Debates of May 19th, 2006

Oral questions

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise again to request consideration by the Speaker of this case of privilege involving the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and the attack that he made on the credibility of the member for Toronto--Danforth.

Since the initial discussion that we had on this earlier today, I have had confirmation from a member of our caucus that the conversation that the parliamentary secretary alleges to have taken place, and that he claims he overheard between that member and one of the other members of our caucus, in fact never took place.

She was not with the member for Toronto--Danforth at the time the conversation was alleged to have taken place, so the parliamentary secretary could not have overheard it.

This is damaging to the reputation of the member for Toronto--Danforth. As I mentioned earlier this morning, this continues the pattern of members of the government making statements about what other people said and then it turning out not to be true. It directly affects the ability of the member for Toronto--Danforth to do his job as a member of Parliament.

I am asking that the Chair take this under consideration. Mr. Speaker, if you are prepared to find that there has been a potential breach of privilege, I will move the necessary motion.

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would submit that this is clearly not in any fashion a point of privilege.

Yesterday, during an exchange in question period in response to a question from the leader of the NDP, the member for Toronto--Danforth, I reported some remarks that I had heard while I was walking into the main entrance of West Block this past Tuesday on my way to the meeting of the committee which was interviewing Mr. Gwyn Morgan with respect to his nomination for the public appointments commission.

At that time, just as I was entering the building, at precisely 9 a.m., I distinctly heard the leader of the NDP speaking to a colleague, not the member for Parkdale--High Park who was already in the committee. I was as usual running a couple of minutes late.

I distinctly heard the hon. leader of the NDP say that the hon. member for Parkdale--High Park was going to go through his speech and “Tear him apart”. He was not whispering. It was a clear, audible public statement he was making to a colleague on the way into the building.

I reported this remark because I believed it was contextual in terms of the NDP's approach to Mr. Morgan's nomination twice at committee and I did so again yesterday in the House.

I stand by the veracity of what I heard. I am sorry that the leader of the NDP and his colleague from Windsor object to the fact that I have reported what I clearly heard. I do not retract what I believe to be absolutely truthful and I do not believe this is a matter of privilege.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Windsor--Tecumseh raised this matter this morning as a point of order. In my opinion, it may be a point of order. In my view, it is not a question of privilege because it is not his privileges that are involved in this dispute.

If it were a question of privilege at all, it would clearly be one that would involve the member for Toronto--Danforth and no one else.

I do not know how the hon. member can say his privileges as a member have been in any way damaged by a statement that the parliamentary secretary made about somebody else. I am having trouble with it. I have no difficulty in dismissing this as a question of privilege.

I have already indicated that I will take the point of order that he raised this morning under advisement. We have now heard further submissions on this matter. The government House leader indicated he might want to say something, and if he does, I will hear him in due course.

At the moment, the matter will stay under advisement. I can now at least add the submissions of the parliamentary secretary and of course those of the member for Windsor--Tecumseh which I will add to those that he has already given me on the point of order that was raised earlier this day and which I have under advisement. We will leave it at that point for the time being.

I have another notice of a point of order from the hon. member for Beaches--East York.

Oral Questions

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to correct an unintentional error in my question to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development in the House yesterday. It was my intention to say that the previous Liberal government committed to invest $1 billion over five years to develop a national caregiver agenda. Inadvertently, I said that the commitment was to invest $5 billion over five years. In no way did I intend to mislead members of the House and I apologize for the resulting confusion.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week during question period, you will recall that I brought up the matter of the Prime Minister quoting from a document that he was holding at the time in response to a question from a member of the official opposition. I asked, according to the rules of the House, that the document that the Prime Minister was quoting from be tabled.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you look into the matter because those of us on this side of the House have clearly identified the document to be, indeed, a cabinet document. I wonder if we could get a resolution to that matter.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

As the hon. member knows, the Chair took the point under advisement, has it there, and will get back to the House, I am sure, in due course.

The hon. member for Malpeque is rising on a point of order.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, during question period today, I gave the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food the opportunity to apologize for how he misspoke in the House yesterday because what he said in Hansard was “$950 million today”. That $950 million is not there today.

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you might ask the Conservatives to clarify the record.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I think the hon. member for Malpeque knows that these things are matters of debate. He will be able to ask a question the week after next, or whenever we are next sitting, and maybe clarify the matter to his own satisfaction. However, it is not for the Chair to ask members to clarify their statements in the House, entertaining as that might be for the Chair to do. It is not something I would want to get into.

Government Response to Petitions

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(b) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions.

[Lloyd St. Amand, Liberal, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Further to a question I asked of the Minister of the Environment today, I wish to table the report from the Climate Institute on the Asia-Pacific Partnership.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member for Brant have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Procedure and House Affairs

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the conflict of interest code for members of the House of Commons. If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the seventh report later this day.

Foreign Affairs and International Development

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on the situation involving His Excellency Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

Status of Women

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, five reports from the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

The first report concerns funding to equality seeking organizations. The second report refers to gender based analysis. The third report concerns funding for women's program. The fourth report deals with pay equity. The fifth report concerns maternity and parental benefits for self-employed workers.

In accordance with Standing Order 109 the committee is requesting that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these reports as soon as possible.

Canada Evidence Act

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-310, An Act to amend the Canada Evidence Act (interpretation of numerical dates).

Mr. Speaker, my private member's bill is one which I have introduced even before the year 2000 because I saw the impending doom of stating dates in numeric form and the ambiguity that this causes now in these years.

My wife went away and I cooked myself some macaroni and cheese. The date was wrong. The date was not given in the right format and I ate some rotten food. That is a true story.

The bill will correct that very disastrous situation.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

National Capital Act

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-311, An Act to amend the National Capital Act (Gatineau Park).

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce my first private member's bill. It is an act to amend the National Capital Act. This is actually an issue that my predecessor, the member for Ottawa Centre, Mr. Broadbent, had put forward in the House. I wish to follow up on his good work.

The bill would seek to establish boundaries around Gatineau Park and provide a mechanism for changes to the boundaries around Gatineau Park. It is to recognize that one of the purposes of the National Capital Commission is to acquire privately owned land, so that real properties or provincial properties situated in Gatineau Park remain in the public context.

I am delighted to have the support of my colleague from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Committees of the House

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, I move:

That notwithstanding the order adopted Tuesday, April 25, 2006, public safety and national security be the committee for the purposes of section 145 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 2001.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the parliamentary secretary have the unanimous consent of the House to move this motion?

[Some hon. member]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[An hon. member]

On division.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Agreed on division.

(Motion agreed to)

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I move that the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented earlier today in the House be concurred in.