House of Commons Hansard #167 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was amendments.

Topics

Auditor General of CanadaRoutine Proceedings

October 23rd, 2012 / 10 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

I have the honour to lay upon the table the fall 2012 Report of the Auditor General of Canada.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this document is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Commissioner of LobbyingRoutine Proceedings

10 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Pursuant to section 10.5 of the Lobbying Act, it is my duty to present to the House a report on investigation from the Commissioner of Lobbying.

Foreign AffairsRoutine Proceedings

10 a.m.

South Shore—St. Margaret's Nova Scotia

Conservative

Gerald Keddy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement to Amend the Free Trade Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Chile, Done at Santiago on 5 December 1996, as Amended, Between the Government of Canada and the Government of The Republic of Chile”, done at Santiago on April 16, 2012.

An explanatory memorandum is included with the treaty.

Office of the Correctional InvestigatorRoutine Proceedings

10 a.m.

Portage—Lisgar Manitoba

Conservative

Candice Bergen ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in both official languages the 2011-2012 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator, as required under section 192 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.

Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10 a.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999Routine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-455, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (electronic products recycling program).

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill entitled an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (electronic products recycling program), with thanks to my seconder, the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca.

The bill would ensure that all electronic products containing toxic substances sold in Canada would be disposed of and recycled in a responsible manner. Electronics are ubiquitous in our lives today. Computers, tablets, smart phones and countless other devices help to connect us with each other and participate in the 21st century economy. However, we must use these products responsibly. We must follow the principle of sustainable development, which states that in meeting our own needs we must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

The bill is the idea of two bright young students in my riding, Kaitlyn Fung and Wilson Wu, who attend Windermere Secondary School. They submitted this idea as part of my 2012 Create Your Canada contest. I congratulate them for their initiative and work to help build a better nation. They and young people all across Canada know we must act now to ensure the health and wellbeing of future generations.

I hope all members will join me in supporting this important bill and their wonderful idea.

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

Excise Act, 2001Routine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-456, An Act to amend the Excise Act, 2001 (spirits).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for seconding my bill to reduce the excise tax on spirits by $1 per litre of absolute alcohol.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, Windsor is home to a distillery, as is my riding of Selkirk—Interlake. It is a major economic factor within our local communities.

Crown Royal, the most famous of all the Canadians whiskies, is completely made in Gimli, Manitoba, and is the number one export whisky around the world.

There are only four major whiskies in the world and Canadian rye whisky is world-renowned and is an iconic part of our heritage and culture.

Unfortunately, when we drink a rye and Coke, we are paying twice as much in excise tax versus beer or wine. Therefore, it is about time that we provide the same type of tax breaks to the distillery industry, so that spirits can be manufactured, jobs created and more agriculture products bought from our farmers. Corn, wheat, barley and of course rye are major components of our whisky.

Therefore, it is important that we provide this tax incentive by reducing it by $1 per litre of alcohol. I would ask that the government act upon this as soon as we return to balanced budgets and the Government of Canada's books are in order.

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

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

York—Simcoe Ontario

Conservative

Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I hope you will find unanimous consent for the following motion.

I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, in recognition of the 100th Grey Cup, at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, the House resolve itself into Committee of the Whole in order to welcome Mark Cohon, Russ Jackson, Ave Poggione, and Bryce Russell; that the Speaker be permitted to preside over the Committee of the Whole and make welcoming remarks on behalf of the House; and, when the proceedings of the Committee have concluded or at approximately 3:15 p.m. the Committee shall rise and the House shall resume its business as though it were 3:00 p.m.

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Does the hon. House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Grey CupRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

(Motion agreed to)

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

York—Simcoe Ontario

Conservative

Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion.

I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, on any day Bill C-15 is under consideration at second reading, the House shall sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment and shall not be adjourned before such proceedings have been completed except pursuant to a motion to adjourn proposed by a Minister of the Crown.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Does the hon. House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

An hon. member

No.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

There is no unanimous consent.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

York—Simcoe Ontario

Conservative

Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 56.1, I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, on any day C-15 is under consideration at second reading, the House shall sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment and shall not be adjourned before such proceedings have been completed except pursuant to a motion to adjourn proposed by a Minister of the Crown.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Will those members who object to the motion please rise in their places?

And 25 or more members having risen:

More than 25 members having risen, the motion is deemed to have been withdrawn.

(Motion withdrawn)

KatimavikPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today on behalf of constituents in my riding to present a petition brought to me by Meghan Chorney of East Selkirk. She has collected more than 480 names in support of Katimavik and asking the government to reinstate that youth program, which she had participated in and found to be very useful in her education and awareness of issues around Canada.

Community Access ProgramPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Liberal

Judy Foote Liberal Random—Burin—St. George's, NL

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of the residents of the town of St. George's, in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

The petitioners are having great difficulty with the government's decision to cut financing for the community access program. The government having done that has caused undue hardship to so many individuals who always used the CAP sites, particularly the one at the library in St. George's, to access the Internet to do some work or some business by using that site.

A lot of those people do not own computers and have no idea how to use them, and when they go to the library, people there actually help them. We are finding their access is being limited. The province is stepping in to try to fill the void created when the federal government decided to back out.

The petitioners ask that the government reconsider this decision. This was a vital service to rural communities in particular and to people who really need that kind of support in a rural community. They are asking the government to really consider, to acknowledge how important those community access sites are and how important it is to continue to fund such sites, particularly in rural communities throughout Canada.

Rail TransportationPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple petition today from Canadians who are unhappy with cuts to VIA Rail service. They simply ask that the VIA Rail service throughout Canada that existed on January 1, 2012, be reinstated.

Experimental Lakes AreaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many Canadians asking the government to reverse its ill-advised decision to close down the Experimental Lakes Area, a program that is world-renowned, that has provided research that determines what we buy and do not buy as consumers and that has the longest monitoring record of fresh water in Canada.

The EnvironmentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. The first is from residents of the Vancouver area and coming from what was yesterday a quite spectacular gathering of 15 first nations from across British Columbia, with over 3,500 people gathered on the lawns of the Victoria legislature.

These petitioners ask that the House take action to protect the coastline of British Columbia from risky supertankers.