Business of the Senate
June 18, 2020
Your Honour, I wonder if you would indulge me to make a suggestion and to seek the view of the chamber. It has to do with the next item that is coming up and, of course, the point of order raised by Senator Dalphond a few minutes ago concerning the Committee of the Whole on estimates.
I fully appreciate that the Acting Speaker pro tempore had to take this under advisement. However, we are all aware that this is a matter of urgency, because the plan is to have Committee of the Whole with the President of the Treasury Board, as well as other ministers relevant to the issue of systemic racism, to take place on Monday, and we are not planning to sit on Friday.
I just want to make a suggestion — and, of course, it would require the other leaders and senators to consider — that if it were your interest and desire to suspend for a while to consider the point of order so that you could make a decision today, it would help us move things along. I think it’s in all of our interests to have a Committee of the Whole to review the estimates in their totality, in the way that the original motion that Senator Gagné had proposed and in the way Senator Omidvar has amended.
If I could add this, because the next motion touches on the same issue, Senator Omidvar has said to me that if, in fact, we go through this next motion from Senator Mégie, all senators have spoken and we get to a vote which, in fact, accepts the motion and agrees to a Committee of the Whole, as proposed by Senator Mégie, then Senator Omidvar would gladly withdraw the amendment she previously put forward.
Do any honourable senators wish to speak to Senator Woo’s observation?
I will say this: I don’t think we should be subject to Senator Woo negotiating which motions they will withdraw and which motions they will leave; and that if Senator Omidvar gets her way, she is going to withdraw her amendment. That is what Senator Woo said at the end. If Senator Omidvar gets her way and has a Committee of the Whole on racism, then she is prepared to withdraw her motion. She is clearly obstructing government business by what she has done.
As far as I’m concerned, if this would require leave, Your Honour, we are not prepared to give leave. We are prepared to move along with the Order Paper.
The matter has been taken under advisement. To move further, I would, of course, call on the unanimous consent of the house, which is not possible.
As well, I should point out that, yesterday, Senator Tannas spoke to Senator Mégie about a motion to move the Committee of the Whole to next week. It’s my understanding that, before he left for the day, he was going to move that amendment. When we move to No. 56, I will call upon Senator Black (Ontario), who is replacing Senator Tannas.
