Discussion · Government Orders
Jacob Mantle Conservative
“The digital trade rules should not be in this bill. This bill is about building big projects and pipelines, not moving goods across borders. Digital trade is a good idea, but it should be its own bill. We should study it in committee to make it better before we pass it.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is a very perceptive question. There is no reason I can see that this should have been in Bill C-39. This has been talked about since 2021. In fact, the Liberals agreed to do this back in 2021. My math is not too good, but we are five years later, and they are ramming it through in an omnibus bill. Why? There is no reason. It does not have anything to do with building major projects or pipelines. It has to do with moving goods across borders. Maybe the government can explain why it chose to ram that through in here. It is actually not a bad idea. It could be made better. It should be a stand-alone piece that is presented to the House. It should go through the normal process, including to the trade committee and perhaps other committees, to be studied, made better and then passed. Why did the Liberals not do that? Only the government can answer.”
Mr. Speaker, that is a very perceptive question. There is no reason I can see that this should have been in Bill C-39. This has been talked about since 2021. In fact, the Liberals agreed to do this back in 2021. My math is not too good, but we are five years later, and they are ramming it through in an omnibus bill. Why? There is no reason. It does not have anything to do with building major projects or pipelines. It has to do with moving goods across borders. Maybe the government can explain why it chose to ram that through in here. It is actually not a bad idea. It could be made better. It should be a stand-alone piece that is presented to the House. It should go through the normal process, including to the trade committee and perhaps other committees, to be studied, made better and then passed. Why did the Liberals not do that? Only the government can answer.