Debates of May 11th, 1999

Order In Council Appointments

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a number of order in council appointments which were recently made by the government.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 110(1), these are deemed referred to the appropriate standing committees, a list of which is attached.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to 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 three petitions.

Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of the citizens of the greater Peterborough area who are concerned about drinking and driving. The petitioners point out that an average of 4.5 Canadians are killed and 125 Canadians seriously injured every day as a result of alcohol related vehicular crashes.

The petitioners pray that parliament immediately amend the Criminal Code to streamline the judicial process and to provide sanctions that better reflect the seriousness of the crime and to commit to formal reviews of impaired driving legislation to determine the efficacy of the law in reducing drinking and driving and the deaths, injuries and social costs that it generates.

[Tom Wappel, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions from various areas. The first petition is from the Toronto-Mississauga area. The second petition is primarily from Lethbridge, Alberta. The third petition is from Scarborough and other areas, including Calgary. All of the petitions deal with Bill C-225, an act to amend the Marriage Act (Prohibited Degrees) and the Interpretation Act so as to define in statute that a marriage can only be entered into between a single male and a single female.

The petitioners pray that parliament adopt this law.

[Tony Valeri, Liberal, Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by my constituents of Stoney Creek who call upon parliament to ask the Department of Citizenship and Immigration to review existing income requirements so that potential sponsors will not be unduly burdened by them. The petitioners request that more than one person be allowed to sponsor the same individual and share the responsibility for financial support of the immigrant.

Questions On The Order Paper

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, Question No. 215 will be answered today. .[Text]

Question No. 215—

[John Duncan, Reform, Vancouver Island North, BC]

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 1998, what is the breakdown by line item and business line of all expenditures comprised in the amount of $6.5 million under vote 10 in the Natural Resources Canada's performance report “Promoting Canada's International Interests” for all categories, which would include any estimates of travel, operating and capital expenses, grants and contributions, salaries or benefits?

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

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

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill C-78, an act to establish the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, to amend the Public Service Superannuation Act, the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act, the Defence Services Pension Continuation Act, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act, the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act and the Canada Post Corporation Act and to make a consequential amendment to another act, as reported (with amendments) from the committee.

Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act

[The Deputy Speaker]

There are 54 motions in amendment in the Notice Paper concerning the report stage of Bill C-78.

The motions will be grouped for debate as follows.

Group No. 1, Motions Nos. 1 to 14, 31, 32, 40 and 48.

Group No. 2, Motions Nos. 15, 17 to 30.

Group No. 3, Motions Nos. 16, 38, 39, 46, 47 and 54.

Group No. 4, Motions Nos. 33 to 37, 41 to 45, 49 to 53.

The voting patterns for the motions within each group are available at the table. The Chair will remind the House of each pattern at the time of voting.

I will now put Motions Nos. 1 to 14, 31, 32, 40 and 48 to the House.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 1

That Bill C-78, in Clause 5, be amended by replacing lines 9 to 13 on page 4 with the following:

“(4) Where the Minister proposes to make changes to pension plan design or funding with respect to a pension plan created under an Act referred to in paragraph 4(1)(a), the Minister shall consult the Pension Management Board established by the Act that created the plan.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved:

Motion No. 2

That Bill C-78, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing line 17 on page 5 with the following:

“and ethical investment policies, standards and proce-”

Motion No. 3

That Bill C-78, in Clause 7, be amended by replacing line 18 on page 5 with the following:

“dures for each fund that the Board manages with specific instructions that the fund shall not invest in any industry that is or may be associated with

(i) pollution or environmental degradation,

(ii) labour standards and practices which are inferior to those required by law in this country,

(iii) any practice or activity that may result in the elimination or contracting-out of the jobs of members of the plan, or

(iv) any aspect of the sale, manufacture, or promotion of tobacco or tobacco products.”

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

moved:

Motion No. 4

That Bill C-78, in Clause 7, be amended by adding after line 18 on page 5 the following:

“(a.1) establish contact with the actuary or actuaries of each fund that the Board manages and maintain that contact on an on- going basis;”

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 5

That Bill C-78, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing lines 20 and 21 on page 7 with the following:

“dations from Board established by subsection 41(1) of the Public Service”

Motion No. 6

That Bill C-78, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing lines 20 and 21 on page 7 with the following:

“received recommendations from the Board established by subsection 49.1(1)”

Motion No. 7

That Bill C-78, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing lines 26 and 27 on page 7 with the following:

“received recommendations from the Board established by subsection 25.1(1)”

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

moved:

Motion No. 8

That Bill C-78, in Clause 10, be amended by adding after line 29 on page 7 the following:

“(1.1) A copy of the appointment of a chairperson by the Minister under paragraph (1)(a) shall be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the next 15 days during which that House is sitting.”

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved:

Motion No. 9

That Bill C-78 be amended by adding after line 9 on page 15 the following new clause:

“27.1 The Auditor General of Canada shall be the primary auditor of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.”

Motion No. 10

That Bill C-78, in Clause 28, be amended by replacing line 10 on page 15 with the following:

“28. The audit committee shall be responsible for presenting all records of all financial activity of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board to the Auditor General on an annual basis. In addition, the audit committee shall”

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

moved:

Motion No. 11

That Bill C-78, in Clause 31, be amended by adding after line 25 on page 16 the following:

“(a.1) establish contact with the actuary or actuaries of each fund that the Board manages and maintain that contact on an on- going basis;”

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved:

Motion No. 12

That Bill C-78, in Clause 32, be amended by replacing line 3 on page 17 with the following:

“subsidiaries shall adhere to, ethical investment poli-”

Motion No. 13

That Bill C-78, in Clause 36, be amended by replacing line 2 on page 19 with the following:

“auditor's report to be prepared and presented to the Auditor General of Canada, in respect of”

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 14

That Bill C-78, in Clause 49, be amended by replacing lines 30 to 34 on page 26 with the following:

“the members of the three Boards established respectively under subsection 49.1(1) of the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, subsection 41(1) of the Public Service Superannuation Act and subsection 25.1(1) of the Royal”

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 31

That Bill C-78, in Clause 90, be amended

(a) by replacing lines 1 to 16 on page 69 with the following:

“41. (1) There is established a Board to be known as the Public Service Pension Management Board.

(2) Despite any other provision in this Act, the Board established by subsection (1) shall be responsible for designing the pension plan to which this Act applies, its funding, managing the plan's surplus or deficit, administering the plan and ensuring that the plan's funding level is adequate to deliver pension benefits.”

(b) by replacing line 17 on page 69 with the following:

“(3) The membership of the Board established by subsection (1) shall”

(c) by replacing line 36 on page 69 with the following:

“(5) The Board established by subsection (1) shall recom-”

[John Williams, Reform, St. Albert, AB]

moved:

Motion No. 32

That Bill C-78, in Clause 90, be amended by adding after line 31 on page 69 the following:

“(3.1) a copy of every appointment made by the Governor in Council in accordance with paragraph (3)(a) or (c) shall be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the next 15 days during which that House is sitting.”

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 40

That Bill C-78, in Clause 145, be amended

(a) by replacing lines 38 to 45 on page 123 and lines 1 to 8 on page 124 with the following:

“49.1 (1) The Minister shall establish a Board to be known as the Canadian Forces Pension Management Board, the members of which are appointed by the Minister in accordance with subsection (2).

(1.1) Despite any other provision in this Act, the Board established by subsection (1) shall be responsible for designing the pension plan to which this Act applies, its funding, managing the plan's surplus or deficit, administering the plan and ensuring that the plan's funding level is adequate to deliver pension benefits.”

(b) by replacing line 9 on page 124 with the following:

“(2) The membership of the Board established by subsection (1) shall”

(c) by replacing, in the English version, line 43 on page 124 with the following:

“(3) A member of the Board established by subsection (1) shall be”

(d) by replacing line 1 on page 125 with the following:

“(3.1) The Board established by subsection (1) shall recom-”

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

moved:

Motion No. 48

That Bill C-78, in Clause 192, be amended

(a) by replacing lines 23 to 38 on page 173 with the following:

“25.1 (1) The Minister shall establish a Board to be known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Management Board, the members of which are appointed by the Minister in accordance with subsection (2).

(1.1) The Board established by subsection (1) shall be responsible for designing the pension plan to which this Act applies, its funding, managing the plan's surplus or deficit, administering the plan and ensuring the plan's funding level is adequate to deliver pension benefits'.”

(b) by replacing line 39 on page 173 with the following:

“(2) The membership of the Board established by subsection (1) shall”

(c) by replacing, in the English version, line 14 on page 174 with the following:

“(3) A member of the Board established by subsection (1) shall be”

(d) by replacing line 19 on page 174 with the following:

“(3.1) The Board established by subsection (1) shall recom-”