Debates of Oct. 25th, 2007

Correctional Investigator of Canada

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the Annual Report of the Correctional Investigator of Canada 2006-2007, pursuant to section 192 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring a safe, fair and effective corrections system, with a priority to protect Canadians. As part of the broader corrections review that was launched by our government earlier this year, an expert panel will be looking not just at these but at other issues. We appreciate the work of the Correctional Investigator. I table it today.

I am also tabling today a report to Parliament on actions taken following the Auditor General's report on the Office of the Correctional Investigator of Canada. I am tabling, in both official languages, the Report to Parliament on Actions Taken to Recover Amounts Improperly Paid Out as Reported in the Auditor General's Report on the Office of the Correctional Investigator of Canada, in response to the recommendation the Auditor General made in paragraph 11.35 of her November 2006 report under “Protection of Public Assets--Office of the Correctional Investigator”.

This report shows that our government has once again taken a stand against the mismanagement of taxpayers' dollars. We have successfully recovered the funds that were identified by the Auditor General as improperly received by the former correctional investigator under the watch of the previous Liberal government.

I thank the present Correctional Investigator for his office's assistance on this report also.

Environmental Protection Act

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

moved for leave to introduce a bill entitled An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (use of phosphorus).

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in this House to introduce for first reading a bill entitled An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (use of phosphorus). The purpose of this bill is to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the use or sale in Canada and the import of dishwasher detergents and laundry detergents that contain phosphorus. It has become necessary to prohibit detergents that contain phosphorus, because in large quantities, phosphorus contributes to the spread of blue algae.

Given the Conservatives' lack of action, the Bloc Québécois decided to introduce this bill, since the problem of blue algae is getting worse. The federal government must take the measures falling under its jurisdiction to protect our bodies of water.

For these reasons, I would invite all the members in this House to vote in favour of this bill.

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

Business of the House

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties. I believe if you seek it you shall find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That, during the first 30 sitting days of the present session of Parliament, whenever a minister of the Crown, when proposing a motion for first reading of a public bill, states that the said bill is in the same form as a bill introduced by a minister of the Crown in the previous session, if the Speaker is satisfied that the said bill is in the same form as at prorogation, notwithstanding Standing Order 71, the said bill shall be deemed in the current session to have been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation of the previous session.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

(Motion agreed to)

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to present a motion. This one seeks the unanimous consent of the four parties in this House on the issue of electors identifying themselves with their face uncovered for voting.

I seek unanimous consent of the House for the following motion: “That notwithstanding any Standing Order or the usual practices of the House, Bill C-465, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (identity of electors), be deemed read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.”

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. whip of the Bloc Québecois have the unanimous consent of the House to move this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Business of Supply

[Karen Redman, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, discussions have taken place between all parties and I believe you would find consent for the following motion. I move:

That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the member for Markham—Unionville, all questions necessary to dispose of this motion be deemed put, a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to the end of government orders on Tuesday, October 30.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Does the hon. chief opposition whip have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I declare the motion carried.

(Motion agreed to)

Income Trusts

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present another petition on the income trust broken promise, submitted to me by Mr. Robert Longmore, of Calgary, Alberta, who remembers the Prime Minister boasting about his apparent commitment to accountability when he said that the greatest fraud is a promise not kept.

The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income trusts, but he broke that promise by imposing a 31.5% punitive tax which, in less than two days, wiped out over $25 billion of the hard-earned savings of two million Canadians, particularly seniors.

The petitioners therefore call upon the Conservative minority government to admit that the decision to tax income trusts was based on flawed methodology and incorrect assumptions, secondly, to apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise and, finally, to repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.

Safe Haven for Newborns

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by almost 50 constituents of mine from towns in Alberta, including Carbon, Drumheller, Nacmine, Morrin, Rosebud, Rosedale Station, Stettler and Rocky Mountain House. The petitioners call on Parliament to pass a motion that would enable communities to provide a safe haven whereby mothers can legally, safely and humanely abandon their babies without fear of reprisals. I would like to thank Heather Jones in particular for pursuing this matter. She has done a lot of good work in taking action on this issue.

These safe havens would protect babies who, for whatever reason, cannot stay with their mothers. These mothers are often afraid and may not make the best choices, but they feel they have no other options. I am very proud to stand up for these compassionate petitioners who pray that even if we are talking about only a few children we would put these measures in place.

Climate Change

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions here this morning.

The first petition deals with climate change.

A number of citizens, as a result of viewing Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, request that the Government of Canada legislate programs consistent with meteorological reality and act immediately to reduce the climate change crisis by diminishing fossil fuel dependency while sponsoring initiatives and incentives to promote less harmful technologies.

Nuclear Weapons

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is from those people who say that we have something like 27,000 nuclear weapons still in existence today, 3,000 of those weapons are on a 15 minute launch warning status and threatening to destroy the world, and 50 of today's modern nuclear weapons could kill more than 200 million people. They petition our Parliament to establish a department of peace that would reinvigorate Canada's role as a global peace builder and that would have the abolition of nuclear weapons as a top priority.

CRTC

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present to the House today. The first calls upon the government to stop the spread of hate propaganda and raises serious concerns about nine Chinese state-run television services being available in Canada.

Taxation

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls upon the government to create a tax benefit for households without a motor vehicle.

I am pleased to table these petitions on behalf of my constituents.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?