NDP and PCs gang up to shut down debate

In a curious move on Tuesday April 3, while bill 15, The Film and Video Classification and Distribution Act was being debated, the NDP and PCs got together to vote to shut down debate on the bill. Cindy Lamoureux, MLA for Burrows was ready and eager to speak when Flor Marcellino, MLA for Logan got up to say

Ms. Marcelino: I move, seconded by the member from The Pas, that the debate on this bill now be adjourned.

Rather than allow others to speak, the motion came to a recorded vote, after the bells had rung for an hour. The vote was recorded in Hansard as follows:

Recorded Vote

Mr. Andrew Swan (Minto): Recorded vote, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A recorded vote having been called, call in the members.

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair

Mr. Deputy Speaker: The one hour provided for ringing the bells–division bells–has expired. I am therefore directing the division bells to be turned off and the House proceed with the vote.

The motion before us: Shall the debate for Bill 15 be adjourned?

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Yeas

Allum, Altemeyer, Bindle, Clarke, Cox, Cullen, Curry, Fielding, Fletcher, Fontaine, Graydon, Guillemard, Helwer, Isleifson, Johnson, Johnston, Kinew, Lagassé, Lagimodiere, Lathlin, Lindsey, Maloway, Marcelino (Logan), Mayer, Michaleski, Micklefield, Morley-Lecomte, Nesbitt, Pedersen, Reyes, Schuler, Smith (Southdale), Smook, Swan, Teitsma, Wharton, Wiebe, Wishart, Wowchuk, Yakimoski.

Nays

Gerrard, Klassen, Lamoureux.

Clerk (Ms. Patricia Chaychuk): Yeas 40, Nays 3.

Mr. Deputy Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

Only the three Manitoba Liberals voted against this attempt to shut down debate. It is too bad that both the NDP and the PCs are shutting down debate in this way. Manitobans deserve to know this, and to understand that the NDP and PCs can be, and sometimes are, very anti-democratic.

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