37th Parliament, 1st Session
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 001
CONTENTS
Monday, January 29, 2001
| FIRST SESSION—37TH PARLIAMENT
|
1100
| Opening of Parliament
|
1110
1125
| > |
| ELECTION OF SPEAKER
|
| > |
1130
1135
1200
| The Presiding Officer |
| Suspension of Sitting
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1235
| Sitting Resumed
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1240
1300
| The Presiding Officer |
| Suspension of Sitting
|
1325
| Sitting Resumed
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1350
| The Presiding Officer |
| Suspension of Sitting
|
1410
| Sitting Resumed
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1415
1430
| The Presiding Officer |
| Suspension of Sitting
|
1455
| Sitting Resumed
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1520
| The Presiding Officer |
| Suspension of Sitting
|
1545
| Sitting Resumed
|
| The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia) |
1550
| The Speaker |
1555
| Right Hon. Jean Chrétien |
1600
| Mr. Stockwell Day |
| Mr. Gilles Duceppe |
| Ms. Alexa McDonough |
1605
| Right Hon. Joe Clark |
1610
| OPENING OF SESSION
|
| PRESENCE IN GALLERY
|
| The Speaker |
| The Speaker |
(Official Version)
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 001
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Monday, January 29, 2001
FIRST SESSION—37TH PARLIAMENT
1100
[English]
The 36th parliament having been dissolved by proclamation on
Sunday, October 22, 2000, and writs having been issued and
returned, a new parliament was summoned to meet for the dispatch
of business on Monday, January 29, 2001, and did accordingly meet
on that day.
Monday, January 29, 2001
This being the day on which parliament was convoked by
proclamation of Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada for
the dispatch of business, and the members of the House being
assembled:
William C. Corbett, Esquire, Clerk of the House of Commons, read
to the House a letter from the administrative secretary to the
Governor General informing her that the Right Honourable Beverley
McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, in her
capacity as Deputy Governor General, would proceed to the Senate
chamber to open the first session of the 37th Parliament of
Canada at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 29, 2001, at Ottawa.
1110
A message was delivered by the Usher of the Black Rod as
follows:
Members of the House of Commons:
It is the desire of the Honourable the Deputy to Her Excellency
the Governor General of Canada that this honourable House attend
her immediately in the chamber of the honourable the Senate.
Accordingly the House went up to the Senate chamber, where the
Speaker of the Senate said:
Honourable Members of the Senate, Members of the House of
Commons:
I have it in command to let you know that Her Excellency the
Governor General of Canada does not see fit to declare the causes
of her summoning the present Parliament of Canada until a Speaker
of the House of Commons shall have been chosen, according to law;
but tomorrow, Tuesday, January 30, 2001, at 2 p.m., Her
Excellency will declare the causes of her calling parliament.
1125
[Translation]
And the House being returned to the Commons chamber:
The Clerk of the House: Pursuant to Standing Order 3, I
invite Mr. Caccia, member for the electoral district of
Davenport, to take the chair and preside over the election of a
Speaker.
* * *
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): Dear colleagues, I
would like to begin by congratulating all of you on your success
in last November's election. As we know, getting used to the
House is no easy matter, particularly if one is newly elected.
1130
But as time goes along, the House starts to feel like home. To
all those in the class of 2000, I extend a hearty welcome.
[English]
Having allegedly been around here for the past hundred years, a
few observations might be in order.
We all know this is a place for debates, announcements,
questions, petitions, a place where the public interest is
pursued as seen from different perspectives and where we can also
rise above partisanship.
It has been said that parliamentarians have a noble task to
perform for they have the unique privilege of speaking for their
electors, of engaging in the exploration of the long term and in
anticipating the needs of generations to come.
As parliamentarians we have the confidence of those who elected
us and an obligation to those who did not cast their vote for us.
As parliamentarians we all have the special mandate to implement
the commitments made in the election campaign by our respective
parties. As parliamentarians we all have an obligation to make
this place productive, creative, relevant and meaningful.
Finally, the noble role assigned to the parliamentarian requires
also that we treat this Chamber with care, gently and softly,
respecting its rules and ensuring that the next generation of
parliamentarians inherits an institution worthy of respect.
Let me note, as I did in 1997 when I had the honour to perform
the same role, that the rules are silent on whether or not
candidates for the position of Speaker can speak in the House
before the vote is taken. Obviously, such a rule would give
interested Canadians an opportunity to hear and see the
candidates, perhaps for the first time, as most likely would be
the case for the 47 newly elected members.
Such a rule, if adopted during the life of this 37th parliament,
would become effective at the opening of the next Parliament of
Canada. In doing so, Canadians would finally see
institutionalized in this event a greater degree of transparency
and informed choice in keeping with the growing expectations the
public has from this venerable and vibrant institution.
We shall now proceed with the vote.
Pursuant to the standing orders the House will now proceed to
elect a Speaker. The list of members who have withdrawn or are
ineligible as candidates has been placed on each member's desk
and is available at the table.
1135
The list of members who are eligible as candidates has also been
placed on each member's desk. It is available at the table and
has been placed in each polling station.
After the Clerk has unsealed the ballots, I will suggest a
method of proceeding which will help to accelerate the voting
process.
It is quite clear that members know how to proceed. Hon.
members are now asked to proceed with the vote. Once they vote
they are to leave the area and take their seats.
The polling booths are now open.
(Members were issued ballots and marked their ballots in secret
at voting stations)
1200
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): If there are any hon.
members who have not voted and wish to do so, will they please
vote now.
All members having voted, the Clerk will now proceed with the
counting of the ballots after I have cast my own vote.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): Before I suspend
the sitting may I bring to the attention of hon. members that
when the counting of the ballots has been completed there will be
a very short bell calling the members back to the House. The
sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair.
(The sitting of the House was suspended at 12.03 p.m.)
1235
SITTING RESUMED
The House resumed at 12.39 p.m.
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): It is my duty to
inform the House that a second ballot will be necessary.
The names of those members eligible for the second ballot are as
follows:
Bakopanos, Eleni—McTeague, Dan
Kilger, Bob—Milliken, Peter
Lincoln, Clifford—White, Randy
If any hon. member whose name I just read wishes to withdraw as
a candidate for the second ballot, will that member please rise
in his or her place and state the reason.
1240
For the benefit of hon. members, the revised alphabetical list of
candidates for the second ballot will be placed in each polling
station within the next five minutes at which time the voting
will commence.
The polling booths are now open. The ballots will be green in
colour.
(Members were issued ballots and marked their ballots in secret
at voting stations)
1300
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): If there are any hon.
members who have not voted and wish to do so, will they please
vote now.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
(The sitting of the House was suspended at 1.04 p.m.)
1325
SITTING RESUMED
The House resumed at 1.28 p.m.
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): Order, please. It
is my duty to inform the House that a third ballot will be
necessary.
The names of the members eligible for the third ballot are as
follows:
Kilger, Bob—Milliken, Peter
Lincoln, Clifford—White, Randy
McTeague, Peter
If any hon. member whose name I have just read wishes to
withdraw as a candidate on the third ballot, will he please rise
in his place and do so.
(Members were issued ballots and marked their ballots in secret
at voting stations)
1350
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): If there are any hon.
members who have not voted yet, will they please vote now.
All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed
with the counting of the ballots after I have cast my ballot.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
(The sitting of the House was suspended at 1.52 p.m.)
1410
SITTING RESUMED
The House resumed at 2.11 p.m.
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): It is my duty to
inform the House that a fourth ballot will be necessary.
The following members are eligible for the fourth ballot:
Kilger, Bob—Milliken, Peter
Lincoln, Clifford—White, Randy
If any hon. member whose name the Chair has just announced to
the House wishes to withdraw as a candidate on the fourth
ballot, will he please rise in his place and do so.
While the Clerk is unsealing the ballots, the Chair would like
to indicate that the fourth ballot will be of a different colour and
that the list of the names of candidates on this ballot will be
placed in each polling station shortly.
1415
The polling booths are now open.
(Members were issued ballots and marked their ballots in secret
at voting stations)
1430
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): If there are any hon.
members who have not voted and wish to do so, will they please
vote now.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
(The sitting of the House was suspended at 2.31 p.m.)
1455
SITTING RESUMED
The House resumed at 2.58 p.m.
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): It is my duty to
inform the House that a fifth ballot will be necessary.
The names of members eligible for the fifth ballot are as
follows:
Kilger, Bob
Milliken, Peter
White, Randy
If any hon. member whose name the Chair has just announced
wishes to withdraw as a candidate on the fifth ballot, will he
please rise in his place and do so.
A revised alphabetical list of candidates for the fifth ballot
will be placed in each polling station shortly.
(Members were issued ballots and marked their ballots in secret
at voting stations)
1520
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): If there are any hon.
members who have not voted, would they please come forward.
All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed
with the counting of the ballots after I have cast my ballot.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
(The sitting of the House was suspended at 3.21 p.m.)
1545
SITTING RESUMED
The House resumed at 3.48 p.m.
(The Clerk of the House having provided the Presiding Officer
with the name of the member having received a majority of the
votes cast:)
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Caccia): It is my duty to
inform the House that Peter Milliken, member for the electoral
district of Kingston and the Islands, has been duly elected
Speaker of this House.
It is with great pleasure that I do now invite the hon. member
to take the chair.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear.
(The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, and the mace
having been laid under the table, conducted Mr. Milliken from his
seat in the House to the chair)
1550
[English]
The Speaker: Hon. members, I beg to return my humble
acknowledgements to the House for the great honour you have been
pleased to confer upon me in choosing me to be your Speaker.
With those historic words, which are very historic because they
have been used so often, I want to say how much I appreciate the
kind support of all hon. members throughout the period from
election day on November 27 to today.
[Translation]
Over the past two months, I have had the opportunity to speak to
a number of members by phone or in person. It was a great
experience to discuss the business of this House with you. It
was a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to speak with my
colleagues in the House before, during and after the election.
[English]
I have appreciated very much your kind words and your support
today in the election. I am very grateful that you have chosen
me to be the Speaker of the House.
I also want to express my thanks to the electors of Kingston and
the Islands who have on four occasions chosen me to be their
representative in the House.
It is a great honour to be a member of parliament. Those of you
who are new in the House have now realized, I am sure, what a
great experience it is. I well remember my first day in the
House in 1988 when Mr. Speaker Fraser was elected to be the
Speaker of the House, on one ballot, frankly.
I realized then, sitting in my seat, that the House was complete
because we had chosen a Speaker and we were then a House complete
and ready to act as the House of Commons, which of course the law
requires the House to do. We have now done it.
[Translation]
Thank you for your support.
I also wish to express my gratitude to the constituents of
Kingston and the Islands for all they have done for me over the
years I have represented them here in the House.
[English]
As many of you will discover, your constituents will be very
kind to you. You will have wonderful interaction with them. You
will get a lot of encouragement in all that you do in the House,
of course assuming it is reasonable. You will also enjoy
interaction on a regular basis by phone and by correspondence. In
particular, I hope new members will find the experience rich and
rewarding. I certainly have in my 12 years and I continue to
find it so.
I would like to pass on my gratitude to my family, who have
worked for me in election campaigns in Kingston for the last 12
years. A number of them are here today.
Perhaps you would permit me to indicate those who are here. My
mother, Peg Milliken, is sitting in the gallery. With her are my
sister Amanda and her husband Marc; my brother Bill and his wife
Pat; my sister Catherine and her son Ben McIlquham; and my dad,
John Milliken.
1555
Some hon. members: Hear, hear.
The Speaker: Throughout all the elections in which I have
been involved, they have been of great help to me. I know that
my colleagues have had the same experience in their
constituencies, and I wanted to share that with the House today.
Finally I want to say one other important thing.
[Translation]
The Speaker cannot do his job unless he has the ongoing support
of the honourable members, not just some of them but all members
of the House. I am well aware that, from time to time, the
Speaker will make a decision that will not be totally acceptable
to one group or another in the House. That is the nature of the
House.
[English]
For the most part, even if the decision is one that some hon.
members do not like on a particular day, I hope that you will
continue to support the Speaker, because without your active
support and co-operation it would be impossible for any Speaker
to do his or her job in the House.
I look forward to having a wonderful experience working with you
in trying to make the House as great an institution as I believe
the House of Commons is and always can be. We will work together
to make this 37th parliament a great parliament. I look forward
to the opportunity of working with each one of you to make that
happen.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear.
[Translation]
And the mace having been laid upon the table:
Right Hon. Jean Chrétien (Prime Minister, Lib.): It is a very
great pleasure for me to call you Mr. Speaker for the first
time, dear member for Kingston and the Islands.
[English]
It is for all of us a great occasion on which to congratulate
you. You have had a lot of experience and have served the House
of Commons for a long time. I am told that when you were at the
advanced age of eight you said that you wanted to be the Speaker
of the House of Commons. You have been a very persistent person
and I congratulate you for that.
I know we will all be well served. You have devoted many years
to learning the rules and the friendships you have with everybody
will help you. You will be a very distinguished Speaker.
[Translation]
And so, I wish you the best of luck. I am sure that all members
are pleased to have made a choice this afternoon. We know we
will be well served indeed with you in the Chair in years to
come.
[English]
I take this occasion to congratulate everybody who offered to
serve as Speaker. They are all very good people and they would
have served us very well.
However, as we know, in an
election only one can finish at the top and it is your fate
today. We know that the others would have been very good and we
have to be grateful to them. They all came to our caucus
yesterday and made very good presentations. It was a delight to
listen to their views. I was thinking about the difficulty that
many of us would have today in the election, but now we have to
turn the page.
I want to thank them all for offering their services.
1600
[Translation]
This is what the House of Commons and democracy are all about.
We put ideas forward, we do not always get our way, but we know
that if we act in good faith and our ideas make sense, they will
eventually be incorporated in House of Commons procedures and be
part of the lives of all members.
I offer you, Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons, my expressions
of respect and my wishes for success.
Mr. Stockwell Day (Leader of the Opposition, Canadian Alliance):
Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you first. I am told you
are thoughtful and studious, a man with a passion for the rules
and procedures of parliament. That is interesting.
Rest assured that the official opposition will support you, not
necessarily in examining all the rules and procedures, but
certainly in maintaining decorum and respect in this House.
[English]
It was interesting to note today, as you were dragged most
unwillingly to the chair, how it was reflecting a centuries old
reality that at many times it was a high risk position. In fact,
one could literally risk one's head depending on the decisions
that were made.
Today, by a happy coincidence, you are comforted by the presence
of Speakers from across the country who are in the galleries and
whom I am sure you will be introducing. I have met with each one
of them and I can assure you that their hearts and heads appear
to be in the right place. I think that will also be your future.
As the Prime Minister indicated, the interesting work that took
place in the caucuses was, I believe, somewhat historic. If you
reflect back, as I am sure you could, it was Louis-Joseph
Papineau who was elected as Speaker of the Assembly of Lower
Canada in 1827. When he presented himself for the formal
ratification to the governor, the governor actually refused his
ratification thinking that he would send him back to the assembly
and the members would then show deference to the governor and
change their view.
In fact, it was a serious moment in history because the members
said no. They said that it was up to the members to decide these
things. Almost a year went by in which the activities of the
assembly did not take place. It was only then that the governor
said yes, and that the vote and the will of the members took
place.
I encourage all members, after the demonstration we have seen
today of working together and voting freely, to show a similar
resolve in some of the parliamentary obstacles that still lie
ahead of us and to work together for the good of all Canadians on
whose behalf we were sent here.
Congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker.
[Translation]
Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier—Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I
would first like to offer my congratulations to you. I know you
have long dreamt of this. It proves that tenacity has its
rewards. We will take note.
I would like as well to congratulate those who put their name
forward for this position today. I think it is one of the
important jobs of the House, permitting debate even when we do
not share—especially when we do not share—the same ideas.
As the English say: “To agree on how to disagree”.
I have no doubt that you will direct our proceedings with an eye
on both sides of the House. I am announcing my intention to ask
the National Film Board to begin preparations now for the sequel
to The Custodian of the Hill.
Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I too would
like to congratulate you on your election as Speaker for this
House, which will really be beginning tomorrow.
[English]
On behalf of my party, I want to extend our hearty
congratulations and express a vote of thanks to all members who
put themselves forward in order to serve all members of the House
in the role of Speaker.
1605
[Translation]
It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Speaker elected.
[English]
When parliament implemented the recommendation of the McGrath
committee to establish the election of the Speaker by secret
ballot, it was an important step forward. It was an important
symbol in establishing the non-partisan nature of the Speaker.
It was also intended to be a step in the direction of important
parliamentary reform.
Mr. Speaker, all members share with you an interest in and
responsibility for moving forward with other parliamentary
reforms. Providing the necessary leadership in this regard
should not be your responsibility alone, but I do hope and
genuinely believe that you will show such leadership.
You have been a serious student of parliamentary procedure. In
your role as Deputy Speaker you have always presided over this
Chamber fairly, firmly, and with a twinkle in your eye. I think
that is important. Unfortunately we are not quite as able to see
the twinkle in the Speaker's eye today from this vantage point.
In addition to being very serious about the importance of the
role and its non-partisan nature, the Speaker elected today
genuinely loves this parliament, loves the role that has been
bestowed upon him, and will discharge his obligations with a real
sense of joy and fun that will benefit all of us.
I want to just say one word to the Speaker's family members who
are here. Many think that graduating from Queen's University is
the highest honour a family member could achieve. In addition to
having honoured your family by graduating from Queen's
University, and having been four times elected to represent the
people of Kingston and the Islands, you have today enjoyed the
ultimate confidence of your peers in being elected to serve us,
and thereby serve the people of Canada, in the role of Speaker of
the 37th parliament.
On behalf of my colleagues I want to wish you bonne chance,
félicitations et bonne santé. Let the work begin.
[Translation]
Right Hon. Joe Clark (Calgary-Centre, PC): Mr. Speaker, may I
extend my congratulations to you. There is nothing
extraordinary about the member for Kingston and the Islands
playing such an important role in the life of parliament, nor is
it the first time such a thing has happened. Sir John A.
Macdonald, as well as Flora MacDonald, have represented this
riding. It is a riding that has a strong tradition of service
to the country and, today, you are part of that tradition.
[English]
I also congratulate the other candidates who put their names
forward. I encouraged the members of my caucus not to put their
names forward for this, and you are just fortunate, Mr. Speaker,
that the hon. member for Saint John followed my advice on this
occasion.
Mr. Speaker, we all recognize your long interest in this institution.
As the Prime Minister said, you were a student of this
institution before you were a member here. You understand the
reason there is a parliament. You understand the
responsibilities of this institution. You understand the
importance of treating each member here as an individual with
equal rights and equal responsibilities.
We as your constituents will be holding you to account for that
view as we go forward.
1610
We also all know that we are meeting at a time and electing a
Speaker at a time when there is a declining respect for
parliament and the profession of politics as a whole. It is a
responsibility upon all of us in the next four years to ensure
that we change that pattern and re-establish a respect for this
institution.
That has to do with more than just comportment on the floor of
the House. It has to do with more than what might be called
respect. It also has to do with ensuring that this place becomes
a House that has the power to determine the destiny of the
country.
The House of Commons was established to have members of
parliament with power, to have influence over affairs and a
parliament with power to control the spending of government. We
are all equal here.
There is a great difference between a government and a
parliament. In a government there is a primus inter pares. The
Prime Minister is a leader among others but not here. In the
House of Commons we are all equal as members of parliament. With
the greatest of respect to you, we expect to be treated that way
in the days to come.
The House of Commons itself will consider changes in the rules
and the regulations that need to be introduced. We are counting
upon you to ensure that the rules now in place are interpreted in
a sense of fairness and equality and make the House earn the
respect of the people of the country. We all want to serve our
country. We know you do too.
We congratulate you on your election today. On behalf of my
party we look forward to working very constructively with you in
the interests of parliament and of Canada.
The Speaker: I thank all hon. members for their very kind
comments.
[Translation]
In my maiden speech, I forgot to thank all the other candidates
from both sides of the House. It was a pleasure to work
with them during the election period.
[English]
I must say that I think all of us enjoyed very cordial and
pleasant relations during the campaign, if we can call it such,
and particularly at the all candidates meetings yesterday and
this morning when we made our presentations.
I thank all of them for being so graceful and pleasant
colleagues in the election.
* * *
OPENING OF SESSION
The Speaker read to the House a letter from the Deputy Secretary
to the Governor General informing him that Her Excellency, the
Right Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, the Governor General of Canada and
His Excellency John Ralston Saul, would arrive at the Peace Tower
at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30, 2001, and when it has been
indicated that all is in readiness, their Excellencies would
proceed to the chamber of the Senate to formally open the first
session of the 37th Parliament of Canada.
* * *
PRESENCE IN GALLERY
The Speaker: I also wish to inform the House of the
presence in the gallery of speakers of Canada's provincial
legislatures: the honourable Bev Harrision, the honourable Kevin
O'Brien, the honourable Lloyd Snow, the honourable Ron Osika, the
honourable Tony Whitford, the honourable Murray Scott, and the
honourable Mildred Dover.
If they would all rise, we would be delighted to welcome them to
the House of Commons today.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear.
[Translation]
The Speaker: The House stands adjourned until tomorrow at
2 p.m. at which time the House will proceed to the Senate, where
Her Excellency will open the first session of the 37th
parliament.
(The House adjourned at 4.15 p.m.)