Bill S-201 (Historical)

National Philanthropy Day Act

An Act respecting a National Philanthropy Day

National Philanthropy Day Act

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I admit that I heard a no, but I did not hear a no from inside the House. I heard a no from a stranger outside the House. If you ask the people in the House now—

[An hon. member]

This is not a charade.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Frankly, what we are about to witness is an extension of the charade. We heard a no, I admit it, but we heard a no from a stranger outside the House.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I appreciate the intervention by the hon. member for Ottawa—Orléans on this matter. In fact, for voice votes members will know that members do not necessarily have to be in their appointed seats, as long as they are in the chamber. Members will also know that if the Chair senses that there is not consent for a motion, there is no consent, which is what I declared, and then we proceed.

The hon. member for Winnipeg North is rising on the same point of order?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, I do think we have to be delicate in how we deal with this matter.

When my colleague asked to have the motion passed, and when you canvassed the House to see if in fact there was anyone opposed to it, I, too, was listening and did not hear anyone within the chamber. I did hear someone yell no from the other side of the door, and that was after the question was put.

I would ask that we find out if there were anyone inside the chamber, because to my understanding, no one was inside the chamber when you posed the question.

It would be a terrible precedent for us to allow people outside of the legislative chamber to deny the opportunity to see this particular motion pass in the manner that has been suggested. Therefore, I would ask that if there were someone inside the chamber who said no, we get that reaffirmed.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I thank the hon. member.

I will get to the member for Terrebonne—Blainville momentarily.

To the member for Winnipeg North, indeed, as he acknowledged, there are in fact two questions. The first question is to get the consent of the House that the motion be proposed. The second question is whether it is the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion, at which point at least one member who was in the House, and I appreciate that the member may not have been able to see that from his vantage point, did say no at the time. That member was in the House at the time. That is why I declared the fact there was no consent.

The hon. member for Terrebonne—Blainville is rising on the same point of order.

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to say that I am not a stranger. I am an elected member of this House.

I was indeed inside the chamber and I said “no” loudly and clearly. The Speaker can confirm this. He saw me. I was physically present in the House. This could resolve the matter.

However, I repeat, I am not a stranger.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Is the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage rising on the same point?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, just quickly on a point of order, I would simply say that this is about a national philanthropy day. The Canadian public wants to know why it is so important that the government move very fast to get its agenda through the House. If the NDP cannot even approve quickly a national philanthropy day--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Order, please.

That is really not a point of order. It is a matter of debate as to the facts.

We are resuming debate.

The hon. member for Brampton—Springdale.

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today and speak in support of Bill S-201, which would designate November 15 of every year as National Philanthropy Day. This official designation would enact into law the government's 2009 declaration that November 15 be known as National Philanthropy Day in Canada.

While underscoring the government's commitment to supporting philanthropy and volunteerism, I would point out that volunteerism is woven into the very fabric of Canadian society. Indeed, one of the remarkable characteristics of Canadians is their willingness to give their time, money and skills for the wellbeing of others and their communities. The generosity of Canadians as individuals and as a nation is a recognized part of the identity defining us all.

The Government of Canada has shown its commitment to promoting volunteerism through the creation of the Prime Minister's volunteer awards. These awards honour Canadians who are making extraordinary contribution to their communities, their regions and, of course, our country. Announced in January 2011, these awards were established to inspire Canadians to find ways to make a difference in their communities and to recognize the contribution of volunteers and reinforce their importance.

I will expand a bit on these awards, as they illustrate the many forms that Canadian volunteer contribution can take. In total, 17 awards are presented: 2 national awards and 15 regional awards. One of the national awards recognizes life-long achievement and is awarded to volunteers who have demonstrated significant dedication and have volunteered for 20 years or more. The other national award is for emerging leaders who have volunteered for less than three years and who are building stronger communities through exceptional voluntary leadership. The regional awards recognize community leaders, businesses and business leaders, and social innovators. The awards recognize individuals or groups who have provided an exceptional contribution to their community, who demonstrate social responsibility and who use innovative ideas and approaches to improve their ability to respond to social challenges. Awards are an occasion for this government to pay tribute to the generosity of individuals, companies and organizations, all of whom contribute to our country and inspire Canadians to take an active role and make a difference in their own communities.

As all members of this House know, Canadians are also generous in giving beyond our borders. When a need arises or a disaster strikes in a foreign country, the Government of Canada, Canadian organizations and individual Canadians all respond. They respond with an outpouring of monetary donations, food, clothing and direct assistance on the ground in affected areas. This past October, our government acted to provide assistance to those affected by flooding in Nigeria. After heavy rains in August and September, Nigeria experienced its worst flooding in more than 40 years. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by the flooding and schools in affected areas have been closed. The Government of Canada partnered with the Red Cross to alleviate the suffering and help those who were impacted by providing housing and working to meet the immediate needs of those most affected.

Moreover, the Government of Canada announced in August 2012 that it would provide matching funds, dollar for dollar, for donations made to registered Canadian charities responding to the crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa. To date, the government has made a contribution of $10 million to the Sahel crisis matching fund, which will support humanitarian agencies as they provide food, emergency health care, clean water and sanitation to those in need.

When Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake in 2010, Canadians also took action. The Government of Canada created a matching fund campaign to encourage the generosity of Canadians. Canadians donated $220 million to eligible Canadian charitable organizations in support of Haiti. That amount was matched dollar for dollar by the government. Canadian organizations constructed transitional shelters, provided clean drinking water and vaccinated children to protect them from diseases.

The support to Haiti continues to this day. The Government of Canada is helping to revitalize the national agricultural sector in Haiti to increase income and food security, while also investing in the future of the nation by providing hot meals to children at schools around the country. Our government is also helping to strengthen health services at the community level by increasing the number of medical care facilities and the number health professionals in Haiti.

All across Canada and in many countries around the world, Canadians are hard at work and donating financially to provide comfort, relief and hope to others. Devoted Canadian volunteers are working long hours in difficult and often very dangerous conditions to improve the lives of those in need.

Every person who gives, either through grand or small gestures, is having an impact and touching lives. These people are an inspiration to us all and by recognizing November 15 as National Philanthropy Day, we are promoting recognition of the value of philanthropy and honouring those who are generously donating, volunteering and, to quote His Excellency the Governor General, building our strong and caring nation.

Once again, I want to thank all hon. members for allowing me the opportunity to speak on this important piece of legislation.

[Marc-André Morin, NDP, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, when 850,000 people rely on food banks for their groceries, it is time for this government to thank those who provide the food, rather than brag about its achievements.

I am honoured to rise here today to support Bill S-201, An Act respecting a National Philanthropy Day.

Six other, similar bills have been introduced in this House. Unfortunately, they all died on the order paper.

Like all of my NDP colleagues, I support this measure and I hope that all members of this House will do the same.

It is high time that Canadian philanthropists and volunteers were recognized thanks to National Philanthropy Day on November 15. I also hope that this recognition will serve to make the public more aware of the importance of philanthropy.

Despite the wonderful prosperity we are heading towards, some of our most vulnerable citizens are being left behind.

Volunteers and philanthropists give their time and energy to take care of those less fortunate. They do so with tremendous dedication. If governments took on those responsibilities, it would cost the state billions of dollars—$71.9 billion, to be exact, according to Statistics Canada, or 7.8% of the GDP. That is more than the automotive or manufacturing industry. Granting these people one day of recognition is the least we could do.

The riding of Laurentides—Labelle is a model of solidarity and community spirit. It has a multitude of community resources for various aspects of the lives of its residents: organizations for youth and for the elderly, for the food, accommodation, education and environment sectors, and for international solidarity.

In the Antoine-Labelle RCM alone, there are more than 250 non-profit organizations run by volunteer boards of directors.

If the children of unemployed workers who are not receiving benefits have something to eat, it is no thanks to the sensitivity of the minister, for whom the penny dropped at the last minute just in time to patch up her botched reform. It is rather thanks to the volunteers of an organization in Antoine-Labelle called La Manne du jour, which collects donations from businesses and residents. In 2011, the organization helped to feed 1,229 people, including 465 children. This was the result of 11,110 hours of volunteer effort.

With the current investigations into corruption and collusion, there are too many stories making the rounds about elected representatives, business people and entrepreneurs undermining the well-being of society to line their own pockets and boost their status.

Fortunately, there are still people in this world who are willing to set their own personal comforts aside to devote their energy to ensuring that everyone can live in dignity.

These people are working to create a better world, which makes up for the others who are motivated by competition and personal ambition.

Canada has 160,000 non-profit and charitable organizations, more than half of which are run entirely by volunteers.

I unreservedly support Bill S-201. However, I would add that simply establishing National Philanthropy Day is not enough. Giving recognition on paper to these volunteers is only a first step towards proper recognition for what they do all the time, and the resources and tireless efforts they deploy to help society and to build a better world. This initial step needs to be followed by concrete action.

We need to face reality and look at the other side of the coin. Establishing Philanthropy Day is hypocritical given the cuts now being made by the Conservative government.

It is indeed distressing to see that at the very moment we are speaking of establishing National Philanthropy Day, philanthropic organizations are having their funding curtailed.

The government talks about austerity when it makes cuts to assistance programs for the poor. It talks about cuts as though they were a magic solution to economic problems. Many charities and non-profit organizations face financial uncertainty and wonder how they can meet the growing demands of Canadians living in precarious circumstances.

In the context of these draconian cuts, we also see partisan selection at work. Some organizations remain excluded; some are greatly disadvantaged by the selection and grants process, while others experience outright interference, which forces them to abandon their work. The volunteer sector is more than neglected by the Conservative government.

We have to wonder about the future of philanthropy and determine what direction we want to take. We must not send a contradictory message, by proposing to establish a National Philanthropy Day on the one hand and making serious cuts to grants to philanthropic organizations on the other. That simply makes no sense. I sincerely believe in the benefits of philanthropy and in establishing a National Philanthropy Day to recognize the work of all those men and women. I also believe it is necessary to offer more resources, to them and to the organizations with which they work.

I would therefore call upon the government to pass this bill. However, I would ask it to take action by introducing specific measures. As we have not yet entirely solved the social problems of Canadians, and as they are not all young and healthy, it is time for the government to take a serious interest in all these philanthropists and volunteers who are striving to correct the government's mistakes and negligent acts. Philanthropists and volunteers deserve real assistance to help them continue their work. Otherwise our entire society will lose out.

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. A few minutes ago the member for Terrebonne—Blainville had an outburst in the chamber. I would like to know if you could review the blues to determine if the words that she was using as she left the chamber were unparliamentary.

[The Acting Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I thank the hon. member for his intervention. I did not hear anything unparliamentary. I certainly take the point under advisement.

The hon. member for Terrebonne—Blainville has the floor on the same point of order.