House of Commons Hansard #126 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was benefits.
Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order to inform the House that Thursday, October 5, shall not be an allotted day but that Monday, October 16, shall be.
Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising out of question period. I would seek unanimous consent to move the following motion:
That, in the event of the presentation of a report by the auditor general to the Speaker during any recess, prorogation or dissolution of parliament, the Speaker would therefore be entitled to make such reports or report public immediately upon receipt from the auditor general.
I seek unanimous consent of the House to move the motion given the responses from the Prime Minister today.
Business Of The HouseOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Does the hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough have unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?
Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Scarborough—Rouge River Ontario
Liberal
Derek Lee LiberalParliamentary 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 11 petitions.
Jim Peterson LiberalSecretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 83(1) I wish to table a notice of a ways and means motion involving amendments to the Excise Tax Act in accordance with the proposal set out in our accompanying publication, “Legislative Proposals and Explanatory Notes”, relating to the Excise Tax Act.
These provisions would facilitate Canada's logistics industry by helping those who are exporting. This notice of ways and means motion is a result of stellar work carried out by the member for Stoney Creek. I know members from all parties would want to applaud his efforts in this regard. I would ask that an order of the day be designated for consideration of this motion.
Canada Health Care, Early Childhood Development And Other Social Services Funding ActRoutine Proceedings
LaSalle—Émard Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-45, an act respecting the provision of increased funding for health care services, medical equipment, health information and communications technologies, early childhood development and other social services and to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Canada Foundation For Sustainable Development Technology ActRoutine Proceedings
Wascana Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-46, an act to establish a foundation to fund sustainable development technology.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-500, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (genetically modified food).
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-500 is an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act for genetically modified food. The bill provides for all foods or food ingredients that are or contain genetically modified material to be labelled to this effect, in accordance with regulations of course.
The bill also provides for the application of the precautionary principle in allowing the Minister of Health to monitor and initiate research into the potential long term effects of the consumption of genetically modified food on human health.
Finally, the bill would enable food manufacturers and consumers to make an informed decision on whether to purchase products containing genetically modified material.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House that Motion No. 37 be adopted without debate. This motion concerns the second report of the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, expressing a desire for Ottawa, the capital of Canada, to be officially bilingual. I seek unanimous consent that the House adopt this motion without debate.
Food And Drugs ActRoutine Proceedings
The Deputy Speaker
To clarify the situation, the motion in question is Motion No. 37, which is on the order paper. Is there unanimous consent of the House to adopt this motion?
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have six different petitions to present today from my constituents. The first petition is one in which constituents ask us to maintain the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second group of petitions is with regard to labelling and asks parliament to enact legislation for mandatory labelling of foods containing genetically engineered organisms.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is with regard to tax relief and asks the government to institute at least a 25% cut in federal taxes.
John Reynolds Reform West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast, BC
Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition is with regard to the legalization of child pornography. It asks parliament to enact the notwithstanding clause to make sure that child pornography is not legalized in Canada.
The fifth petition is from another group of constituents with the same issues.
Colleen Beaumier Liberal Brampton West—Mississauga, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from my constituents in which they cite the devastating effects on the children of Iraq of harsh sanctions.
They are petitioning the Government of Canada to take the lead in persuading the UN to lift the sanctions against the people of Iraq.
John Solomon NDP Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Mr Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce in the House today a petition signed by many Canadians concerned about the high cost of energy. They are concerned that energy is the underpinning of our economy and that there is no action from the government to defend the interests of consumers, small business people, farmers and our economy in general.
They are asking that the House of Commons establish an energy price commission that would hold the big oil companies, which control 85% of our refinery capacity, accountable for the energy prices they charge Canadians.
It is my pleasure to introduce this petition, which I support 100%.
PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
The Deputy Speaker
The hon. member for Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre does not need reminding of the point that his views on the petition are not ones that are the subject of a presentation of a petition. He is to present the petition and leave it at that. I would invite him to comply in every respect in this regard. Perhaps he forgot over the summer.
John Solomon NDP Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Mr. Speaker, as always you are correct. I appreciate your advice.
John Solomon NDP Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Mr. Speaker, my second petition, which I am introducing in the House of Commons on behalf of many petitioners across Canada, is in light of the fact that there have been cuts of $400 million to the CBC, which has caused thousands of layoffs. It amounts to one of the largest cuts made by the Liberal government to any agency while it has been in power since 1993.
They are asking the House of Commons and parliament to take measures to restore adequate funding to the CBC to allow maintenance of and improvements to current local television news while improving the network for all Canadians.
Clifford Lincoln Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition by several residents of greater Montreal that calls on parliament and the Government of Canada not to support the U.S. national missile defence program to be operated by NORAD.
The petitioners say the NMD is a unilateral initiative of the United States that no other major country supports. It would be a step toward the deployment of weapons in space and would lead to a new arms race. It violates the ABM treaty and is running counter to Canada's commitment as a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty.
Therefore the petitioners call upon parliament to declare that Canada objects to the national missile defence program in the United States and that parliament play a leadership role in banning nuclear weapons and missile flight tests.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to introduce four petitions today. The first is from a local resident of east Vancouver who has collected 89 sheets of signatures of people in Vancouver very concerned about the cruelty, waste and unlawful behaviour that are documented features of the Canadian commercial seal hunt of harp and hooded seals.
The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to enact legislation to stop the commercial seal hunt in Canada.