WATCH: Elizabeth May Speaks to Omnibus Budget Bill C-59

[Oscar]

WATCH: Elizabeth May Speaks to Omnibus Budget Bill C-59

[ http://elizabethmaymp.ca/elizabeth-may- ... bill-c-59/ ]

June 9, 2015

Yesterday, Elizabeth argued for key amendments to the omnibus budget bill to be allowed, despite a motion passed by every committee in Parliament in fall of 2013 that restricts her rights to present substantive amendments at report stage. The point of order follows her speech on the substantive issues with the omnibus budget bill C-59. The Speaker ruled against her point of order.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak at report stage. I understand I am speaking to my amendments that were the deletion amendments and that substantive amendments that I put forward still await a ruling. As I have the floor now, just in brief response to the point made by the government House leader that he was somewhat caught unaware by my point of order, I have checked with my staff on the number of times the government House leader has risen on points of order directed at restricting my rights as a member of Parliament. I have not received any advance notice from the government House leader. Not that I was in any way suggesting tit-for-tat, but I did not realize it was a convention in this place to give the government House leader more notice of my points of order than he has ever given me.

Turning to the substance of Bill C-59 ...

[Watch report stage speech]

Elizabeth May Defends Her Right to Present Substantive Amendments

Mr. Speaker, as you will know from a letter that was delivered to your office yesterday, I seek the opportunity to rise on a point of order to speak to the pending decision that you will be making on the appropriate nature of the amendments that I have tabled in relation to report stage for the omnibus budget bill, Bill C-59.

The order to which I refer is Standing Order 76.1(5), which of course empowers the Speaker to select or combine amendments as he or she thinks fit. In the Annotated Standing Orders, there is additional guidance that the “Speaker will normally select only motions that were not or could not be presented in committee”. It also states, “For greater certainty, the purpose of this Standing Order is, primarily, to provide Members who were not members of the committee with an opportunity to have the House consider specific amendments they wish to propose.”

I will not take much of your time or that of the assembled members in reviewing all the events that led to the concern that I am now expressing. However, I am sure members will recall ...

[Watch point of order]