Debates of March 21st, 2007

Rights of the Unborn

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting a petition on behalf of the residents of Kitchener—Conestoga.

These petitioners recognize that the Supreme Court on January 28, 1988 stated that it is for Parliament to enact the appropriate defences of its legitimate interest in the lives of all subjects, including those yet in the womb. Therefore, the petitioners are requesting that Parliament consider restoring to the Criminal Code the prudence it held prior to 1968 by removing the words “after becoming a human being” from section 223(2).

Summer Career Placement Program

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table a petition signed by 679 residents of the riding of Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, which I have the honour of representing here, in the House of Commons. This petition deals with the cuts to the summer career placement program.

These petitioners note mainly that, financially, students really need to work over the summer and that these cuts will prevent many of them from finding summer employment. In addition, because they will not be able to rely on funding from this program, the community agencies which are working very hard to try and provide services to the community might have to reconsider providing some services.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Conservative government to maintain and even enhance the summer career placement program.

Cadets

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present two different petitions today. One is from a very committed and passionate group of parents of navy cadets and sea cadets who are looking for a permanent home in Surrey. They currently have a home which has been purchased by the RCMP E Division. They are asking the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the House of Commons to designate a portion of that land at which they are currently located, at 9800-140th Street, Surrey, B.C., for cadet and community use.

Housing

[Penny Priddy, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of people concerned about British Columbia's $1.5 billion leaky condominium crisis. It calls upon the federal minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the House of Commons assembled to design a compensation package for those 65,000 homeowners in B.C. who own leaky condominiums.

Age of Consent

[Leon Benoit, Conservative, Vegreville—Wainwright, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of the people of Wainwright, an area which calls for the protection of our children from sexual predators. The petitioners say that should be a top priority of government. They note that studies have shown that 14 and 15 year olds are the most vulnerable to sexual exploitation. They call on Parliament to pass legislation to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 years of age. I am sure the petitioners know that our government has legislation which would do that, if the opposition would allow it to pass.

Summer Career Placement Program

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present in the House today two petitions signed by more than 500 citizens of Berthier—Maskinongé, a riding I am honoured to represent.

The petitioners denounce the Conservative government's decision to make major cuts to the summer career placement program. This program enables a number of non-profit organizations and small businesses to hire summer students and provide them with work experience in their fields of study.

The petitioners are calling on the House to keep and improve the summer career placement program for the future of our youth and our communities.

Federal Minimum Wage

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today on behalf of hard-working families on Hamilton Mountain who are increasingly recognizing the existence of the prosperity gap in Canada. They do not feel they are benefiting from the economic growth they keep hearing about. This is especially true for the many Hamiltonians who are working full time but are still living below the poverty line.

To that end, they have asked me to table a petition calling on the House to restore the federal minimum wage which the Liberals eliminated in 1996 and to pass NDP Bill C-375 to set the minimum wage at $10 an hour as a first step in moving toward a living wage. I am delighted to present this petition on their behalf.

Medical Expenses

[Diane Ablonczy, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of constituents who call upon Parliament to amend the allowable medical expenses list to add pre- and post-natal education, breast pumps, first aid and CPR training and first aid kits.

Summer Career Placement Program

[Robert Bouchard, Bloc, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present four petitions today from my riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord regarding the cuts to the summer career placement program. The hundreds of people who signed these petitions are calling on the House to keep and even improve the summer career placement program.

The petitions come from a number of organizations, including the Centre historique des Soeurs de Notre-Dame du Bon-Conseil, the Carrefour communautaire Saint-Paul, the Société historique du Saguenay, the Maison Ephata and the CDC des Deux-Rives. All those who signed are very worried about the intentions of the Conservative government.

I support these petitioners in calling on the Conservative government to cancel its planned cuts to the summer career placement program.

Canada Labour Code

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by constituents from London--Fanshawe. The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to reverse the elimination of the minimum wage by the former Liberal government and ensure that workers in federal jurisdictions are paid a fair minimum wage by passing Bill C-375, the private member's bill from my colleague in Parkdale--High Park.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to table three types of petitions today.

First and foremost, I have a petition urging members of this House to vote for Bill C-257, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers) during the vote at third reading, in a few hours. This bill is extremely important.

Several hundreds of signatures are being added to the thousands that have already been tabled here in this House.

Summer Career Placement Program

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding, many people—almost a thousand—are very concerned about the summer career placement program. They signed a petition to denounce the cuts that they feared the federal government would make and which have now become reality.

In fact, there has been quite a change to the summer career placement program, which completely changes the nature of it.

Canada Post Corporation

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the postal union has asked me to act on its behalf to table in this House a petition signed by several hundreds of people who are asking Canada Post to put an end to any plan to close postal facilities in rural regions.

I am very pleased to act on behalf of these thousands of people to represent their views.

Canada Labour Code

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to the House a petition of 239 signatures from my riding of Parkdale—High Park in Toronto on the federal minimum wage. A poll released last week showed that three out of four Canadians believed the minimum wage should be at least $10 an hour.

The petitioners recognize that the federal minimum wage was eliminated in 1996 by the Liberal government, that a $10 an hour minimum wage just approaches the poverty level for a single worker and that the importance of a federal minimum wage would extend beyond the number of workers covered by it because it serves as a best practice for labour standards across the country.

They call upon the Parliament of Canada to ensure that workers in federal jurisdiction are paid a fair minimum wage by passing my Bill C-375 to re-establish a federal minimum wage and set it at $10 an hour.

Social and Environmental Ethics

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this afternoon I am pleased to rise for the first time in this House to present a petition signed by 57 people from Bellechasse.

The purpose of this petition is to make the government aware of the social and environmental responsibilities of Canadian mining companies in developing countries.

This petition was spearheaded by Mrs. Denise Prévost, a member of Development and Peace in Saint-Charles, which is in my riding. I met with her and Mr. Jean-Pierre Lalonde at my office.

The petition asks that legal means be developed requiring Canadian companies to be accountable for their actions abroad and enabling the government to refuse to assist mining companies that do not respect international standards with respect to human rights and the environment.

I support this petition and am pleased to table it on behalf of the citizens of my riding.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The honourable member for Lévis—Bellechasse did mention that this was the first time he was presenting a petition in this House. The member made a major mistake in his presentation. In fact he stated that he supported this petition. The member may present the petition, but he is prohibited from indicating whether or not he supports it. I hope he will not make this mistake again in the House.

The hon. member for New Westminster—Coquitlam also has a petition to present.

Child Care

[Dawn Black, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand today and present a petition signed by families in New Westminster, Coquitlam and Port Moody.

The petitioners say that high quality child care is a benefit to all children, enhancing their health and school readiness, reducing family poverty and promoting social inclusion and workforce productivity.

The petitioners call upon the government to achieve multi-year funding to ensure that publicly operated child care programs are sustainable for the long term. They are asking the government to bring in a child care act similar to the Canada Health Act.

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, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 168 and 170.

Question No. 168

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

With regard to programs and spending by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) within the riding of Burnaby—New Westminster: (a) what was the amount spent in 2006; (b) what is the projected budget for 2007; (c) how many CMHC-funded housing units for singles and families currently exist; (d) how many CMHC-funded housing units for singles and families are planned for 2006 and 2007; and (e) what is the amount that CMHC has provided to housing co-ops in the riding for maintenance over the last two years and what will be the amount over the next two years?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to programs and spending administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC, within the riding of Burnaby-New Westminster:

Social housing: CMHC currently administers 890 co-operative housing units which provide housing for singles and families. These co-ops received annual subsidies of $1,290,496 in 2006. Under program design, there is no CMHC funding specifically earmarked for maintenance. Co-operatives set housing charges at levels sufficient to cover project operating costs including maintenance expenses and the provision of an allocation to a capital repair reserve fund. The funding provided by CMHC is used to offset or reduce these project operating costs and/or to subsidize housing charges for households in need.

In addition, CMHC provided funding to another 1,048 units in the riding of Burnaby-New Westminster, committed under various programs, which provides housing for singles and families. Of this total, there are 618 units benefiting from a preferential interest rate and some of these units are also benefiting from a forgivable capital contribution grant equivalent to 10% of the original project cost. The remaining 430 units received annual funding of $540,851 in 2006.

The administration of these 1,048 units was transferred to the Province on January 15, 2007, under a social housing agreement, SHA, with the province of British Columbia signed in 2006. CMHC annual funding contained in the Canada-B.C. SHA is currently some $140 million. The Province also received a one-time lump sum amount of $24 million for risks associated with future inflation, changes in interest rates and loan losses. The amount of subsidy available in 2007 is governed by the agreements between CMHC and the various sponsor groups and assumed by the British Columbia Housing Management Corporation pursuant to the SHA.

There may be additional units located in the riding that received on-going federal assistance in 2006 under various federal-provincial programs already administered by the province of British Columbia prior to this summer’s signing of an SHA which are not included in the above unit counts. The province has the lead role for these units and does not report subsidies by project to CMHC. For the first nine months of 2006 the province had claimed federal funding of some $75 million on these programs, covering some 27,000 units across the province. These units are also covered by the SHA. Effective October 1, 2006 funding for these units is being provided through the annual funding of $140 million contained in the SHA.

Renovation programs: On December 19, 2006, the Government of Canada announced a $256 million, two-year extension of the housing renovation and adaptation programs, effective April 1, 2007. The funding will help improve the quality of housing for an additional 38,000 low-income households in all regions of Canada. For 2006/2007, British Columbia’s allocation for these housing renovation programs is approximately $16.2 million.

Under federal renovation programs in the riding of Burnaby-New Westminster, some $296,000 has been committed for 22 units in 2006. CMHC is unable to provide a forecast of how many units and dollars will be committed in 2007, since this will depend on the number of applications approved.

Affordable housing initiative/Canada-B.C. affordable housing program agreement: Under the $1 billion affordable housing initiative, AHI, over $130 million has been allocated to British Columbia. As of December 31, 2006, 4,432 affordable housing units had been committed or announced in British Columbia, representing federal funding of $126.4 million. The province of British Columbia and others are matching federal AHI investments.

British Columbia Housing (B.C. Housing) administers the Canada-British-Columbia affordable housing program agreement. According to information provided by B.C. Housing, there have not been any commitments under this program in the riding of Burnaby-New Westminster in 2006. B.C. Housing is not required to provide forecasts of units planned by riding to CMHC, but it does report on projects approved during the year.

Housing trusts: The 2006 budget provides for a one time investment of $1.4 billion towards helping Canadians find safe, adequate and affordable housing in all provinces and territories. This investment is being made through three housing trusts with provinces and territories to invest in affordable housing. This includes an affordable housing trust of $800 million, a northern housing trust of $300 million and a trust for off reserve aboriginal housing of $300 million. Funding for these housing trusts, which was confirmed on September 25, 2006, will be allocated over three years. B.C.'s share of this funding is $156.9 million.

Question No. 170

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

With respect to programs and spending administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) within the riding of Nanaimo—Cowichan: (a) what were the projected and actual spending amounts of CMHC in 2006; (b) what is the projected budget for 2007; (c) how many CMHC-funded housing units for singles and families currently exist; (d) how many of those units are on reserve lands; (e) how many CMHC-funded housing units for singles and families are planned for the remainder of 2007; and (f) how many of the planned units are on reserve lands?

[Monte Solberg, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to programs and spending administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC, within the riding of Nanaimo-Cowichan:

Social housing: In 2006, CMHC provided funding to 992 units in the riding of Nanaimo-Cowichan, committed under various programs, which provides housing for singles and families. Of this total, there are 291 units benefiting from a preferential interest rate and some of these units are also benefiting from a forgivable capital contribution grant equivalent to 10% of the original project cost. The remaining 701 units are receiving annual funding. The planned subsidy for 2006 was $1,874,025 and the actual amount disbursed was $1,924,950.

Of these units, 242 units are located on reserve lands. The level of assistance planned in 2007 for these 242 on-reserve units is basically the same as in 2006 at or about $512,000. There may be adjustments to this level of assistance due to changes in mortgage interest rates for renewals occurring in 2007.

For the 750 off-reserve units, the administration was transferred effective January 15, 2007 under a social housing agreement, SHA, with the province of British Columbia signed in 2006. CMHC annual funding contained in the Canada-B.C. SHA is currently some $140 million. British Columbia also received a one-time lump sum amount of $24 million for risks associated with future inflation, changes in interest rates and loan losses. The amount of subsidy available in 2007 for these 750 off-reserve units is governed by the agreements between CMHC and the various sponsor groups as assumed by the British Columbia Housing Management Corporation pursuant to the SHA.

There may be additional off-reserve units located in the riding that received on-going federal assistance in 2006 under various federal-provincial programs already administered by the province of British Columbia prior to this summer’s signing of the SHA which are not included in the above unit counts. The province has the lead role for these units and does not report subsidies by project to CMHC. For the first nine months of 2006, the province had claimed federal funding of some $75 million on these programs, covering some 27,000 units across the province. These units are also covered by the SHA. Effective October 1, 2006, funding for these units is being provided through the annual funding of $140 million contained in the SHA.

Renovation programs: On December 19, 2006, the Government of Canada announced a $256 million, two-year extension of the housing renovation and adaptation programs, effective April 1, 2007. The funding will help improve the quality of housing for an additional 38,000 low-income households in all regions of Canada. For 2006/2007, British Columbia’s allocation for these housing renovation programs is approximately $16.2 million.

Under federal renovation programs in the riding of Nanaimo-Cowichan, some $605,000 has been committed for 62 units in 2006. Of these 62 units, 5 are located on reserve lands and received $54,633 in contributions. CMHC is unable to provide a forecast of how many units and dollars will be committed in 2007, since this will depend on the number of applications approved.

Affordable housing initiative/Canada-BC affordable housing program agreement: Under the $1 billion affordable housing initiative, AHI, over $130 million has been allocated to B.C. As of December 31, 2006, 4,432 affordable housing units had been committed or announced in B.C., representing federal funding of $126.4 million. The province of British Columbia and others are matching federal AHI investments.

British Columbia Housing (B.C. Housing) administers the Canada-British-Columbia affordable housing program agreement. According to information provided by B.C. Housing, in 2006 there has been one commitment for 16 units and $1,120,000 in CMHC funding under this program in the riding of Nanaimo-Cowichan. B.C. Housing is not required to provide forecasts of units planned by riding to CMHC, but it does report on projects approved during the year.

Housing trusts: The 2006 budget provides for a one time investment of $1.4 billion towards helping Canadians find safe, adequate, and affordable housing in all provinces and territories. This investment is being made through three housing trusts with provinces and territories to invest in affordable housing. This includes an affordable housing trust of $800 million, a northern housing trust of $300 million and a trust for off reserve aboriginal housing of $300 million. Funding for these housing trusts, which was confirmed on September 25, 2006, will be allocated over three years. B.C.'s share of this funding is $156.9 million.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 145 and 165 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.