Debates of June 19th, 2006

Food and Drugs Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-328, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (trans fatty acids).

Mr. Speaker, trans fats are deadly manufactured fats that cause obesity, heart disease and diabetes. All are on the rise in Canada. However, when I asked the Liberal health minister to eliminate trans fats from our diets, she replied that it was all right to have these poisons in our food as long as they were properly labeled.

We are putting forward this bill today to ensure that labelling is not considered to be adequate. We want these things to be eliminated. If it comes to it being between the shelf life of a human being and the shelf life of a doughnut, we want to err on the side of the human being.

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

Referendum Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-329, An Act to amend the Referendum Act (reform of the electoral system of Canada).

Mr. Speaker, the bill would change the Referendum Act to contemplate a nationwide referendum on the electoral system by which we elect our governments.

People would know that our first past the post system has been patently unfair to smaller parties and that we are not represented to reflect the popular vote which we receive.

We believe the Referendum Act should be amended to enable, if and when this Parliament chooses, a nationwide referendum to take place, to see if Canadians want to change their electoral system to envision some form of proportional representation at such time of their choosing.

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

Business Development Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-330, An Act to amend the Business Development Bank of Canada Act and the Canada Student Loans Act to provide for a student loan system that is more supportive of students.

Mr. Speaker, I felt compelled to introduce this bill to try to do something on behalf of the student debt crisis faced by post-secondary students today, students who graduate with a debt the size of a small mortgage.

The bill seeks to amend the Business Development Bank of Canada Act to put in place a regime of student loans that would enable more students to access capital at reasonable rates and repatriate the Canada student loans system to be the responsibility of the federal government rather than the private sector lenders. We all know that the experience through the main charter banks has been catastrophic in terms of providing students with the loans they need.

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

Criminal Code

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-331, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (legal duty outside Canada).

Mr. Speaker, Canada broke new ground when it extended the Criminal Code in the matter of exploiting children for sexual purposes of Canadians when travelling abroad. The bill seeks to expand on that same policy. Corporations, when operating abroad, would be bound and governed by the same codes of ethics, codes of practice, codes of health and safety and codes of environmental stewardship that we stipulate them to in our country.

In the case of the Westray bill, in which we were all very proud to take part in the 37th Parliament, we believe there is such a concept as corporate murder when workers die on the job due to poor health and safety conditions. This would also extend that same concept to corporations, the mining companies, et cetera, operating abroad.

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

Canada Business Corporations Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-332, An Act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act (annual financial statements).

Mr. Speaker, white collar crime is a blue collar issue in that all of us need to trust the annual financial statements of the companies where our pension plans are invested. Annual financial statements lack clarity and there is a mystique associated with them that makes it impossible for trustees on employee benefit plans to fulfill their fiduciary obligations adequately.

The bill calls for plain language. It calls for an expensing of stock options. For instance, when corporation executives are paid through stock options there should be a clear column in those financial statements to indicate the liability of the company associated with those stock options. This is about making annual financial statements user friendly for working people.

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

Criminal Code

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-333, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (failure to stop at scene of accident).

Mr. Speaker, the Criminal Code deals with the failure to stop at the scene of an accident but recent events have given light to the fact that the Criminal Code penalties are woefully inadequate to act as a proper deterrent in the event of the abuse of this clause of the code.

The bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code so that failure to stop at the scene of an accident will be a much more serious offence and would be punished more in keeping with the public condemnation of such an act.

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

First Nations Veterans Compensation Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-334, An Act to provide compensation to First Nations veterans on a comparable basis to that given to other war veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I put the bill forward because first nations veterans were not treated in the same way as other veterans who returned from the war. They had no settlement benefits, no educational opportunities and no housing allowances like the ones offered to people like my father.

The bill seeks to make first nations veterans whole on a comparable basis as any other veteran by recognizing their service in the war.

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

Bank Act

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-335, An Act to amend the Bank Act (bank amalgamations).

Mr. Speaker, many of us feel that Canadians are not well served by the mergers of our large charter banks. The charter banks were given the rights to certain financial practices, very lucrative ones such as credit card transactions, in exchange for providing basic services to Canadians in whatever part of the country they live.

These megamergers in the Canadian financial sector, which seem to be about to take place again, do not serve Canadians well. We want to put forward legislation to put specific guidelines, rigid criteria under which we may allow the charter banks to merge. They do not deserve their charter if they are not living up to their end of their charter which is to provide good service to Canadians in the financial services sector.

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

Business of the House

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there has been considerable discussion between all four parties and I think if you seek it you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at the end of government orders, the Speaker shall not receive any amendments, dilatory motions or quorum calls; when no member rises to speak during debate on the opposition motion today, or no later than 9 p.m., whichever is earlier, the question be deemed put and the recorded division be deemed requested and deferred to Tuesday, June 20, at 3 p.m.; when debate on the opposition motion has concluded, the government may call Bill C-3, an act respecting international bridges and tunnels and making a consequential amendment to another act, and C-5, An Act respecting the establishment of the Public Health Agency of Canada and amending certain Acts; and if any recorded division is requested for Bill C-3 or Bill C-5, they shall stand deferred to Tuesday, June 20 at 3 p.m.; and when no member rises to speak to Bill C-3 and Bill C-5, or at the end of government orders, whichever is earlier, the House shall adjourn to the next sitting day.

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there have been negotiations and we are supportive of the motion. I believe you would also find unanimous consent that if the last speaker has begun his or her speech before 9 o'clock that the member be allowed to finish his or her speech, which will be a 10 minute speech at that point in time.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the chief government whip have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Subject to the caveat from the chief opposition whip, is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

(Motion agreed to)

Agriculture and Agri-Food

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

Mr. Speaker, there have been other discussions and I think you find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That, in relation to its study on biofuel strategy, 12 members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food be authorized to travel to Ville Ste. Catherine, Quebec on June 20 and that the necessary staff do accompany the committee.

(Motion agreed to)

Library of Parliament

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I move that the first report of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, presented on Wednesday, June 14, be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to)

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to help the poorest in our country. It calls on the Government of Canada to introduce a low income tax free supplement of $2,000 for all Canadians who have gross earnings of less or equal to $20,000 a year. For those whose gross income is above $20,000 a year, a supplement would be 10% of gross earnings, less $4,000. If that amount is negative, they receive the grant in that amount to a maximum of $2,000. If the amount is positive, they do not.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Child Care

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table this petition on behalf of the University Women's Club of North York.

The petitioners, residents of my riding of York West and elsewhere in Ontario, specifically note that child care is an everyday necessity in this country and that there is an urgent and immediate need for assistance in child care spaces.

The Liberal government signed a full funding agreement with the Province of Ontario in November 2005 and the petitioners are calling upon the Prime Minister to honour the early learning and child care agreement.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to submit three more petitions from people in my community who are concerned about the government's killing of national child care.

The petitioners call upon the government to honour the early learning and child care agreement and to fund it for five years.

A number of these people met with myself and the Leader of the Opposition on Friday and they can assure us and I can assure this House that the fight for real child care is not dead in Canada.

Income Tax Act

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by more than 50 of my constituents from Hanna, Alberta.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to enact legislation to include exercise gym fees as a deductible tax exemption under the medical expense tax credit section of the Income Tax Act. They feel that this would be an incentive for Canadians to get fit, to prevent disease and to improve their quality of life.

Canada Post

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a few petitions to present to the House today.

The first petition is a very important one from my riding of Skeena--Bulkley Valley.

As the government has been closing down a number of rural post offices without justification, the petitioners call upon the government to instruct Canada Post to maintain and improve the network of rural post offices in particular as they serve rural Canada exceptionally well.

Employment Insurance

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after $45 billion has been swiped out of the employment insurance fund over the last number of years, the second petition calls upon Parliament to introduce a fairer employment insurance system by first enacting the legislative reforms that came from a House of Commons committee on February 15, 2005 and which were unanimously adopted.