House of Commons Hansard #65 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was students.
Andy Scott LiberalMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the promise will be kept. The $1.5 billion will flow. The reality is there is $800 million still unspent in the last agreement and that is the issue.
Helena Guergis Conservative Simcoe—Grey, ON
Mr. Speaker, many seniors may not see all or part of the guaranteed income supplement promised in the budget. In Ontario, for example, the guaranteed income supplement is integrated with the provincial guaranteed annual income supplement for seniors or GAINS. If the GIS goes up by a dollar, GAINS will go down by 50¢.
Would the minister advise this House if he has obtained any assurances from the McGuinty government that the GAINS clawback will not swallow half the GIS increase for very low income seniors in Ontario?
Tony Ianno LiberalMinister of State (Families and Caregivers)
Mr. Speaker, first, I am very happy that there is $2.7 billion in this budget that will go to low income seniors.
In respect to the provinces at large, not just Ontario, there is very minimal impact on the GIS increase for low income seniors. That is great news for low income seniors.
Odina Desrochers Bloc Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Commissioner of Official Languages, Dr. Dyane Adam, told the Standing Committee on Official Languages of her concern that the federal government was running out of steam as far as its official languages action plan is concerned.
The president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada expressed his regrets that the budget does not contain the $18 million increase he had been demanding for the francophone and Acadian communities.
What is the government waiting for before it makes the financial commitment that is essential to implementation of the official languages action plan?
Mauril Bélanger LiberalDeputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the government's official languages action plan will be implemented in its entirety. We should point out that the $751 million committed to by the government two years ago is maintained in the budget in its entirety.
There were also four new initiatives in the budget that include funds for official language minority communities.
The government is maintaining the action plan in its entirety, along with its commitment to those communities.
Michael John Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of State for Public Health. Last year we were assured by the government that the public health investments were just a down payment, that more would be done in this area.
Could the minister indicate what the 2005 budget has done for the critical areas of health promotion and disease prevention?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of State (Public Health)
Mr. Speaker, the member is a tremendous advocate for chronic disease prevention. The province of Nova Scotia has really taken health promotion seriously.
We are pleased that the 2005 budget expands the initial investments in the Canada Public Health Agency and sets out $300 million over five years for a strategy focussing on healthy living and chronic disease.
There is now a strong consensus in the country that working together on the common risks is the best way to get results. We will also deal with the three pillars of prevention, promotion and--
Dick Harris Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Natural Resources knew anything about the pine beetle crisis he would hang his head in shame after that answer and slink out of here. That $40 million was an insult.
The province has asked for about $400 million from the government to offset and help mitigate the damage of the pine beetles. The government has done nothing. That minister should get a lesson from the Minister of Industry who should know about the problem but who has done nothing as well.
R. John Efford LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member stood to ask the last question and said that the Government of Canada had done absolutely nothing to help with the problem of the pine beetle. I said clearly that we put in $40 million, and that is far from nothing. That is a fact.
We are working with the province on research and we are working with it on a daily basis. As I said, we will continue to work with it, and we do recognize how serious the problem is.
Presence in GalleryOral Question Period
The Speaker
I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of this year's recipients of the Mathieu Da Costa Award: Julia Spears, Kristi Martin, Varman Koneswaran, Kaitlin Wood, Benoît Beaulieu, Roman Blomme, Jean-Daniel Bergeron, Ariane Brun Del Re, Peter Millman, Sarah Robert, and Tae Kyung Kim.
Congratulations.
Betty Hinton Conservative Kamloops—Thompson, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order with respect to something the President of the Treasury Board said on February 24 during question period and his responsibility to correct the records of this House.
On page 63 of the 22nd edition of Erskine May, it states that:
--ministers have a duty to Parliament to account, and be held to account, for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments...it is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament....Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister--
The statement is recorded on page 3937 of Hansard where it states:
Mr. Speaker, in the case of the post office that was closed in British Columbia, there was no one in the town who wished to operate it. It is a town with 27 homes in it and an operator could not be found for it. Therefore, it was not a lack of willingness on the part of Canada Post to keep it open, there was no one to run it.
There is a post office scheduled for closure on the north shore of the city of Kamloops. I guarantee there are more than 27 homes. There are people to operate it. People in my riding are extremely upset. I would like a correction made by the minister.
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, that is not the post office I was talking about. In fact the information I was providing to the House came directly from Canada Post in response to a question that had been made earlier. Unfortunately I do not have the name of the town in front of me. I would be prepared to provide it to the House, but that was taken directly from the notes provided by Canada Post.
Points of OrderOral Question Period
The Speaker
I am sure the House will hear more on the matter in due course.
A message from Her Excellency the Governor General transmitting supplementary estimates (B) for the financial year ending March 31, 2005, was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker to the House.
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I have copies of the supplementary estimates and the distribution to committees. I have additional copies for members of the House.
A message from Her Excellency the Governor General transmitting main estimates for the financial year ending March 31, 2006 was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker to the House.
Main Estimates, 2005-06Routine Proceedings
February 25th, 2005 / 12:05 p.m.
Winnipeg South Manitoba
Liberal
Reg Alcock LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I have copies of the estimates for the Table, as well as the list of committees to which they are referred, and additional copies for members of the House.
Raymond Simard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy 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.
Tom Wappel Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-China Legislative Association regarding the seventh bilateral meeting held in China from October 29 to November 9, 2004.
Rahim Jaffer Conservative Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on Bill S-2, an act to amend the Citizenship Act.
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-339, an act to amend the Criminal Code (order of prohibition).
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House a private member's bill that would amend the Criminal Code of Canada.
This enactment would change Criminal Code section 163 pertaining to the court orders that may be made with respect to the prohibition of an offender attending certain places. This would amend that section to include “dwelling house”, where an offender knows or ought to know that a person under the age of 14 years is present and that a parent, guardian or other person who has lawful charge of that person under the age of 14 is not present.
This bill was initiated by a woman by the name of Donna Goler from Nova Scotia. A very sad situation involving that family brought her to propose this type of amendment. Therefore, I would ask members to support this legislation, which is aimed specifically at helping children where sexual abuse most often occurs, which is in a dwelling house.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-340, an act to amend the Criminal Code (breach of a conditional sentence order).
Mr. Speaker, this bill would amend section 742.6(9) of the Criminal Code, which provides direction to the court when an offender who, without reasonable excuse, has been found guilty of breaching a conditional offence.
The purpose of this amendment would be, in essence, to create a reverse onus upon that person who has breached that order. This enactment removes the court's option of taking no action, changing the optional conditions, or suspending the order, and requiring part of the sentence to be served in custody.
I will not get into the merits of conditional sentences for certain types of offences, but this enactment in essence would give real meaning to the breaching of conditional sentences. It requires the court in such circumstances of a breach to terminate the conditional sentence order and direct that the sentence be served in custody.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-341, an act to amend the Criminal Code (recruitment of children and swarming).
Mr. Speaker, this is an attempt to amend the Criminal Code to bring more meaningful deterrence and prevention with respect to what I would describe as two relatively recent phenomena of young people having been involved in the act of swarming, where violence is perpetrated on others. It often is associated with bullying in schools.
This enactment amends the Criminal Code to create a specific offence making it illegal to recruit children to commit offences or to participate in the violent act of swarming.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-342, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (interference with a peace officer's protective equipment).
Mr. Speaker, this bill also deals with an amendment to the Criminal Code. It is specifically aimed at protecting police officers as they serve the public.
The enactment would expand the scope of current section 270.1 of the code to provide that anyone who wilfully interferes with the protective equipment of a police officer or peace officer while that officer is engaged in the execution of his or her duties is guilty of an offence.
This is a common sense amendment which has the broad, wide support of those in the law enforcement community.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (capital gains exemption on disposition of fishing property).
Mr. Speaker, the Income Tax Act allows an individual to claim a $500,000 total lifetime exemption for capital gains that arise from the disposal of qualified farm property.
I am pleased to table this bill today which amends the act so that an individual may also claim this exemption in respect of qualified fishing property.
This bill is very important to the fishing industry. I urge the House to support it.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)