Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act

An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures

This bill was last introduced in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session, which ended in September 2013.

Sponsor

Jim Flaherty  Conservative

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

Part 1 of this enactment implements certain income tax measures and related measures proposed in the March 29, 2012 budget. Most notably, it
(a) expands the list of eligible expenses under the Medical Expense Tax Credit to include blood coagulation monitors and their disposable peripherals;
(b) introduces a temporary measure to allow certain family members to open a Registered Disability Savings Plan for an adult individual who might not be able to enter into a contract;
(c) extends, for one year, the temporary Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for flow-through share investors;
(d) allows corporations to make split and late eligible dividend designations;
(e) makes the salary of the Governor General taxable and adjusts that salary;
(f) allows a designated partner of a partnership to provide a waiver on behalf of all partners to extend the time limit for issuing a determination in respect of the partnership;
(g) amends the penalty applicable to promoters of charitable donation tax shelters who file false registration information or who fail to register a tax shelter prior to selling interests in the tax shelter;
(h) introduces a new penalty applicable to tax shelter promoters who fail to respond to a demand to file an information return or who file an information return that contains false or misleading sales information;
(i) limits the period for which a tax shelter identification number is valid to one calendar year;
(j) modifies the rules for registering certain foreign charitable organizations as qualified donees;
(k) amends the rules for determining the extent to which a charity has engaged in political activities; and
(l) provides the Minister of National Revenue with the authority to suspend the privileges, with respect to issuing tax receipts, of a registered charity or a registered Canadian amateur athletic association if the charity or association fails to report information that is required to be filed annually in an information return or devotes resources to political activities in excess of the limits set out in the Income Tax Act.
Part 1 also implements other selected income tax measures and related measures. Most notably, it
(a) amends the Income Tax Act consequential on the implementation of the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, including the extension of the tax deferral allowed to farmers in a designated area who produce listed grains and receive deferred cash purchase tickets to all Canadian farmers who produce listed grains and receive deferred cash purchase tickets;
(b) provides authority for the Canada Revenue Agency to issue via online notice or regular mail demands to file a return; and
(c) introduces a requirement for commercial tax preparers to file income tax returns electronically.
Part 2 amends the Excise Tax Act to implement certain excise tax and goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) measures proposed in the March 29, 2012 Budget. It expands the list of GST/HST zero-rated medical and assistive devices as well as the list of GST/HST zero-rated non-prescription drugs that are used to treat life-threatening diseases. It also exempts certain pharmacists’ professional services from the GST/HST, other than prescription drug dispensing services that are already zero-rated. It further allows certain literacy organizations to claim a rebate of the GST and the federal component of the HST paid on the acquisition of books to be given away for free by those organizations. It also implements legislative requirements relating to the Government of British Columbia’s decision to exit the harmonized sales tax framework. Additional amendments to that Act and related regulations in respect of foreign-based rental vehicles temporarily imported by Canadian residents provide, in certain circumstances, relief from the GST/HST, the Green Levy on fuel-inefficient vehicles and the automobile air conditioner tax. This Part further amends that Act to ensure that changes to the standardized fuel consumption test method used for the EnerGuide, as announced on February 17, 2012 by the Minister of Natural Resources, do not affect the application of the Green Levy.
Finally, Part 2 amends the Air Travellers Security Charge Act, the Excise Act, 2001 and the Excise Tax Act to provide authority for the Canada Revenue Agency to issue via online notice or regular mail demands to file a return.
Part 3 contains certain measures related to responsible resource development.
Division 1 of Part 3 enacts the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, which establishes a new federal environmental assessment regime. Assessments are conducted in relation to projects, designated by regulations or by the Minister of the Environment, to determine whether they are likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects that fall within the legislative authority of Parliament, or that are directly linked or necessarily incidental to a federal authority’s exercise of a power or performance of a duty or function that is required for the carrying out of the project.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the National Energy Board or a review panel established by the Minister are to conduct assessments within applicable time limits. At the end of an assessment, a decision statement is to be issued to the project proponent who is required to comply with the conditions set out in it.
The enactment provides for cooperation between the federal government and other jurisdictions by enabling the delegation of an environmental assessment, the substitution of the process of another jurisdiction for an environmental assessment under the Act and the exclusion of a project from the application of the Act when there is an equivalent assessment by another jurisdiction. The enactment requires that there be opportunities for public participation during an environmental assessment, that participant funding programs and a public registry be established, and that there be follow-up programs in relation to all environmental assessments. It also provides for powers of inspection and fines.
Finally, the enactment specifies that federal authorities are not to take certain measures regarding the carrying out of projects on federal lands or outside Canada unless they determine that those projects are not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
This Division also makes related amendments to the Environmental Violations Administrative Monetary Penalties Act and consequential amendments to other Acts, and repeals the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Division 2 of Part 3 amends the National Energy Board Act to allow the Governor in Council to make the decision about the issuance of certificates for major pipelines. It amends the Act to establish time limits for regulatory reviews under the Act and to enhance the powers of the National Energy Board Chairperson and the Minister responsible for the Act to ensure that those reviews are conducted in a timely manner. It also amends the Act to permit the National Energy Board to exercise federal jurisdiction over navigation in respect of pipelines and power lines that cross navigable waters and it establishes an administrative monetary penalty system.
Division 3 of Part 3 amends the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act to authorize the National Energy Board to exercise federal jurisdiction over navigation in respect of pipelines and power lines that cross navigable waters.
Division 4 of Part 3 amends the Nuclear Safety and Control Act to extend the maximum allowable term of temporary members of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission from six months to three years. It is also amended to allow for a licence to be transferred with the consent of that Commission and it puts in place an administrative monetary penalty system.
Division 5 of Part 3 amends the Fisheries Act to focus that Act on the protection of fish that support commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fisheries and to more effectively manage those activities that pose the greatest threats to these fisheries. The amendments provide additional clarity for the authorization of serious harm to fish and of deposits of deleterious substances. The amendments allow the Minister to enter into agreements with provinces and with other bodies, provide for the control and management of aquatic invasive species, clarify and expand the powers of inspectors, and permit the Governor in Council to designate another Minister as the Minister responsible for the administration and enforcement of subsections 36(3) to (6) of the Fisheries Act for the purposes of, and in relation to, subject matters set out by order.
Division 6 of Part 3 amends the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to provide the Minister of the Environment with the authority to renew disposal at sea permits in prescribed circumstances. It is also amended to change the publication requirements for disposal at sea permits and to provide authority to make regulations respecting time limits for their issuance and renewal.
Division 7 of Part 3 amends the Species at Risk Act to allow for the issuance of authorizations with a longer term, to clarify the authority to renew the authorizations and to make compliance with conditions of permits enforceable. The Act is also amended to provide authority to make regulations respecting time limits for the issuance and renewal of permits under the Act. Furthermore, section 77 is amended to ensure that the National Energy Board will be able to issue a certificate when required to do so by the Governor in Council under subsection 54(1) of the National Energy Board Act.
Part 4 enacts and amends several Acts in order to implement various measures.
Division 1 of Part 4 amends a number of Acts to eliminate the requirement for the Auditor General of Canada to undertake annual financial audits of certain entities and to assess the performance reports of two agencies. This Division also eliminates other related obligations.
Division 2 of Part 4 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act, the Bank Act and the Cooperative Credit Associations Act to prohibit the issuance of life annuity-like products.
Division 3 of Part 4 provides that PPP Canada Inc. is an agent of Her Majesty for purposes limited to its mandated activities at the federal level, including the provision of advice to federal departments and Crown corporations on public-private partnership projects.
Division 4 of Part 4 amends the Northwest Territories Act, the Nunavut Act and the Yukon Act to provide the authority for the Governor in Council to set, on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance, the maximum amount of territorial borrowings and to make regulations in relation to those maximum amounts, including what constitutes borrowing, the relevant entities and the valuation of the borrowings.
Division 5 of Part 4 amends the Financial Administration Act to modify, for parent Crown corporations, the period to which their quarterly financial reports relate, so that it is aligned with their financial year, and to include in the place of certain annual tabling requirements related to the business and activities of parent Crown corporations a requirement to make public consolidated quarterly reports on their business and activities. It also amends the Alternative Fuels Act and the Public Service Employment Act to eliminate certain reporting requirements.
Division 6 of Part 4 amends the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act to establish the Social Security Tribunal and to add provisions authorizing the electronic administration or enforcement of programs, legislation, activities or policies. It also amends the Canada Pension Plan, the Old Age Security Act and the Employment Insurance Act so that appeals from decisions made under those Acts will be heard by the Social Security Tribunal. Finally, it provides for transitional provisions and makes consequential amendments to other Acts.
Division 7 of Part 4 amends the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act to add provisions relating to the protection of personal information obtained in the course of administering or enforcing the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security Act and repeals provisions in the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security Act that are substantially the same as those that are added to the Human Resources and Skills Development Act.
Division 8 of Part 4 amends the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act to add provisions relating to the social insurance registers and Social Insurance Numbers. It also amends the Canada Pension Plan in relation to Social Insurance Numbers and the Employment Insurance Act to repeal certain provisions relating to the social insurance registers and Social Insurance Numbers and to maintain the power to charge the costs of those registers to the Employment Insurance Operating Account.
Division 9 of Part 4 amends the Parks Canada Agency Act to provide that the Agency may enter into agreements with other ministers or bodies to assist in the administration and enforcement of legislation in places outside national parks, national historic sites, national marine conservation areas and other protected heritage areas if considerations of geography make it impractical for the other minister or body to administer and enforce that legislation in those places. It also amends that Act to provide that the Chief Executive Officer is to report to the Minister of the Environment under section 31 of that Act every five years. It amends that Act to remove the requirements for annual corporate plans, annual reports and annual audits, and amends that Act, the Canada National Parks Act and the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act to provide that that Minister is to review management plans for national parks, national historic sites, national marine conservation areas and other protected heritage areas at least every 10 years and is to have any amendments to a plan tabled in Parliament.
Division 10 of Part 4 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act, the Bank Act and the Insurance Companies Act in order to allow public sector investment pools that satisfy certain criteria, including pursuing commercial objectives, to directly invest in a Canadian financial institution, subject to approval by the Minister of Finance.
Division 11 of Part 4 amends the National Housing Act, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act and the Supporting Vulnerable Seniors and Strengthening Canada’s Economy Act to enhance the governance and oversight framework of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
This Division also amends the National Housing Act to establish a registry for institutions that issue covered bonds and for covered bond programs and to provide for the protection of covered bond contracts and covered bond collateral in the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy or insolvency. It also makes amendments to the Trust and Loan Companies Act, the Bank Act, the Insurance Companies Act and the Cooperative Credit Associations Act to prohibit institutions from issuing covered bonds except within the framework established under the National Housing Act. Finally, it includes a coordinating amendment to the Supporting Vulnerable Seniors and Strengthening Canada’s Economy Act.
Division 12 of Part 4 implements the Framework Agreement on Integrated Cross-Border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America signed on May 26, 2009.
Division 13 of Part 4 amends the Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act to reflect an increase in Canada’s quota subscription, as related to the ratification of the 2010 Quota and Governance reform resolution of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, and to align the timing of the annual report under that Act to correspond to that of the annual report under the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act.
Division 14 of Part 4 amends the Canada Health Act so that members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are included in the definition of “insured person”.
Division 15 of Part 4 amends the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act to
(a) remove the office of the Inspector General;
(b) require the Security Intelligence Review Committee to submit to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness a certificate on the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s annual report; and
(c) increase the information on the Service’s activities to be provided by that Committee to that Minister.
Division 16 of Part 4 amends the Currency Act to clarify certain provisions that relate to the calling in and the redemption of coins.
Division 17 of Part 4 amends the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act in order to implement the total transfer protection for the 2012-2013 fiscal year and to give effect to certain elements of major transfer renewal that were announced by the Minister of Finance on December 19, 2011. It also makes certain administrative amendments to that Act and to the Canada Health Act.
Division 18 of Part 4 amends the Fisheries Act to authorize the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to allocate fish for the purpose of financing scientific and fisheries management activities in the context of joint project agreements.
Division 19 of Part 4 amends the Food and Drugs Act to give the Minister of Health the power to establish a list that sets out prescription drugs or classes of prescription drugs and to provide that the list may be incorporated by reference. It also gives the Minister the power to issue marketing authorizations that exempt a food, or an advertisement with respect to a food, from certain provisions of the Act. The division also provides that a regulation with respect to a food and a marketing authorization may incorporate by reference any document. It also makes consequential amendments to other Acts.
Division 20 of Part 4 amends the Government Employees Compensation Act to allow prescribed entities to be subrogated to the rights of employees to make claims against third parties.
Division 21 of Part 4 amends the International Development Research Centre Act to reduce the maximum number of governors of the Centre to 14, and to consequently change other rules about the number of governors.
Division 22 of Part 4 amends Part I of the Canada Labour Code to require the parties to a collective agreement to file a copy of it with the Minister of Labour, subject to the regulations, as a condition for it to come into force. It amends Part III of that Act to require employers that provide benefits to their employees under long-term disability plans to insure those plans, subject to certain exceptions. The Division also amends that Part to create an offence and to increase maximum fines for offences under that Part.
Division 23 of Part 4 repeals the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act.
Division 24 of Part 4 amends the Old Age Security Act to provide the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development with the authority to waive the requirement for an application for Old Age Security benefits for many eligible seniors, to gradually increase the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security Pension, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor and to allow individuals to voluntarily defer their Old Age Security Pension up to five years past the age of eligibility, in exchange for a higher, actuarially adjusted, pension.
Division 25 of Part 4 dissolves the Public Appointments Commission and its secretariat.
Division 26 of Part 4 amends the Seeds Act to give the President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency the power to issue licences to persons authorizing them to perform activities related to controlling or assuring the quality of seeds or seed crops.
Division 27 of Part 4 amends the Statutory Instruments Act to remove the distribution requirements for the Canada Gazette.
Division 28 of Part 4 amends the Investment Canada Act in order to authorize the Minister of Industry to communicate or disclose certain information relating to investments and to accept security in order to promote compliance with undertakings.
Division 29 of Part 4 amends the Customs Act to allow the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to designate a portion of a roadway or other access way that leads to a customs office and that is used by persons arriving in Canada and by persons travelling within Canada as a mixed-traffic corridor. All persons who are travelling in a mixed-traffic corridor must present themselves to a border services officer and state whether they are arriving from a location outside or within Canada.
Division 30 of Part 4 gives retroactive effect to subsections 39(2) and (3) of the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985.
Division 31 of Part 4 amends the Railway Safety Act to limit the apportionment of costs to a road authority when a grant has been made under section 12 of that Act.
Division 32 of Part 4 amends the Canadian International Trade Tribunal Act to replace the two Vice-chairperson positions with two permanent member positions.
Division 33 of Part 4 repeals the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development Act and authorizes the closing out of the affairs of the Centre established by that Act.
Division 34 of Part 4 amends the Health of Animals Act to allow the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to declare certain areas to be control zones in respect of a disease or toxic substance. The enactment also grants the Minister certain powers, including the power to make regulations prohibiting the movement of persons, animals or things in the control zones for the purpose of eliminating a disease or toxic substance or controlling its spread and the power to impose conditions on the movement of animals or things in those zones.
Division 35 of Part 4 amends the Canada School of Public Service Act to abolish the Board of Governors of the Canada School of Public Service and to place certain responsibilities on the Minister designated for the purposes of the Act and on the President of the School.
Division 36 of Part 4 amends the Bank Act by adding a preamble to it.
Division 37 of Part 4 amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to eliminate the requirement of a hearing for certain reviews.
Division 38 of Part 4 amends the Coasting Trade Act to add seismic activities to the list of exceptions to the prohibition against foreign ships and non-duty paid ships engaging in the coasting trade.
Division 39 of Part 4 amends the Status of the Artist Act to dissolve the Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal and transfer its powers and duties to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
Division 40 of Part 4 amends the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy Act to give the Round Table the power to sell or otherwise dispose of its assets and satisfy its debts and liabilities and to give the Minister of the Environment the power to direct the Round Table in respect of the exercise of some of its powers. The Division provides for the repeal of the Act and makes consequential amendments to other acts.
Division 41 of Part 4 amends the Telecommunications Act to change the rules relating to foreign ownership of Canadian carriers eligible to operate as telecommunications common carriers and to permit the recovery of costs associated with the administration and enforcement of the national do not call list.
Division 42 of Part 4 amends the Employment Equity Act to remove the requirements that are specific to the Federal Contractors Program for Employment Equity.
Division 43 of Part 4 amends the Employment Insurance Act to permit a person’s benefits to be determined by reference to their highest earnings in a given number of weeks, to permit regulations to be made respecting what constitutes suitable employment, to remove the requirement that a consent to deduction be in writing, to provide a limitation period within which certain repayments of overpayments need to be deducted and paid and to clarify the provisions respecting the refund of premiums to self-employed persons. It also amends that Act to modify the Employment Insurance premium rate-setting mechanism, including requiring that the rate be set on a seven-year break-even basis once the Employment Insurance Operating Account returns to balance. The Division makes consequential amendments to the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board Act.
Division 44 of Part 4 amends the Customs Tariff to make certain imported fuels duty-free and to increase the travellers’ exemption thresholds.
Division 45 of Part 4 amends the Canada Marine Act to require provisions of a port authority’s letters patent relating to limits on the authority’s power to borrow money to be recommended by the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Finance before they are approved by the Governor in Council.
Division 46 of Part 4 amends the First Nations Land Management Act to implement changes made to the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management, including changes relating to the description of land that is to be subject to a land code, and to provide for the coming into force of land codes and the development by First Nations of environmental protection regimes.
Division 47 of Part 4 amends the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Act to increase the maximum indemnity in respect of individual travelling exhibitions, as well as the maximum indemnity in respect of all travelling exhibitions.
Division 48 of Part 4 amends the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Act to provide that the chief executive officer of the Authority is appointed by the Governor in Council and that an employee may not replace the chief executive officer for more than 90 days without the Governor in Council’s approval.
Division 49 of Part 4 amends the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act to repeal provisions related to the First Nations Statistical Institute and amends that Act and other Acts to remove any reference to that Institute. It authorizes the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development to close out the Institute’s affairs.
Division 50 of Part 4 amends the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act to provide for the payment or reimbursement of fees for career transition services for veterans or their survivors.
Division 51 of Part 4 amends the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act to add powers, duties and functions that are substantially the same as those conferred by the Department of Social Development Act. It repeals the Department of Social Development Act and, in doing so, eliminates the National Council of Welfare.
Division 52 of Part 4 amends the Wage Earner Protection Program Act in order to correct the English version of the definition “eligible wages”.
Division 53 of Part 4 repeals the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act.
Division 54 of Part 4 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2008 to provide for the termination of certain applications for permanent residence that were made before February 27, 2008. This Division also amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to, among other things, authorize the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to give instructions establishing and governing classes of permanent residents as part of the economic class and to provide that the User Fees Act does not apply in respect of fees set by those instructions. Furthermore, this Division amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow for the retrospective application of certain regulations and certain instructions given by the Minister, if those regulations and instructions so provide, and to authorize regulations to be made respecting requirements imposed on employers in relation to authorizations to work in Canada.
Division 55 of Part 4 enacts the Shared Services Canada Act to establish Shared Services Canada to provide certain administrative services specified by the Governor in Council. The Act provides for the Governor in Council to designate a minister to preside over Shared Services Canada.
Division 56 of Part 4 amends the Assisted Human Reproduction Act to respond to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Reference re Assisted Human Reproduction Act that was rendered in 2010, including by repealing the provisions that were found to be unconstitutional and abolishing the Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Votes

June 18, 2012 Passed That the Bill be now read a third time and do pass.
June 18, 2012 Failed That the motion be amended by deleting all of the words after the word "That" and substituting the following: “this House decline to give third reading to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, because this House: a) does not know the full implications of the budget cuts given that the government has kept the details of the $5.2 billion in spending cuts from the Parliamentary Budget Officer whose lawyer, Joseph Magnet, says the government is violating the Federal Accountability Act and should turn the information over to the Parliamentary Budget Officer; b) is concerned with the impact of the changes in the Bill on Canadian society, such as: i) making it more difficult for Canadians to access Employment Insurance (EI) when they need it and forcing them to accept jobs at 70% of what they previously earned or lose their EI; ii) raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65 to 67 years and thus driving thousands of Canadians into poverty while downloading spending to the provinces; iii) cutting back the federal health transfers to the provinces from 2017 on, which will result in a loss of $31 billion to the health care system; and iv) gutting the federal environmental assessment regime and weakening fish habitat protection which will adversely affect Canada's environmental sustainability for generations to come; and c) is opposed to the removal of critical oversight powers of the Auditor General over a dozen agencies and the systematic concentration of powers in the hands of government ministers over agencies such as the National Energy Board, which weakens Canadians' confidence in the work of Parliament, decreases transparency and erodes fundamental democratic institutions by systematically eroding institutional checks and balances to the government's ideologically driven agenda”.
June 13, 2012 Passed That Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, be concurred in at report stage.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting the Schedule.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 753, be amended by replacing lines 8 and 9 on page 424 with the following: “force on September 1, 2012.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 711.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 706.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 700.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 699, be amended by replacing line 16 on page 401 with the following: “2007, is repealed as of April 30, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 699.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 696, be amended by replacing lines 2 and 3 on page 401 with the following: “on September 15, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 685.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 684, be amended by replacing lines 6 to 8 on page 396 with the following: “684. This Division comes into force on September 1, 2012.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 661.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 681, be amended by replacing lines 32 to 34 on page 394 with the following: “681. This Division comes into force on January 1, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 656.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 654.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 620.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 619, be amended by replacing lines 22 and 23 on page 378 with the following: “608(2) and (3) come into force on April 30, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 606.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 603.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 602.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 595.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 594, be amended by replacing lines 6 and 7 on page 365 with the following: “on April 30, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 578.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 577, be amended by replacing lines 18 to 20 on page 361 with the following: “577. This Division comes into force on June 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 532.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 531.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 530, be amended by replacing lines 24 and 25 on page 342 with the following: “on January 15, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 526.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 525, be amended by deleting lines 6 to 10 on page 341.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 525, be amended by replacing lines 6 to 10 on page 341 with the following: “And whereas respect for provincial laws of general application is necessary to ensure the quality of the banking services offered;”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 525, be amended by replacing line 33 on page 340 with the following: “Whereas a strong, efficient and publicly accountable banking sector”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 525.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 522, be amended by replacing line 2 on page 340 with the following: “possible after the end of each fiscal year but”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 516.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 515, be amended by replacing line 28 on page 338 with the following: “September 1, 2013 or, if it is later, on the day on”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 508, be amended (a) by replacing line 1 on page 336 with the following: “( b) humanely dispose of that animal or thing or require” (b) by replacing line 3 on page 336 with the following: “care or control of it to humanely dispose of it if, according to expert opinion, treatment under paragraph ( a) is not feasible or is not able to be carried out quickly enough to be effective in eliminating the disease or toxic substance or preventing its spread.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 506.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 505, be amended by replacing lines 9 and 10 on page 333 with the following: “on January 1, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 490.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 489, be amended by replacing line 20 on page 329 with the following: “February 1, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 487.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 486, be amended by replacing line 30 on page 328 with the following: “January 1, 2013.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 484.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 481.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 480, be amended by replacing line 13 on page 326 with the following: “subsection 23(1) and all criteria and factors considered in reaching a decision or sending notice under that subsection, with the exception of all commercially sensitive information;”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 479.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 478, be amended by replacing lines 25 to 27 on page 325 with the following: “478. This Division comes into force on September 15, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 476.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 475, be amended by replacing lines 18 and 19 on page 324 with the following: “tion 4.1, including their issuance and their”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 474, be amended by replacing line 3 on page 324 with the following: “that he or she considers appropriate for assuring the quality of seeds and seed crops, subject to the conditions set out in subsection (5).”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 473, be amended by replacing lines 12 and 13 on page 323 with the following: “tion 4.2, including their issuance and their”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 473.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 468.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 467, be amended by replacing lines 3 to 5 on page 322 with the following: “464 and 465, come into force on June 15, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 446.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 445.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 444, be amended by replacing lines 1 to 3 on page 306 with the following: “444. This Division comes into force on April 30, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 441.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 440, be amended by replacing lines 21 and 22 on page 305 with the following: “force on January 1, 2013.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 427.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 426, be amended by replacing lines 1 to 3 on page 299 with the following: “426. This Division comes into force on May 1, 2013.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 420.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 419, be amended by replacing lines 12 and 13 on page 295 with the following: “force on January 1, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 416, be amended by replacing line 40 on page 292 with the following: “considers appropriate and must be subject to regulatory approval.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 413, be amended by deleting lines 25 and 26 on page 291.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 412.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 411.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 391.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 378.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 377.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 374, be amended by replacing lines 31 to 33 on page 280 with the following: “374. This Division comes into force on April 30, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 368, be amended by adding after line 34 on page 274 the following: “(3) Every officer appointed under this section must conduct every operation, wherever it takes place, in a manner respecting the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 368.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 367, be amended by replacing lines 9 and 10 on page 272 with the following: “force on January 1, 2014.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 353.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 325, be amended (a) by replacing line 20 on page 244 with the following: “(2) The Minister shall conduct a comprehensive review of the manage-” (b) by replacing line 22 on page 244 with the following: “at least every 10 years, taking into account any feedback received from the public under subsection (2.1), and shall cause any” (c) by adding after line 24 on page 244 the following: “(2.1) In every year, the Minister shall ( a) publish on the departmental website the management plan for each national historic site or other protected heritage area; and ( b) open the plan to public consultation and feedback, to be taken into account by the Agency in future decisions regarding changes to the management plan.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 324, be amended (a) by replacing lines 13 and 14 on page 244 with the following: “(2) The Minister shall conduct a comprehensive review of the management plan for each park at least every 10 years, taking into account any feedback received from the public under subsection (2.1),” (b) by adding after line 16 on page 244 the following: “(2.1) In every year, the Minister shall ( a) publish on the departmental website the management plan for each national historic site or other protected heritage area; and ( b) open the plan to public consultation and feedback, to be taken into account by the Agency in future decisions regarding changes to the management plan.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 319, be amended (a) by replacing line 39 on page 243 with the following: “(2) The Minister shall conduct a comprehensive review of the manage-” (b) by replacing line 41 on page 243 with the following: “protected heritage area at least every 10 years, taking into account any feedback received from the public under subsection (2.1),” (c) by adding after line 43 on page 243 the following: “(2.1) In every year, the Minister shall ( a) publish on the departmental website the management plan for each national historic site or other protected heritage area; and ( b) open the plan to public consultation and feedback, to be taken into account by the Agency in future decisions regarding changes to the management plan.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 318, be amended by adding after line 36 on page 243 the following: “(2) The report referred to in subsection (1) shall include, for the previous calendar year, all information related to any action or enforcement measure taken in accordance with subsection 6(1) under any Act or regulation set out in Part 3 or Part 4 of the Schedule.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 317.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 315.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 314, be amended by replacing lines 8 and 9 on page 242 with the following: “on May 1, 2013.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 304.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 303, be amended by replacing lines 2 and 3 on page 235 with the following: “on September 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 283.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 281, be amended by replacing line 33 on page 226 with the following: “April 1, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 223.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 219.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 218.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 217, be amended by replacing lines 21 to 23 on page 194 with the following: “217. This Division comes into force on April 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 217.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 214.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 209.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 175, be amended by replacing line 17 on page 185 with the following: “financial statements of the Council, and the Council shall make the report available for public scrutiny at the offices of the Council.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 170.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 163, be amended by replacing line 29 on page 181 with the following: “(6.1) Subject to subsection 73(9), the agreement or permit must set out”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 163.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 161, be amended by deleting lines 32 to 39 on page 180.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 160, be amended by replacing line 13 on page 180 with the following: “published in the Environmental Registry and in the Canada Gazette; or”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 159, be amended by replacing line 25 on page 179 with the following: “mental Registry as well as in the Canada Gazette.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 157, be amended by replacing lines 37 and 38 on page 178 with the following: “and, subject to the regulations, after consulting relevant peer-reviewed science, considering public concerns and taking all appropriate measures to ensure that no ecosystem will be significantly adversely affected, renew it no more than once. (1.1) Before issuing a permit referred to under subsection (1), the Minister shall ensure that the issuance of the permit will not have any adverse effects on critical habitat as it is defined in subsection 2(1) of the Species at Risk Act. ”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 157.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 156, be amended by replacing lines 29 and 30 on page 178 with the following: “and 153 come into force on July 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 154, be amended by replacing line 18 on page 177 with the following: “Act may not be commenced later than twenty-five years”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 150, be amended by replacing lines 25 to 29 on page 176 with the following: “recommendation of the Minister following consultation with the public and experts or, if they are made for the purposes of and in relation to the subject matters set out in an order made under section 43.2, on the recommendation of the minister designated under that section following consultation with the public and experts.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 149, be amended by replacing line 40 on page 174 with the following: “( i.01) excluding certain fisheries, on the basis of public consultation and expert opinion, from the defini-”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 148, be amended by replacing lines 15 to 21 on page 174 with the following: “42.1 (1) The Minister shall, as soon as possible after the end of each fiscal year, prepare and cause to be laid before each house of Parliament a report on the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Act relating to fish habitat protection and pollution prevention for that year, including for those fisheries of particular commercial or recreational value and any fisheries of cultural or economic value for Aboriginal communities.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 145, be amended by replacing line 8 on page 164 with the following: “enforcement of this Act, provided that, with regard to the designation of any analyst, the analyst has been independently recognized as qualified to be so designated.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 144, be amended by replacing lines 46 and 47 on page 161 with the following: “results or is likely to result in alteration, disruption or serious harm to any fish or fish habitat, including those that are part of a commercial, recreational”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 143, be amended by replacing line 17 on page 159 with the following: “made by the Governor in Council under subsection (5) applicable to that”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 142, be amended by replacing line 5 on page 158 with the following: “(2) If conducted in accordance with expert advice that is based on an independent analysis so as to ensure the absolute minimum of destruction or disruption of fish populations and fish habitat, a person may carry on a work, under-”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by adding after line 32 on page 157 the following new clause: “139.1 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 32: 32.1 Every owner or occupier of a water intake, ditch, channel or canal referred to in subsection 30(1) who refuses or neglects to provide and maintain a fish guard, screen, covering or netting in accordance with subsections 30(1) to (3), permits the removal of a fish guard, screen, covering or netting in contravention of subsection 30(3) or refuses or neglects to close a sluice or gate in accordance with subsection 30(4) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable, for a first offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars and, for any subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 139, be amended by replacing line 3 on page 157 with the following: “32. (1) No person shall kill or harm fish by any”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 136, be amended by replacing line 39 on page 154 to line 1 on page 155 with the following: “(2) If, on the basis of expert opinion, the Minister considers it necessary to ensure the free passage of fish or to prevent harm to fish, the owner or person who has the charge, management or control of any water intake, ditch, channel or canal in Canada constructed or adapted for conducting water from any Canadian fisheries waters for irrigating, manufacturing, power generation, domestic or other purposes shall, on the Minister’s request, within the”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 135, be amended by replacing line 9 on page 154 with the following: “commercial, recrea-”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 134, be amended by replacing line 17 on page 151 with the following: “programs and, if the Minister has determined, on the basis of the features and scope of the programs, that the programs are equivalent in their capabilities to meet and ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act, otherwise harmonizing those”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 133, be amended by replacing line 8 on page 150 with the following: “thing impeding the free”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 132.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 131, be amended by replacing lines 35 and 36 on page 149 with the following: “force on August 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 124, be amended by replacing line 24 on page 141 with the following: “replace a licence after consulting the public, expert opinion and peer-reviewed scientific evidence, or decide whether it is in the public interest to authorize its transfer, on”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 123, be amended by replacing line 18 on page 141 with the following: “seven months.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 122.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 121, be amended by replacing lines 7 and 8 on page 141 with the following: “June 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 116.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 115, be amended by replacing lines 33 and 34 on page 138 with the following: “and 99 to 114 come into force on September 1, 2015.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 97, be amended by replacing lines 40 and 41 on page 125 with the following: “120.5 The Board may issue a ”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 94, be amended by replacing line 36 on page 124 with the following: “recommendation, the Board shall, after all required consultation with members of the public and with First Nations, seek to avoid”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 93, be amended by replacing line 25 on page 124 with the following: “oil or gas, the Board shall, after all required consultation with members of the public and with First Nations and taking into account all considerations that appear to it to be relevant, satisfy itself that the”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 90, be amended by replacing line 12 on page 118 with the following: “was constructed in accordance with the Navigable Waters Protection Act and that passes in, on, over, under, through or”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 89, be amended by replacing line 16 on page 117 with the following: “certificate under section 52 or 53 authorizing the”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 88, be amended by replacing line 11 on page 117 with the following: “under which section 58.29 does not apply or leave from the Board under”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 87, be amended by replacing line 44 on page 114 with the following: “a work to which that Act applies, unless it passes in, on, over, under, through or across a navigable water.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 86, be amended by replacing line 32 on page 112 with the following: “V, except sections 74, 76 to 78, 108, 110 to 111.3,”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 85, be amended by replacing lines 2 to 4 on page 111 with the following: “the Board shall have regard to all representations referred to in section 55.2.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 84, be amended by replacing line 36 on page 109 with the following: “the time limit specified by the Chairperson pursuant to a motion and vote among Board members,”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 83, be amended by replacing lines 25 to 27 on page 105 with the following: “shall consider the objections of any interested person or group that, in their opinion, appear to be directly or indirectly related to the pipeline, and may have regard to the”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 82, be amended by replacing lines 39 and 40 on page 104 with the following: “(4) Subsections 121(3) to(5) apply to”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 81, be amended by replacing line 14 on page 104 with the following: “(2) A public hearing may be held in respect of any other matter that the Board considers advisable, however a public hearing need not be held where”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 79, be amended by replacing line 35 on page 103 with the following: “(2) Except in any instances where, based on what the Board considers necessary or desirable in the public interest, the Board considers it is advisable to do so, subsection (1) does not apply in respect”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 78, be amended by replacing line 30 on page 103 with the following: “(1.1) Except in any instances where, based on what the Board considers necessary or desirable in the public interest, the Board considers it is advisable to do so, subsection (1) does not apply in respect”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 76, be amended by replacing line 25 on page 101 with the following: “15. (1) The Chairperson or the Board may authorize one”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 75, be amended by replacing line 11 on page 101 with the following: “14. (1) The Chairperson may propose a motion to authorize one”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 72, be amended by replacing lines 34 to 40 on page 100 with the following: “(2.1) For greater certainty, if the number of members authorized to deal with an application as a result of any measure taken by the Chairperson under subsection 6(2.2) is less than three, the Board shall elect a third member to satisfy the quorum requirements established under subsection (2).”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 71, be amended by replacing line 25 on page 99 with the following: “an application, the Chairperson may propose a motion to put in place a”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 68.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 67, be amended by replacing lines 20 and 21 on page 98 with the following: “force on April 30, 2016.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 52, be amended by replacing lines 25 to 29 on page 35 with the following: “with respect to a project, that a group or individual is an interested party if, in its opinion, the group or individual, including those who use adjacent land for recreational, cultural or hunting purposes, is directly — or could potentially be indirectly — affected by the carrying out of the project, or if, in its opinion, the group or individual has relevant information or expertise:”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 52, be amended by adding after line 8 on page 31 the following: “Whereas the Government of Canada seeks to achieve sustainable development by conserving and enhancing environmental quality and by encouraging and promoting economic development that conserves and enhances environmental quality; Whereas environmental assessment provides an effective means of integrating environmental factors into planning and decision-making processes in a manner that promotes sustainable development; Whereas the Government of Canada is committed to exercising leadership, within Canada and internationally, in anticipating and preventing the degradation of environmental quality and, at the same time, in ensuring that economic development is compatible with the high value Canadians place on environmental quality; Whereas the Government of Canada seeks to avoid duplication or unnecessary delays; And whereas the Government of Canada is committed to facilitating public participation in the environmental assessment of projects to be carried out by or with the approval or assistance of the Government of Canada and to providing access to the information on which those environmental assessments are based;”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 52.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 19.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 16, be amended by replacing line 5 on page 14 with the following: “on January 1, 2013 a salary of $137,000.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 16.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 4.
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing line 5 on page 8 with the following: “interest, being any activity that contributes to the social or cultural lives of Canadians or that contributes to Canada's economic or ecological well-being.”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing lines 1 to 5 on page 7 with the following: ““political activity” means the making of a gift by a donor to a qualified donee for the purpose of allowing the donor to maintain a level of funding of political activities that is less than 10% of its income for a taxation year by delegating the carrying out of political activities to the qualified donee;”
June 13, 2012 Failed That Bill C-38 be amended by deleting Clause 1.
June 12, 2012 Passed That, in relation to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, not more than 10 further hours shall be allotted to the consideration at report stage of the Bill and 8 hours shall be allotted to the consideration at third reading stage of the said Bill; and That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the 10 hours for the consideration at report stage and at the expiry of the 8 hours for the consideration at the third reading stage of the said Bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the Bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.
May 14, 2012 Passed That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.
May 14, 2012 Failed That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following: “this House decline to give second reading to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, because it: ( a) weakens Canadians’ confidence in the work of Parliament, decreases transparency and erodes fundamental democratic institutions by systematically over-concentrating power in the hands of government ministers; ( b) shields the government from criticism on extremely controversial non-budgetary issues by bundling them into one enormous piece of legislation masquerading as a budgetary bill; ( c) undermines the critical role played by such trusted oversight bodies as the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, the CSIS Inspector General and the National Energy Board, amongst many others, thereby silencing institutional checks and balances to the government’s ideological agenda; ( d) raises the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65 to 67 years in a reckless effort to balance the government’s misguided spending on prisons, incompetent military procurement and inappropriate Ministerial expenses; ( e) includes provisions to gut the federal environmental assessment regime and to overhaul fish habitat protection that will adversely affect fragile ecosystems and Canada’s environmental sustainability for generations to come; ( f) calls into question Canada’s food inspection and public health regime by removing critical oversight powers of the Auditor General in relation to the Canada Food Inspection Agency all while providing an avenue and paving the way for opportunities to privatize a number of essential inspection functions; and ( g) does nothing to provide a solution for the growing number of Canadians looking for employment in Canada’s challenging job market and instead fuels further job loss, which according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer will amount to a total loss of 43,000 jobs in 2014.”.
May 3, 2012 Passed That, in relation to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, not more than six further sitting days shall be allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the Bill; and That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the sixth day allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the said Bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the Bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:05 p.m.
See context

Conservative

Parm Gill Conservative Brampton—Springdale, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is taking steps that Canadians expect us to take by ensuring OAS remains strong and there for future generations by gradually raising the eligibility age of OAS and GIS benefits from 65 to 67 between 2023 and 2029. The changes are limited to those who are 54 or younger as of March 31, 2012, and will not affect current OAS or GIS beneficiaries in any way.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:10 p.m.
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Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his very insightful speech. Hopefully members of the opposition listened.

Would the member speculate on why the NDP and Liberal members are voting against what Canadians want? The budget provides jobs. It provides what families need. It provides a plan of prosperity and growth for the future. Why would they vote against that? Why would they vote against improving environment policies? Could the member speculate as to why they would vote against what is good for Canada?

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:10 p.m.
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Conservative

Parm Gill Conservative Brampton—Springdale, ON

Mr. Speaker, the reason the opposition parties are refusing to support this very important budget for all Canadians is actually beyond my understanding. I would encourage all members of the opposition parties to review the budget carefully, read it through, take the time and consider supporting the budget so that we can get on with what Canadians expect all parliamentarians to do: to work on their behalf and to continue to focus on their priorities, rather than playing political games.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:10 p.m.
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NDP

Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak on the very reasoned amendment from the member for Parkdale—High Park to Bill C-38.

I rose a moment ago and asked the previous speaker a question about the fact that a budget was introduced a few weeks ago when the Minister of Finance, on behalf of the government, talked about the government's direction and where it wants to allocate resources. While Conservatives talked about it as a jobs and prosperity budget, we know they are laying off tens of thousands of workers at a time when they are talking about creating jobs and we know that they have made a frontal assault on senior citizens in this country, yet lo and behold, when we see Bill C-38, we find that the damage and the destruction the government is intent on waging in this country are much greater than we would have imagined.

The previous speaker talked about how the government has engaged in massive consultation with Canadians and how Bill C-38 is exactly what Canadians want. I understand that the finance committee travelled across the country and held pre-budget consultations with Canadians, but never once was it suggested to Canadians that the government was going to gut environmental laws. Never once in those consultations or any of the consultations that happened in Nova Scotia on behalf of the Minister of Finance was there ever any discussion about the fact that the government was going to gut the Fisheries Act—completely turn it on its head and take away the power that existed in the Fisheries Act to protect fish habitat. Never once did it say anything to Canadians about its intention to do that.

I will give Conservatives credit. They did give us a bit of a heads-up on the OAS. There was an announcement by the Prime Minister. When he was in Davos drinking Chablis with his friends and talking off the cuff, he said that he was going to transform this country and that he would start by ripping dollars out of the pockets of senior citizens in 2023. I do not care if it is in 2012, 2015 or 2023; it is an attack on seniors in this country. That is what the government has done.

Now we have Bill C-38, which goes after the environment, fisheries, workers and seniors, as well as the accountability of the Auditor General to ensure that taxpayers' dollars being properly spent by a whole host of agencies. The complexity of the changes being proposed in this bill boggle the mind.

I had a conversation with a retired scientist from DFO who had been involved in the environment for over 35 years. When he initially examined the changes that were being proposed, he said the initial changes to subsection 35(1) were not too bad and that they would strengthen a bit of the problem with this and a bit of the problem with that. However, he then said the that other shoe drops, with the government bringing in changes that are going to completely wipe out any of the improvements that were brought in and wipe out the effectiveness of the provisions in the Fisheries Act that deal with the protection of fish habitat.

The most damaging part of this whole bill is the attack being waged on fishing communities across this country and on the ecosystem, frankly, because fish habitat is about the ecosystem. It is about the interrelatedness of the water and the land to ensure that we have a variety of species in this world to contribute to the betterment of our society. Some of it may be commercially viable, but that is not the reason it is protected; habitat is protected because we want to make sure we have a strong and viable ecosystem. Habitat is the water and land necessary for the survival of all species, including fish. Habitat destruction is the most common reason for species decline, and the Fisheries Act has been essential in protecting fish habitats and the fisheries they support.

I have spent the last couple of weeks sitting in on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, where we heard witnesses talk about the problems with invasive species in the Great Lakes. I am from the east coast and I do not know a whole lot about invasive species in the Great Lakes. I know a lot about the cod moratorium and how it devastated the coastal communities in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I., and New Brunswick. I also know how lobsters, scallops and other crustaceans have rebounded to fill the gap and I know that the fishery is critical to hundreds of thousands of families in this country—to communities, to families, to children, to our very way of being.

What I have learned over the past couple of days is just how closely connected our whole system is. Members have heard about the zebra mussel and how it clogs up the bottom of many of the Great Lakes and attaches itself to the outfalls of power plants and creates a great deal of problems. The quagga mussel is now also part of that.

There is another invasive species, a fish. I have forgotten its name, but it eats the mussels. The combination of the two creates botulism and results in huge fish kills, as well as killing waterfowl. Who would have thought that connection, that level of chemistry, would take place and affect the Great Lakes? It is a serious problem.

There are also problems with the sea lamprey and others. What was interesting was what we were told about the science, the ways to prevent these invasive species and how to mitigate their negative effects to ensure the return of more commercially viable fisheries. Those things are not known when an invasive species is initially identified; it takes science, time and the dedication of DFO and the Minister of Natural Resources in order to come to that conclusion.

My point is that the changes being proposed by the government, simply as they relate to the Fisheries Act and the definition with respect to the protection of fish habitat, are destructive beyond belief, and we cannot allow that to happen. For the government to be so gutless as to hide behind this omnibus bill rather than to bring about these changes in a bill that would go before a legislative committee in order for us to bring experts in to deal with the issue is absolutely wrong. It is fundamentally wrong.

I am talking to Canadians, as are my colleagues, and Canadians are waking up to what the government is doing. We will stand both here in the House and in our communities and do everything we can to ensure that Canadians understand what the government is intending for the fisheries, for the environment and for our society. We will do everything we can, along with lots of Canadians, to ensure that this does not happen.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:20 p.m.
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Conservative

Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB

Mr. Speaker, I was somewhat surprised by many of the things that the hon. member said.

Many of the members over there have been complaining that there is not enough time to speak to the bill. The reality is that the member for Burnaby—New Westminster took 11 hours on this bill. That would have given 44 of their speakers time to speak to the bill, but they are complaining that there is not enough time. That simply does not wash.

They then said that they did not know about things in the budget like the OAS but that member had to acknowledge that he did but then said that he did not know about the changes to the regulatory system. He was not paying any attention then, because we have talked about the need for that in the House.

I chair the natural resources committee and that party has members on the committee. We hear again and again about the need to streamline the regulatory system. We have done it in a way that will protect the environment better because everybody involved would put their information into one stream. We would have a better environmental impact study but done in less time.

Why is the member complaining about these things? We need to look at this from a realistic point of view.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:20 p.m.
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NDP

Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are gutting environmental regulations in order to allow for the development of natural resources, in most cases, oil, unfettered.

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the Westray Mine disaster in which 26 miners died simply because the government of the day was not paying attention to its own rules and regulations and was not ensuring that the enforcement happened and that those workers were being protected.

That is what happens when a government does not pay attention to its own rules and waters them down to the point where they have no effect. The Conservative government better start recognizing that.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:20 p.m.
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Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about Bill C-38, a budget bill that typically would be less than 40 pages at best. This bill has in excess of 400 pages and it impacts some 70 pieces of legislation. Over 120 pages deal with the environment.

That is why we argue that the government is using the back door of the budget, not only to limit debate on the budget but to sneak through legislation that should be set aside to go through the system separately. Would the member agree with the Liberal Party and acknowledge that the bill should be a number of different bills?

If the Prime Minister has any belief in democracy, he should break up the bill before it even comes to a vote.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:25 p.m.
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NDP

Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, a motion to the effect of splitting up the bill in order that it receive proper scrutiny has already been made by the House leader of the official opposition, and we certainly support that.

In terms of the specifics of the bill being scrutinized, in the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans we heard the other day from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. It works closely with DFO, commercial groups and environmental groups on the whole ecosystem and fish habitat in the Great Lakes. Those officials do not know what the impact of these changes will be. They want to be part of the discussion before the changes go through to ensure they will be able to make them work to protect fish habitat and to protect the ecosystem of the Great Lakes for all Ontarians.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:25 p.m.
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Conservative

Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to budget 2012 on behalf of the residents in my riding of Palliser in southern Saskatchewan.

Our government has developed a positive, responsible plan to help keep Canada's economy growing, fuel job creation and secure the long-term prosperity for Canadians. It is a solid plan that will help businesses and individuals within my riding, within Saskatchewan and, indeed, within the boundary called Canada.

In the international financial community, there is admiration for Canada's stable position. These accolades include the World Economic Forum stating that our banks are the soundest the world, and Forbes magazine ranking Canada as the best place in the world to do business, to grow business and to create jobs.

In fact, since July 2009, our economy has created more than 700,000 net new jobs.

I will talk about four parts of budget 2012 that would support businesses, families and communities in my riding: First, creating a more efficient immigration system; second, managing our resources better; third, expanding our trade opportunities; and fourth, creating a sustainable old age security program for future generations.

There are Canadians who are out of work or underemployed. At the same time, there is a labour shortage in Saskatchewan, as well as other parts of the country, for some jobs. This budget contains measures to create new, high quality jobs for Canadians while providing measures to fill vacancies through improving the temporary foreign worker program if, and that is a big if, there are no Canadians to fill these positions.

Since 2006, the government has pursued much needed reforms to focus Canada's immigration system on increasing economic prosperity for Canadians. We need to move to an increasingly fast and flexible immigration system that responds to the needs of the labour market in order to sustain Canada's economic growth.

During the pre-budget consultations, a business owner within my riding mentioned that the processing time for skilled workers needed to be reduced. He also mentioned that there was too much red tape during this process. I heard that from a number of constituents. I am proud to say that the government listened and committed to lessen the processing time for temporary foreign workers who made applications, while reducing the paper burden on all employers.

We propose further improvements to recognize foreign professionals, such as physicians, nurses and engineers, among other much needed roles within the Canadian economy.

Looking at the second pillar, I will talk about how budget 2012 will help to manage our resources.

My home province of Saskatchewan is blessed with many resources that drive the economy and there is demand for these resources worldwide. If we are to compete with other resource rich countries, which would create some of those high quality jobs that I mentioned, we need to put in place an effective, efficient regulatory system to review major projects.

We propose to streamline the review process to encourage responsible resource development. The proposed review process will include fixed timelines and a one project, one review process, while introducing stronger penalties for those who violate our environmental laws.

Turning to number three, I will talk about how our plan will help expand trade. I am supportive of the focus on international trade, as it create jobs for residents in my riding and in Canada. Since 2006, we have finalized nine free trade agreements with other nations and we continue to deepen trade agreements with other nations, including those with fast growing economies. In fact, a Canada-European Union free trade agreement would bring a 20% boost in bilateral trade, which would create approximately 80,000 new jobs.

Agriculture contributes enormously to our country's economy, with nearly $35.5 billion in exports, which makes Canada the world's fifth largest exporter of agriculture and food products.

Our plan includes measures to help our farmers and ranchers succeed, which is good news for my riding where agriculture is the number one industry. They are succeeding partially thanks to efforts in opening markets for our Canadian beef, pork, canola, pulse crops, wheat and more.

We will continue to work on behalf of farmers and ranchers to ensure that people in other countries have access to our high quality Canadian food.

Our efforts and successes have been well recognized by the agricultural sector. Additionally, exporters within my riding would benefit through extending the provision of domestic financing by Export Development Canada.

I would like to take a minute to talk about the old age security program.

Budget 2012 proposes changes to the OAS program to ensure that it will be sustainable for future generations. Our plan outlines that changes will not be introduced until 2023, which means that seniors or those who are nearing retirement will not be affected. Our government is providing many years of lead time to allow individuals to make adjustments to their savings plan as necessary to meet their own goals and aspirations.

I will provide a comment from a constituent who stated, when we were talking about pensions, “The pension reforms are acceptable, seeing that the age change will only take place after 2023 or 2029, allowing the next generation to prepare, and thus manage their economies of scale accordingly”.

Our seniors are realists.

We are also eliminating the application process for OAS and GIS, which has been warmly received by many constituents who contacted my office.

I support changes for the sustainability of the OAS program on behalf of residents in my riding who may need the OAS in future years.

I would ask all hon. colleagues to support Bill C-38, a positive, reasonable plan that encourages job creation and growth within sound fiscal principles and without reducing transfer to persons. It is the right plan for Palliser, for Saskatchewan and for Canada.

Thanks to our elected majority government, I am excited for the opportunities facing Saskatchewan and Canada as our government works to allow businessed to flourish and families and communities to grow and strengthen.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:30 p.m.
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NDP

Ève Péclet NDP La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, I heard the hon. member talking about trade. I have two very simple questions for him.

Make no mistake: the United States is currently our largest trade partner. I know that the government wants to distance itself and all that, but what is the meaning of this? The government has announced $143 million in cuts to border services. This will have an impact on the safety of Canadians and on wait times at the Canadian border, and it will have a direct impact on our small and medium-sized businesses. How are these cuts supposed to improve trade with our largest trading partner?

The government has also announced millions of dollars of cuts to consular services in the United States, South America and Europe. The hon. member spoke of a free trade agreement with the European Union and other free trade agreements. These cuts show that Canada is not at all interested, because the cuts to consular services will hinder our economic relations with other countries. I would like the hon. member to tell us how these cuts are going to allow Canada to improve—

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:35 p.m.
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Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Order. I have to interrupt the hon. member because time is limited.

The hon. member for Palliser.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:35 p.m.
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Conservative

Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the mini address. It was very well put but I am afraid I am not quite sure how to respond to it because changes at the border are in a state of flux. That is the best we can say. Nothing has been formulated to really exclude or include different aspects of trade with the U.S.A. The latest information I have is that it continues to be our largest trading partner, so I guess things are not going too bad between America and Canada.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:35 p.m.
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Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, there are many aspects of the budget I could talk about, and many other aspects I could talk about with regard to the 70-plus pieces of legislation that the government would be changing through the back door with this budget.

There is one issue that kind of eats at a lot of Canadians, and that is an issue of credibility. The Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence have talked a great deal about the need to replace the F-18, something the Liberal Party agrees with. There is a need to replace the F-18. Where we disagree is with the manner in which it has been done.

There has been a great deal of deception from the government to Canadians. At some point, it said $9 billion was going to be the cost, and we are finding out that the cost is going to be more than double that.

My question to the member is this. How can Canadians believe the numbers the government is purporting to talk about on issues like the deficit, when it has really made a whole mess, and there is evidence to show it misled Canadians on the pricing of the F-35 contract? Why should Canadians believe the budget document is a legitimate document in the first place?

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:35 p.m.
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Conservative

Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly glad I had the opportunity to speak first, because mini questions one and two have pretty well eaten up most of the time.

To answer my hon. colleague as best I can, I would say that the F-35 has been adjudicated by people who fly aircraft. We are talking about fighter pilots and those who train fighter pilots. I am referring to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, the base that trains all the pilots who are trained in Canada.

In discussion with pilots at the base, fighter pilot students and trainers, as well as others from the Winnipeg operation, I am given to understand that there is no plane that equals the F-35 in any which way, regardless of the fact that it is a single-engine plane.

I am not a pilot. I have to accept the word of experts. I do not profess to be an expert, but I know experts. That is their take on it, that we as a country should be looking very carefully at that aircraft because as far as they are concerned it is still the best one.

As far as whether the plane has been tested, it is still in the developmental phases. It has not been tested. Therefore, I am at a loss as to why we would think we could put a price tag on it when it is still in the developmental process. That plane actually being on the production line is a few months or maybe a few years away.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity ActGovernment Orders

May 8th, 2012 / 1:35 p.m.
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Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, the short title of the bill includes long-term prosperity, and so we must discuss in my speech funding for basic research, because that is very important for our future prosperity. There has been a trend toward less and less funding for basic research under the government.

Allow me to take a little bit of time to talk about basic research, what it is and why it is important, because I do not know if it has ever been explained in detail in this House by somebody who has spent many years working on it.

What is basic research? It starts with curiosity. Scientists are human beings. They are passionate people. Why is it that scientists spend so much time and work so hard, like crazy, to try to figure out things and discover things? It is because they have passion. We cannot have scientists who are simply told, “Check one, two and three and see which one works the best”. Scientists work best when they do practical work in the world but they are allowed to step back and ask why things are the way they are and they are given the resources and are encouraged to try to answer that question.

Second, basic research is about finding a complete understanding, making logical sense of the world around us. There is a famous paper entitled “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural World” by physicist Eugene Wigner. In mathematics, in any logical system, any falsehood causes the entire logical edifice to fall apart. If we translate that into the natural world, any little inconsistency or oddity is worth sorting out, because it can lead to dramatic new understanding.

There are some really good examples of that. In the discovery of insulin, people noticed that when the pancreas of a dog was taken out, flies would be attracted to the sugar in the urine of dogs. In the discovery of stem cells, people noticed that there were little clumps of cells of different types on the spleens of irradiated mice. The study of the difference between theoretical models and actual measurements of the neutrino flux from the sun led to a complete changing of our understanding, our model for the physical universe and of the cosmos.

I mention these three examples because they are related to basic research that was done in Canada.

If we look very closely at nature, we find that there is always a lot more going on than we think. Science will surprise us, but after we have worked in research, we get used to that. It is why it is always possible to keep discovering new and important things.

That leads to the last thing about basic research, which is that it gives us hope for fundamental changes that will lead to a better life. It is not just technology or medicine; it is about learning better ways to take care of one another, better ways to communicate and co-operate, cleaner and more enduring ways to be prosperous and also for society to realize the real tangible value of intellectually honest pursuits of the truth. There is that value of basic research that I think is important.

The knowledge that comes out of basic research is like a piece of LEGO, a hard piece of plastic, hard, reliable, but it also has a history of dramatically changing the world. Knowledge is not really in books, journals and PowerPoint slides. It is in the minds of people. Basic research is where we train a lot of our graduate students who have the skills and acquire the knowledge, the experience in the ways of looking at the world and the discipline and rigour of working in scientific research, which they can then carry on and use elsewhere in their careers to benefit all of society.

Basic research produces models. It allows us to explain patterns we observe, and we need models. For example, if we want to sequester carbon dioxide underground, a rather important subject, we have to ask ourselves: Do we understand basic geology enough to be able to model the behaviour of that carbon dioxide underground for thousands of years?

The last thing I would say is that basic research produces unexpected discoveries. The results of basic research are uncertain. By definition they are uncertain, and basic, unexpected discoveries can be game changers. An example of that is basic research that was done in my riding on the ability of dissolved carbon dioxide to dissolve things, which may lead to the elimination of the need for tailings ponds in oil sands projects. Basic research can lead to a lot of unexpected things.

Why is government funding for basic research important? There are three reasons I would like to talk about today. One is that basic research leads to a public good. The market does not put a proper value on research that benefits more than just the people who do the research. There is a public good and that is why the government should get involved.

Second, the market fails when the funder of research has a commercial interest in the outcome. So in that case, sometimes private research creates ethical conflicts, and that is another time when government should step in.

Third, because basic research is intrinsically uncertain, it is intrinsically risky and small companies may not be able to take that risk, and that is another reason why a larger partner like the government should step in.

How do we know that funding for basic research in Canada has declined? We could look at the statistics, showing a decrease in funding for NSERC from $420 million in 2006 to $360 million in this year for basic research. Funding at SSHRC has declined after inflation. If we look at the success of grant applications to CIHR for basic research, it has hit 17% recently and has been going down for about a decade. Many research proposals, rated excellent by their peers, are being rejected and this is not limited to CIHR. We hear statements like, “I am appalled by the lack of the support for fundamental research in this country”. This is coming from top researchers in the country.

There is more money being spent on research, but that is money where an industrial-academic partnership is required and it is not basic research. It is a good thing to fund that, but not at the expense of basic research.

Let me give an example of one cut occurring in basic research that is pretty harmful. It is the cut to NSERC's research, technology and instrumentation grants program. This is funding that allows researchers to buy medium-sized equipment. As an analogy, instead of cutting from ten carpenters to nine carpenters, it is like keeping the ten carpenters but not letting them buy any tools. That is the problem with the RTI program. That is why researchers are furious about this grants program being cut. One researcher says:

Without the possibility to maintain and expand these fairly inexpensive research tools, my research will grind to a halt, in turn losing my ability to support the training of highly qualified personnel....

Another researcher says:

The changes to NSERC under the...government have been incredibly destructive, and the RTI cut will be an unmitigated disaster.... If this plan goes forward, then when these essential tools inevitably reach the end of their life, so will my research.

So what could we do besides spend more money? People have been saying we do spend a good amount of money on basic research, but we do not seem to be reaping the economic benefits. What needs to be done already exists out there, and one example of that is something called the GreenCentre in my riding. That is a centre in which there are dedicated scientists who are familiar with the basic research that is done at universities, the discovery centres out there. They look at the discoveries and they are trained to detect or decide on discoveries that may have a commercial application. They talk to their industrial partners and get some advice on which discoveries could be commercialized, and they work to commercialize those discoveries.

So it is not just people in industry saying they have a problem and they want to get the government to pay for a university researcher to figure it out for them. It is unlocking the value that is already there in the research that is at our universities.

In conclusion, we know that businesses do not spend enough on research and development in Canada, and money spent on research does not appear to be affecting rates of innovation and commercialization of research as much as it should. That is because we need a better strategy. We need to not ignore the value of basic research or to cut basic research, but we need to invest our efforts in pushing out the value of the discoveries we already have made in basic research, our world-leading capacity in basic research, and we need to push that out into the marketplace instead of letting everything be driven by industry asking researchers to change what they are doing and simply solve problems of industry.