-poilievre/\" title=\"Pierre Poilievre\">chef de l'opposition</a> et au <a data-HoCid=\"214296\" href=\"/politicians/justin-trudeau/\" title=\"Justin Trudeau\">premier ministre</a>, pour des mots particuliers qu'ils ont utilis\u00e9s, ces termes \u00e9tant respectivement \u00ab raciste \u00bb et \u00ab mou \u00bb. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432463\" data-originallang=\"en\">J'ai ensuite demand\u00e9 que le mot \u00ab cingl\u00e9 \u00bb soit retir\u00e9 lorsqu'il a \u00e9t\u00e9 utilis\u00e9 comme une insulte personnelle. Je suis certain que tous les d\u00e9put\u00e9s conviendront que de tels termes ne sont pas utiles et ne contribuent pas au type de civilit\u00e9 n\u00e9cessaire \u00e0 nos d\u00e9lib\u00e9rations. Dans le cours de ces \u00e9v\u00e9nements, la pr\u00e9sidence a \u00e9t\u00e9 l'objet d'invectives de la part de la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de <a data-HoCid=\"278459\" href=\"/politicians/rachael-harder/\" title=\"Rachael Thomas\">Lethbridge</a>. La pr\u00e9sidence a indiqu\u00e9 \u00e0 la d\u00e9put\u00e9e que la contestation de ses d\u00e9cisions \u00e9tait contraire au R\u00e8glement et lui a ensuite enjoint de retirer ses propos. La d\u00e9put\u00e9e a r\u00e9pondu que la pr\u00e9sidence agissait de mani\u00e8re disgracieuse. \u00c0 ce moment-l\u00e0, comme elle ne semblait pas se conformer \u00e0 ma demande de retirer ses propos, je me suis lev\u00e9 et son micro a \u00e9t\u00e9 coup\u00e9. M\u00eame si la d\u00e9put\u00e9e \u00e9tait \u00e0 quelques m\u00e8tres du fauteuil, je n'ai pas entendu ses propos apr\u00e8s que son micro a \u00e9t\u00e9 coup\u00e9, car il y avait trop de bruit en Chambre. Elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9sign\u00e9e par son nom en vertu de l'article 11 du R\u00e8glement.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432464\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Les bleus du hansard constituent la transcription non r\u00e9vis\u00e9e des d\u00e9bats de la Chambre des communes. Quant \u00e0 eux, les D\u00e9bats repr\u00e9sentent le compte rendu des d\u00e9lib\u00e9rations avec les changements grammaticaux et r\u00e9dactionnels n\u00e9cessaires. Comme l'indique <em>La proc\u00e9dure et les usages de la Chambre des communes</em>, troisi\u00e8me \u00e9dition, \u00e0 la page 1227, \u00ab [p]ubli\u00e9s avec l'autorisation du Pr\u00e9sident de la Chambre, les D\u00e9bats sont pr\u00e9par\u00e9s \u00e0 partir de l'enregistrement sonore des d\u00e9lib\u00e9rations ainsi que des renseignements fournis par le personnel des Publications parlementaires en poste sur le parquet de la Chambre. \u00bb </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8432465\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Tel que l'a expliqu\u00e9 le Pr\u00e9sident Milliken le 20 mars 2001, \u00e0 la page 1917 des D\u00e9bats, \u00ab [c]oncernant le hansard, les r\u00e9dacteurs essayent toujours de faire la chose juste et \u00e9quitable en rapportant et en imprimant ce que nous avons dit \u00e0 la Chambre. C'est souvent difficile de discerner ce que nous avons dit. \u00bb</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2024/5/30/the-speaker-3/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/greg-fergus/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4424/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "12774757",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Routine Proceedings",
        "fr": "Affaires courantes"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Privilege",
        "fr": "Privil\u00e8ge"
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Alleged Unjustified Naming of a Member\u2014Speaker's Ruling",
        "fr": "L'all\u00e9gation de d\u00e9signation indue d'une d\u00e9put\u00e9e \u2014 D\u00e9cision de la pr\u00e9sidence"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2024/5/30/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2024%2F5%2F30%2F"
    }
}