Debates of Oct. 22nd, 2012

Aboriginal Affairs

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, I have heard first-hand from first nations who have expressed frustration with the complicated and lengthy land designation process.

We know that land designation is an important tool for economic development on reserve. Can the minister please tell the House what the government is doing to assist first nations to unlock the economic potential of their land?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.

I am pleased to report that we proposed amendments that would speed up the process to designate reserve lands, as part of the jobs and growth act 2012. These changes would increase economic development opportunities and reduce red tape for first nations.

We continue to create the conditions for first nations to participate more fully in Canada's economy, so that they can achieve the prosperity they seek and Canada needs.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has to decide whether the Conservatives retaliated against the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.

The Conservatives do not like to be told that they are discriminating against aboriginal children. However, discrimination is clearly happening, and it must be eliminated immediately with sufficient funding.

Why does the government attack those who do not agree with it? Why does it defame them? Why shoot the messenger instead of fixing the problem?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the member's allegations are completely false.

Funding for child and family services has increased by 25% since 2006. This includes a new prevention model, which is now being implemented to benefit first nation families and children on reserve. We continue to work in partnership to ensure that children and families have the support they need.

Treaties

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled, ”Exchange of Notes between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America constituting an agreement amending Chapter 4 of Annex IV of the Treaty between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America concerning Pacific Salmon”, done at Washington on October 15 and 16, 2012. An exploratory memorandum is included with the treaty.

Justice and Human Rights

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr.Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (elder abuse).

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with an amendment.

Justice

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

As we are in the midst of debating Bill S-7 in this House, I am pleased to present a petition with respect to the report and recommendations of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security of the House of Commons of 2009, concerning the cases of Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muyyed Nurredin.

The petition calls on the House of Commons to demand that the Prime Minister act immediately on those recommendations and bring a much-needed measure of justice and closure to these cases.

Foreign Aid

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents of Toronto who draw to the attention of the House that Canadian values, including the rule of law, equality and accessible education are well-known, cherished and sought after worldwide. They state that as a nation with a reputation for being a peacekeeper, Canada has a duty to reach out and improve the conditions of nations ravaged by war. They also state that promoting positive Canadian values, such as the rule of law and human rights while delivering humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, will benefit Afghanis by advancing security and improving regional diplomacy. They also state that investing in the future of Afghanistan's children and youth through the development of programming in education and health has the capability to improve future living conditions for Afghanis.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to continue funding Canadian aid and development programs in Afghanistan.

Access to Medicines

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to present a petition signed by over 700 people from my riding of Wellington—Halton Hills.

The petitioners live in and around, I should add, my riding of Wellington—Halton Hills. They are calling on the House to pass Bill C-398 which would facilitate the distribution of generic medicines to developing countries in Africa.

Community Access Program

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition on behalf of many Ottawa residents who are urging the government to reinstate funding to the community access program. The signatures on this petition were collected by the South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre, which I am fortunate enough to have in my riding of Ottawa South.

Sadly, the Conservative government, according to the petitioners, is disconnecting Canadians from their communities, from business opportunities and from government services. They are shutting people out of the online conversations that are shaping our society. I am pleased to table this petition this afternoon.

The Environment

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table today.

Nothing could really be more important than the preservation of freshwater in this country. That is why thousands upon thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to coast have signed a petition calling on the federal government to recognize the importance of the Experimental Lakes Area and reverse the decision to close the ELA research station. I present that to the House today.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, Canadians continue to be concerned about the Conservative government's plans for immigration and refugees as expressed in Bill C-31. This petition widely criticizes the government and raises several concerns about this issue. I would like to table that today as well.

Rights of the Unborn

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition stating that Canada's 400-year-old definition of a human being says that a child does not become a human being until the moment of complete birth, which is contrary to 21st century medical evidence, and that Parliament has the solemn duty to reject any law that says that some human beings are not human.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons and Parliament assembled to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of our Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by thousands of people across Saskatchewan who are concerned about the closure of the Prairie shelterbelt program, including, specifically, the tree farm at Indian Head that is part of the budget cuts that are going forward.

The people who have signed the petition are from places like Abernethy, Lemberg, Balcarres, Lake Alma, Beaubier, Radville, and so forth. They call upon the Prime Minister to reverse his decision to discontinue the funding of the Prairie shelterbelt program and they want that program to be allowed to continue contributing to the sustainability of Canada's agriculture and the environment.

Katimavik

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present today.

The first petition is from people in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Bonnyville, St. Albert and Lac La Biche in Alberta who are calling upon the government to restore federal money for Katimavik.

Health

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from people in Leduc, Edmonton, Calgary, Fort Saskatchewan, Red Deer, St. Albert, Spruce Grove and Nanton who support Bill C-393, the bill to reform Canada's access to medicines regime to provide affordable, life-saving generic medicines to developing nations.

Poverty

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from Albertans calling on the government to stop muzzling government scientists, to reverse the cuts to science research and to restore the National Council of Welfare and the First Nations Statistical Institute.

Health

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present four petitions today.

The first petition calls upon the House of Commons to pass Bill C-398 without significant amendments to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.

The Grandmothers Advocacy Network has been hard at work gathering signatures.

Fisheries Act

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition to present in which the petitioners state that since destruction is the most common reason for a species decline and extinction, it is critical that any changes to the Fisheries Act do not jeopardize the ecosystem upon which future generations depend simply to provide short-term profits for a few.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the House of Commons to keep section 35(1) of the Fisheries Act as it is currently written, with its emphasis on habitat protection.

Falun Gong

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present petitions calling upon the government to publicly condemn the Chinese government's persecution against Falun Gong and to help rescue the listed family members of Canadians who are incarcerated for their belief in Falun Gong.

Public Transit

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the last petition I have to present, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to enact a Canada public transit strategy.

Employment Insurance

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to present two petitions. The first has to do with employment insurance and the government's proposed changes, which will be very harmful to the seasonal workers in my riding. These workers will have to travel for about an hour to find a job that often does not exist. The people of my riding are calling on this government to reconsider those changes.

Health

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of grandmothers and others from the Tantramar area of my constituency, around Sackville, who are very concerned about access to life-saving generic medicines in Africa and other developing countries.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to support Bill C-398 which, in my view, would do a great deal to encourage Canadians to support these people in very difficult circumstances.

The Environment

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, following on from my Davenport colleague, I rise to present a petition from dozens of people, mostly from Toronto, calling upon the government to reverse the decision to close the ELA.

Canadians, like the petitioners, wish the government to remember that without a 28-year Experimental Lakes Area experiment on the effects of acid rain on lakes, sulphur dioxide emissions would not have been curbed by Canada and the U.S. through treaties and statutes, or without an ELA experiment on algal blooms, we would still have lakes choking to death as they were in the 1960s.

What major findings could be next if the ELA were to live on?

The petitioners ask the government to give the ELA a new lease on life.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I, too, am tabling a petition concerning the Experimental Lakes Area. Many people are very concerned about our lakes, rivers and bodies of water and they are calling upon the government to reverse its cuts to the ELA and, in particular, to recognize the importance of the ELA to the government in studying, preserving and protecting our aquatic ecosystems, and to continue to staff and provide the financial resources necessary to support the ELA.