House of Commons Hansard #38 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was foundation.

Topics

Tabling Of Treaties ActRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-314, an act to provide for the tabling of treaties in the House of Commons.

Mr. Speaker, I presented all of the five bills during my first intervention.

I would say that Canadian practices in the negotiation, signing and ratification of treaties date from another time. In 1931, under the Statute of Westminster, Canada obtained the right and power to sign its own treaties. Unfortunately, parliament did not inherit this power.

It is my intent with this bill to change the situation so that parliament has the right it should have had since then.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Treaty Approval ActRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-315, an act to provide for the conduct of public hearings and approval by the House of Commons before the ratification of important treaties.

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue we are debating at the moment. The provinces, as we know, are free to not ratify a treaty negotiated on their behalf by the government.

The bill I am tabling is intended to require consultation with the provinces, before a treaty is ratified, as they asked.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Treaty Publication ActRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-316, an act to provide for the publication of treaties.

Mr. Speaker, we had a debate that unfortunately ended with a vote, the result of which was a disappointment to us. I am daring to try again. I am convinced that many members on both sides of the House will agree that parliament must decide the content of a treaty before it is signed. Prior to that the public should be consulted through a committee to be determined by the House.

I am convinced that this would allow us to promote something extremely important, namely democracy and democratic transparency.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Conclusion Of Treaties ActRoutine Proceedings

March 28th, 2001 / 3:20 p.m.

Bloc

Francine Lalonde Bloc Mercier, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-317, an act to provide for consultation with provincial governments when treaties are negotiated and concluded.

Mr. Speaker, this bill seeks to ensure that the House of Commons is consulted. I have neither the order nor the number of the bills, but one of them seeks to require the House of Commons to vote on the content.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Fuel Price Posting ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Guy St-Julien Liberal Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-318, an act respecting the posting of fuel prices by retailers.

Mr. Speaker, this bill has to do with the posting of fuel prices by retailers. Under this enactment, when a fuel retailer causes a poster, label or sign to be posted indicating the selling price for a fuel, the price must be indicated without regard to any taxes imposed on the consumer under an act of parliament or an act of the legislature of a province.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Canada Elections ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-319, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act (declined vote ballots).

Mr. Speaker, this bill aims at amending the Canada Elections Act. It would permit the introduction of a declined vote ballot. It would allow electors to cast a vote indicating dissatisfaction with the parties and the candidates listed on the ballot and yet register a valid vote rather than casting a spoiled vote. The affected elector would thus be able to indicate his or her wish to decline to vote for any candidate standing for election without having to spoil the ballot, as is the case now.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Income Tax ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore, NS

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-320, an act to amend the Income Tax Act (expenses incurred by care-givers).

Mr. Speaker, this is again another fine piece of legislation coming from the riding of Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore that will sweep the nation.

With the pressure on families, with what we call the sandwich generation looking after their children and elderly parents, this bill would allow caregivers the opportunity to deduct the expenses that are incurred in the care of an elderly or infirm person.

As our population ages, more and more people will require the benefits of family caregivers. The cost of caring for an infirm family member can be enormous. Without financial assistance, many families will simply be unable to provide care.

The bill would help all Canadians to make home care financially viable. I thank the Canadian Palliative Care Association and the Canadian Association for the Fifty-Plus for their expression of support for the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Farm Income Protection ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Leon Benoit Canadian Alliance Lakeland, AB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-321, an act to amend the Farm Income Protection Act (crop damage by gophers).

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate being given a second chance today on this bill because it is an important bill to farmers, ranchers and others in western Canada.

The bill entitled “an act to amend the Farm Income Protection Act (crop damage by gophers), would hopefully lead to restoring the effective poison that really works to control gophers, but which costs farmers tens of millions of dollars a year. It is an important bill for farmers, ranchers and others. I am sure the House will fully support the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Guy St-Julien Liberal Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik, QC

Mr. Speaker, on February 14, McWatters Mining Inc. closed down operations at its Sigma-Lamaque complex for an undetermined period.

Workers, their wives and residents of the RCMs of Vallée de l'Or and Abitibi-Témiscamingue note that this petition contains 139 pages and a total of 2,895 signatures, and that it is an initiative of members of the McWatters employees survival committee. In it workers on the Sigma-Lamaque and Kiena projects are calling for an immediate written and signed agreement to move highway 117. Work should begin on May 1 of this year at the latest.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present another petition on behalf of citizens of the Peterborough area who are concerned about genetically modified organisms.

They point out that genetic engineering of food plants and animals is now expanding at an extraordinary rate. It now involves the genetic engineering of the most basic building blocks of life. The long term effects of genetic engineering on human health and the global ecosystem are completely unknown. Canadian consumers have a right to know whether foods and seeds are genetically engineered.

They therefore call upon parliament to persuade the federal government to introduce clear labelling of seeds and food products that are genetically engineered so that farmers and consumers have a clear choice.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition from the citizens of the Peterborough area who want a VIA Rail link re-established between Peterborough and Toronto.

They point to the environmental benefits of this, including a great reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases. They point to other environmental benefits. They also point to cost savings to society in general in terms of car usage, damage to highways and injuries on the highways. They point out that this new route would have great economic benefits to Peterborough as a tourist and educational destination.

They call upon parliament to authorize the re-establishment of a VIA service between Peterborough and Toronto. I would point out that the members for Haliburton—Victoria—Brock, Durham and Whitby—Ajax believe that this project is on the right track.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to present a petition on genetically engineered foods. It is a good day to do so because there has been so much activity in the House on this very important matter.

The individuals signing this petition make the astute observation and wise conclusion that the government has an obligation to ensure that the food that we eat is safe. They call upon the government to impose a moratorium on further releases of genetically engineered crops and foods. They call for an immediate establishment of long term safety testing of all genetically engineered crops. They call upon the government to impose a full and mandatory labelling of all genetically engineered food.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Murray Calder Liberal Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by nearly 1,200 Canadians from nine provinces and one territory concerning the release of census records to genealogists and historians.

The petition points out that an estimated 7.5 million Canadians are engaged in the pursuit of their family history and that census records are a valuable tool for research. The records have been used in historical research and for the tracing of genetic diseases, settling of wills and estates.

The petitioners call upon parliament to take whatever steps necessary to retroactively amend the clauses of the Statistics Act since 1906 to allow the release to the public after a reasonable period of time of the post-1901 census records.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Gerald Keddy Progressive Conservative South Shore, NS

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of Katimavik, a non-governmental organization funded by Heritage Canada, which over the last 20 years has provided tremendously valuable services to our country while serving as a model to many other countries in the world.

Katimavik has provided opportunities for more than 24,000 young Canadians to grow and mature through service to over 2,000 communities across Canada while contributing many millions of hours of volunteer work valued at over $36.5 million.

For the second consecutive year, Katimavik will have to turn down nearly 5,000 registered applicants because its present budget limits the program to fewer than 1,000 participants.

The petitioners call upon parliament to urge the government to allow, within its means, all young Canadians between 17 and 21 years of age to participate in Katimavik should they so choose.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of a number of my constituents who are concerned about a proposed development that is about to occur adjoining our wonderful High Park which is in the riding.

Many of the constituents live next to the area where the proposed development will be built. They are quite concerned that this proposed development is on lands which have been designated by the Ontario ministry of natural resources as an area of natural and scientific interest.

They call on the Parliament of Canada for an environmental assessment of the proposed development to ensure that it does not affect the water table nor the water flowing into the Humber River or Lake Ontario.

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Scarborough—Rouge River Ontario

Liberal

Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member for New Brunswick Southwest will be pleased to know that written Questions Nos. 1 and 2 will be answered today. .[Text]

Question No. 1—

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

With regard to the selling of 40 Bell 212 Huey helicopters by the Department of National Defence through the brokerage services of Lancaster Aviation Inc.: ( a ) what was the asking price for each helicopter; ( b ) what is the list price for a Bell 212 Huey helicopter; ( c ) how many of the helicopters were successfully sold by Lancaster Aviation Inc.; ( d ) how much was each helicopter sold for; ( e ) what was the value of the cheque paid to Lancaster Aviation Inc. by the federal government for the commission on the helicopters' sale; ( f ) what was the value of the cheque the Government of Canada paid to Lancaster Aviation Inc. to cover any expenses Lancaster may have incurred while trying to find buyers for the helicopters; ( g ) when this contract was advertised in the Government Business Opportunities magazine, how many companies bid on it; and ( h ) what criteria made the Lancaster Aviation Inc., bid the best overall proposal?

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

York Centre Ontario

Liberal

Art Eggleton LiberalMinister of National Defence

(a) No asking price was set for the helicopters. The price obtained was dictated by the prevailing market conditions at the time of sale. Interested parties were invited to submit offers for the helicopters, which is the standard practice employed by the department's marketing agent.

(b) According to the Canadian Government catalogue of Materiel, the list price at the time of acquisition, in 1971-72, for a twin Huey helicopter was $634,000 Canadian.

(c) 40

(d) The aircraft were sold in lots. Consequently no prices were assigned to individual aircraft. The helicopters and a large quantity of spare parts were sold for a total price of $19,752,352 U.S.

(e) Lancaster Aviation was paid a commission to cover its marketing services. The amount of the commission is not releasable under the Access to Information Act, section 20(1), as the disclosure of this information would compromise the competitive position of the company.

(f) Lancaster Aviation was compensated for sevices rendered through the payment of a commission. No expenses were separately chargeable under the terms of the contract.

(g) Bids were received from six of the thirty-eight companies who had responded to the Letter of Interest advertised on the Open Bidding Service and has been sent a Request for Proposal.

(h) Lancaster's proposal met the mandatory experience, resource and financial requirements and they submitted the lowest responsive bid.

Question No. 2—

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

With regard to the selling of up to ten Challenger 600-1A11 aircraft by the Department of National Defence through the brokerage services of Lancaster Aviation Inc.: ( a ) what is current market value for a Challenger 600-1A11 airplane; ( b ) how many Challengers were sold by Lancaster Aviation Inc.; ( c ) what was the selling price of each Challenger; ( d ) what was the value of the cheque paid to Lancaster Aviation Inc. by the federal government for the commission on the Challenger sale; ( e ) what was the value of the cheque the Government of Canada paid to Lancaster Aviation Inc. to cover any expenses Lancaster may have incurred while trying to find buyers for the airplanes; ( f ) when was the Challenger contract advertised in Government Business Opportunities magazine; ( g ) how many companies bid on the Challenger contract when if was advertised in Government Business Opportunities magazine; ( h ) how many points did Lancaster Aviation Inc. receive in each section of the proposal evaluation and contractor selection criteria for the Challenger contract; and ( i ) what criteria made the Lancaster Aviation Inc. bid the best overall proposal?

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Scarborough—Rouge River Ontario

Liberal

Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

I am informed by the Departments of National Defence and Public Works and Government Services as follows:

(a) According to market surveys conducted prior to the sale of the DND Challengers, the value of aircraft of this type ranged between $3 million U.S. to $8 million U.S. depending upon aircraft condition and interior configuration.

(b) Eight.

(c) The aircraft were sold as a lot. Consequently no prices were assigned to individual aircraft. The total selling price for the lot was $30 million U.S.

(d) Lancaster Aviation Inc. was paid a commission to cover its marketing services. The amount of the commission is not releasable under the Access to Information Act, section 20(1), as the disclosure of this information would compromise the competitive position of the company.

(e) Lancaster Aviation Inc. was compensated for services rendered through the payment of a commission. No expenses were separately chargeable under the terms of the contract.

(f) There is no record of this requirement having been published in Government Business Opportunities , GBO, magazine. However, the requirement was widely advertised by means of a Notice of Proposed Procurement, NPP, for a Letter of Interest which was published on the Open Bidding Service on October 30, 1996, and closed on November 20, 1996. The NPP stated that only firms which responded to the Letter of Interest would be invited to submit a proposal.

On February 19, 1997, a Request for Proposal, RFP was sent to 38 firms which had expressed an interest in the requirement. The RFP closed on April 16, 1997, and six bids were received. On June 27, 1997, a contract was awarded to Lancaster Aviation Inc.

(g) Bids were received from six of the thirty-eight companies that had responded to the Letter of Interest advertised on the Open Bidding Service and had been sent a RFP.

(h) Five out of the six bids received, including the bid from Lancaster Aviation Inc., were found to be compliant with the requirements of the RFP and were awarded full points for the technical component. The selection of Lancaster Aviation Inc. as a contractor was made on the basis of it having offered the lowest price from among these five firms. One of the six bids did not meet the requirements of the RFP and was disqualified.

(i) Lancaster's proposal met the mandatory experience, resource and financial requirements and they submitted the lowest responsive bid.

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Derek Lee Liberal Scarborough—Rouge River, ON

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

The Speaker

Is that agreed?

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Greg Thompson Progressive Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the generosity of the parliamentary secretary but my belief is, based on a conversation we had, that the questions are complete insofar as a number of them have been answered. However not all the questions on the order paper that I submitted have been answered. Does that constitute a completion of this file? In other words, I am not sure that I will be completely happy once this is tabled. Do I have a point of order?

Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

The Speaker

I suggest that the hon. member read the answers when they are printed in Hansard tomorrow and see how happy he is. If he has a point of order, we will hear about it, I am sure. If he does not, I hope that will be the end.