QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act
November 30, 2023
Government Representative, yesterday in the House of Commons, members of Parliament rejected a motion calling on the Senate to quickly adopt Bill C-234. This vote was defeated with the support of the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois, as well as Green Party MPs. How does the government interpret this seeming change of heart on the part of MPs with respect to Bill C-234?
Time and time again, in regard to this chamber, the will of the duly elected members of the other place is simply for the Senate to approve Bill C-234 as is. The motion also provided our colleagues in the other place a fresh opportunity to pronounce on whether it agrees with Mr. Poilievre in demanding that the Senate pass Bill C-234 without amendments.
It’s now clear that the other chamber does not share that view. The vote was defeated on a vote of 178 to 135. Its failure, in my mind, means the Senate must do its job. In effect, the House of Commons is asking the Senate to undertake a fresh and contemporaneous examination of this bill free from political pressure. In this spirit, I know that the other place, and indeed the government, will consider amendments put forth by the Senate intended to make this bill better.
My understanding, colleagues, is that on Wednesday, a Conservative MP said that senators should “. . . learn their place in a democracy.” He continued by saying, “They should go back to doing what they’re good at, which is being invisible . . .”
Colleagues, climate change is the most pressing public policy issue of our time.
Whether or not one agrees with Bill C-234, neither I nor, I hope, any honourable senator in this chamber plans on being invisible.
That quote from our colleague in the other place is truly offensive. Even if the motion had passed, I hope all of us will take it for what it is worth, which is a form of intimidation.
But because your answer was interrupted so many times, I’m going to give you the opportunity to perhaps repeat what you said by asking the following: How should the apparent change of mind in the House of Commons affect the way we continue our debate on Bill C-234?
My answer is very simple.
This Senate has never been shy about amending bills, whether they be government bills or private members’ bills. We amended Bill C-48 even though it was passed unanimously by the other place. The government is respectful of our amendments.
Let’s just do our job, which is to approve legislation free of pressure, based upon facts, free of disinformation. That’s what we were summoned to do. That’s all we have to do. It’s as simple as that.
