House of Commons Hansard #148 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberal.
Jim Peterson LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, that is absolute nonsense. The Prime Minister has always said that the NAFTA has to be respected, and that means the return of all the duties.
Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Mr. Speaker, the town of Collingwood and I are working hard to establish the Collingwood regional airport as a port of entry. It is key to both industry and tourism in Simcoe--Grey.
I wrote the minister in 2004, my staff have left several messages and I wrote the minister again on September 8 and still no response.
An email from a predecessor's office stated:
The decision to bring customs service to Collingwood will be strictly political.
It is the minister's decision. Will Collingwood airport get custom facilities, yes or no?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I actually am not aware of the particular situation to which the hon. member has referred but I will undertake to follow up on this right away.
Obviously the CBSA assesses where the needs are across the country. We try to provide the highest quality service possible. In fact, based on a needs assessment, if it appears that Collingwood qualifies for full time customs service, then it will be provided.
Marc Godbout Liberal Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Mr. Speaker, the government has just tabled its mid-term report on the implementation of the action plan for official languages.
Given that the development and vitality of official language communities are a priority for our government, could the minister tell us how the communities reacted and what should be the next step in acting on this important issue and speeding things up?
Mauril Bélanger LiberalMinister for Internal Trade
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question.
Indeed, this report was tabled last week. We have innovated by including in this mid-term report the feedback and assessment of the communities themselves. We will see that, on the whole, the reaction was positive, especially in the areas of early childhood, health and justice, among others.
Now that the structures and mechanisms that needed to be developed to implement the plan are in place, we can expect that, for years 3, 4 and 5, accelerated investments will be made, as planned, to ensure that all the objectives in the plan are met by 2008.
Ed Komarnicki Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, farmers, farm groups and even the minister's own Canadian Wheat Board have been asking for an increase in the initial price of grain. Weeks and weeks have gone by and yet the minister has not made an announcement for what really is a simple decision to be made. The minister's inaction has also caused the low initial price to withhold safety net moneys under the CAIS program.
Farmers need more than talk. They need action and they need it now. I ask the minister to do the right thing and announce the amount of the increase in the initial prices here and now, and to quit playing games with Canadian farmers.
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the last time the member asked this question he was criticizing the Wheat Board for inaction. In fact, the Wheat Board has been out. The farmers who represent the Wheat Board and who are responsible for the Wheat Board have been out selling grain all around the country and have had some very successful sales just recently. They have come back to me and asked for an adjustment to the initial payment, something I will be responding to immediately.
Carolyn Parrish Independent Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Mr. Speaker, in a question posed earlier this week to the Minister of Transport on the patently unfair rents being levied on Pearson International Airport, he suggested air carriers go to Montreal. He went on to say that everyone has to pay their rent. What arrogance.
Pearson has recently been upgraded at no expense to the government to be one of the most modern hub airports in the world but its future is in jeopardy.
Would the minister responsible for Ontario please explain why he and the members of the largest government caucus have allowed this usury to occur?
AirportsOral Questions
The Speaker
I think the hon. member will have to direct her question to a minister who is not responsible for an area, as she knows. Is see that the Minister of Transport is rising to answer the question.
Jean Lapierre LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the hon. member that we have a new rent policy which will ensure that airports across the country will save $8 billion over the course of their leases. I have to say that out of that $8 billion that the Minister of Finance accepted, $5 billion will go to the airport in Toronto, which is a savings of $5 billion.
AirportsOral Questions
The Speaker
I believe the member for Edmonton--Sherwood Park has a point of order arising out of question period.
Ken Epp Conservative Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Mr. Speaker, as you know, I was involved several years back in one of the most grievous cases of using props in the House of Commons for which I was chastised and I apologized.
I noticed today, Mr. Speaker, that every time, except the last one, the Minister of Transport held up his copy of the Gomery report he never once opened it or read from it.
I say that he was using it as a prop and I think, Mr. Speaker, you should chastise him.
Points of OrderOral Questions
The Speaker
The Gomery report has been held up a lot in the House over the last few days on both sides of the House. However I can say that the Minister of Transport did indeed quote from the Gomery report. I shook my finger at him because he read out the name of a member when he was quoting from it instead of using the member's title, so I have no doubt that he was reading from the report. He even said which page he was quoting from.
While there may have been some infractions of this rule, and I do not remember that of the hon. member for Edmonton—Sherwood Park, I warn hon. members that the use of props is something that is not recommended but obviously a document that has recently been tabled in the House and is being quoted by members or being used as the basis for either an answer or a question may sometimes be lifted up, pointed at and even quoted from.
There are props and there are props, but I thank the hon. member for his admonition. I am sure it is appreciated by all hon. members.
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions.
Larry Bagnell LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the final study report of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.
Peter Adams Liberal Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present the report of the Canada Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group visit to Taiwan in September 2005. Members of three parties met with the president and ministers of the Taiwan government and with the speaker and members of the Legislative Wan.
Nuclear Waste Management Organization ReportRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker
I think the hon. member knows that the group is not an official one and therefore the report cannot be tabled under reports from interparliamentary delegations without unanimous consent.
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Health.
The committee recommends that the Minister of Health temporarily stay the scientific advisory panel on silicone gel breast implants and its proceedings and to not make a decision or proceed until such time as the minister has appeared before the committee to address this issue.
If the House gives its consent I intend to move concurrence in the 16th report later this day.
Marlene Catterall Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
In accordance with its order of reference on Monday, April 18, your committee has considered Bill C-333, the Chinese Canadian Recognition and Redress Act, and agreed on Tuesday, November 1, to report it with amendments.
It is not a common occurrence in the House to congratulate two private members on successfully having a bill reported back from committee with unanimous consent of the committee by and large. I do want to compliment the members and the government representatives who worked closely to make this a matter of collaboration and cooperation both here in the House and with the community at large.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-435, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on books or pamphlets).
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to introduce a bill to amend the Excise Tax Act to eliminate the goods and services tax on the sale of books and pamphlets.
The GST on books and pamphlets and the federal decision to impose HST on education books with CD-ROMs erect senseless barriers to education materials and literacy objectives. The government must remove these barriers, these counterproductive measures, and invest instead in serious literacy initiatives which would have lasting effects.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-436, An Act to amend the Hazardous Products Act (prohibited product—hooks).
Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to introduce this bill which is an act to amend the Hazardous Products Act.
The purpose of the bill is to prohibit the advertising, sale and import of elongated display hooks that can cause a threat to the safety and health of persons.
Together with the unsafe products act introduced by my colleague the member for Halifax--Needham in the Nova Scotia legislature, these measures are designed to remove dangerous display hooks from the marketplace that have caused blindness, sight impairment and brain injury to countless children and some adults. The continued use of these deadly hooks should be illegal, period. I hope all members will see fit to support this simple effective measure.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-437, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table this bill today. It is a short piece of legislation that would open the definition of family member within the HRD code to include siblings and in-laws, something which was certainly an oversight by the government.
There has been a lot of talk about it. The government is paying some lip service. There have been motions by other members in the House. I am certain that this is the type of bill someone will grab and run with and that it will receive unanimous consent when we finally speak to it.
The Liberals originally announced $200 million to address this shortfall. They were not able to spend any more than close to $8 million, so there is certainly room to expand that definition.
We look forward to debate on the bill. The genesis of the bill is from a woman named Heather Chisholm in my riding. She is a seniors worker and understands the need for this type of legislation.
I look forward to speaking to the bill in the future.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-438, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (murder of parole officer or firefighter).
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Fort McMurray for seconding the motion. My colleague from Calgary Centre also vehemently supports this bill.
The bill, if adopted, would amend the Criminal Code. The bill is aimed at basically bringing parity to Criminal Code section 231(4) which I believe is just an oversight. Reference to a parole officer or firefighter has been left out of the listed individuals where a murder occurs and it would be considered first degree murder.
The bill itself is introduced in memory of the horrible murder of Louise Pargeter and out of respect to her parents, Mike and Judy and her partner, Anne Lynagh. The murder occurred in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories when Louise Pargeter was working as a parole officer. In a letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the family asked that this type of legislation be tabled.
Currently, parole officers and firefighters are not specifically mentioned. The distinction is very important. Police officers, wardens and jail guards are currently listed in the section. It would make perfect sense to include parole officers as well.
An automatic first degree murder charge would create a significant deterrent and would minimize similar offences being committed against parole officers in the future.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Daryl Kramp Conservative Prince Edward—Hastings, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-439, An Act respecting a National Appreciation Day.
Mr. Speaker, I would certainly like to thank my colleague from Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre for kindly gracing me with seconding the motion. It is a national issue and a national concern.
Today I am pleased to introduce a bill entitled the national appreciation day act . This enactment designates the third day of March in each and every year as the day for the people of Canada to express appreciation for the heroic work of members of the Canadian Forces and emergency response professionals, including police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
I believe all members of all parties in the House of Commons would agree to support a very speedy passage of this bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Health, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.