Liberals accuse Conservatives of using AI to amend jobs bill

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OTTAWA — Members of Parliament are expected to vote for up to 15 consecutive hours Thursday and Friday on more than 200 Conservative amendments to the government's permanent jobs bill.

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The amendments are all that remain of the nearly 20,000 changes the Conservatives proposed to Bill C-50 in a House of Commons committee last fall.

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Liberals now argue that the Conservatives have introduced countless amendments through artificial intelligence to complement the government's agenda.

The Tories deny the charge.

Canada's Sustainable Jobs Act, as it's known, outlines how the government must help prepare energy workers for the new skills and job requirements that come with the global economic transition to clean technology.

Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the bill would ensure government accountability and engagement with the people most affected by the world's transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

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It calls for five-year action plans, regular reporting and the inclusion of labor and Indigenous leaders in discussions.

The Liberals argue that their bill is not designed to kill energy jobs, but rather to create more renewable energy jobs.

Conservative critic Shannon Stubbs calls it the Liberals' plan for what they see as “a sweeping and radical economic restructuring.”

He believes that this will put thousands of energy workers out of work by using renewable energy sources instead of oil and gas.

The bill passed second reading in October, with conservatives voting against it.

When it moved to the Natural Resources Committee in November for a reading, the debate descended into chaotic chaos and a protracted filibuster, with lawmakers at one point yelling at each other to shut up.

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During the final meeting in early December, the noise was so loud that two MPs voted against the motion because they could not hear what was being proposed.

During this committee, the Conservatives proposed 19,600 amendments to the 18-page bill. That number dropped to 200 after the bill left committee and returned to the House of Commons.

Government House Leader Stephen MacKinnon said on Thursday the amendments were “robotic amendments made by AI”.

Days after the Conservatives forced a 30-hour live vote on the government's spending plans, the Liberals have not moved to debate it again since December, after removing it from the order paper to avoid another marathon vote.

MacKinnon said the Conservatives were taking a “timeout” but it was time to move the bill forward.

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“Mr. Polievre must now have its members come here and vote on the hundreds of amendments that the robot amendment process has been recognized by artificial intelligence, robot group members and robot parliamentarians,” he said. said.

“This is not the way to make progress for Canadians, it is not the way to make progress on climate change, and it is not the way to provide economic opportunity for Canadian workers.”

MacKinnon said the amendments did not make “a single constructive proposal” to the bill.

In a committee debate on an unrelated topic in late March, Stubbs denied that amendments to Bill C-50 were computer generated.

“For the record, they weren't created by AI,” Stubbs said.

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He said Thursday the Liberals moved to add the bill to the agenda at the last minute.

“Because 'just transition' is about the sectors and businesses that form the foundation of the entire Canadian economy: energy, agriculture, construction, transportation and manufacturing,” he said.

Wilkinson called Stubbs' allegations “so ludicrous as to defy belief”.

The vote won't take as long after Speaker Greg Fergus moved Thursday to split the amendments into groups that would all be voted on at the same time.

He cited previous decisions to support his decision, including decisions made by Conservative MP Andrew Scheer when he was Speaker in 2012. Scheer is currently the leader of the House of Conservatives.

Instead of 207 individual votes, no more than 64 are expected. However, at around 15 minutes each, it can take over 15 hours to get through them all.

The first vote was called before 18:00 on Thursday.

During the 30-hour marathon in December, voting was continuous, including without a break at night. But a proposal passed by the Liberals in February means it won't be possible this time.

At midnight, the minister may seek to suspend the vote until 9am the next day to protect the health and safety of not only MPs, but the Hill and House of Commons staff.

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