My question is for the chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources. Senator Galvez, I was surprised and disappointed that the Whip of the Opposition has denied leave for this committee to meet on Monday with extended hours in order to deal with clause by clause on a bill that all of this country is looking at very closely and looking to us to move important amendments to improve the bill.

Can you tell us the basis for the motion that you moved and whether it had support from the committee at the meeting held last night?

Your Honour, if I could.

Senator Galvez, as you clearly know, if you and Senator Woo were paying attention, the Opposition Whip did not deny you leave to sit; he denied leave for this to be considered this day. A notice of motion is that you can make this motion tomorrow, and there is nothing that the Whip of the Opposition party can do in that regard.

Is that not correct?

That is not what I said. I’m the one asking the question —

Senator Plett, please.

Honourable senators, this is Question Period. There are questions for the Representative of the Government in the Senate or for chairs of committees. We’re not into a debate about what happened earlier today.

Just for clarity, if leave is not granted to hear a motion now, any senator can give notice of that exact same motion to be heard the next day. Since neither senator who was denied leave asked for that today, there still is an option to ask for the consent of the house to revert to Notices of Motions and ask to do it later on today —

That will also require leave.

— or tomorrow. That can be done, as well.

There are lots of options open to senators if leave was not granted, but leave was just not granted that it be heard later today.

We now carry on with Question Period.