House of Commons Hansard #175 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was panama.

Topics

Radiocommunication ActPrivate Members' Business

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Mr. Speaker, I only have two minutes, so I will not delve into the core of the speech I intended to deliver. However, I would like to address a point raised by the member for Ajax—Pickering. He mentioned that it was very important for safety, for civil emergencies, that we have cell towers so communications could be facilitated in these situations.

Indeed, that is very much the case. I fail to understand how the bill would prevent the installation of cell towers in a network intended to, among other things, provide a communications system for first responders. As I understand it, the government already has the power to expropriate. For a telecommunications provider to put up a tower, it needs a licence from Industry Canada. Industry Canada will give the licence, if there are no objections, to a tower going in a specific place in a municipality and it will wait for the parties to agree on a some suitable location before issuing a licence.

However, in cases where a tower is required for the communications network to be complete and for first responders to have access to a complete telecommunications system, even if there is no agreement among the parties, I believe the government has the right to expropriate in certain circumstances, namely, where it believes the public interest is at stake.

Radiocommunication ActPrivate Members' Business

2:30 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

The time provided for consideration of private members' business has now expired, and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the order paper.

It being 2:30 p.m., the House stands adjourned until next Monday at 11 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 2:30 p.m.)