House of Commons Hansard #169 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was million.
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 83(1), I have the honour to table a notice of ways and means motion to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, the Wage Earner Protection Program Act and Chapter 47 of the Statutes of Canada, 2005.
I ask that an order of the day be designated for consideration of the motion.
Public Sector Integrity CommissionerCertificates of NominationRoutine Proceedings
York—Simcoe Ontario
Conservative
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table in both official languages the certificate of nomination and biographical notes of Christiane Ouimet, whom the government is proposing to appoint as the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. Pursuant to Standing Order 111.1(1), this matter is to be referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics CommissionerCertificates of NominationRoutine Proceedings
York—Simcoe Ontario
Conservative
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table in both official languages a certificate of nomination and biographical notes for Mary Elizabeth Dawson, who the government is proposing to be named as Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
Pursuant to Standing Order 111.1(1) this matter is to be referred to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary 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), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to six petitions.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-455, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (duty to provide assistance).
Mr. Speaker, in April of this year a young man, Nick Brown, was brutally attacked and left to bleed to death in a Toronto subway. Apparently, there were witnesses but no one offered assistance or called 911.
One of my constituents, Debra Clinton, was so upset at this young man's death that she contacted me to ask if Canada had a law requiring bystanders to offer assistance in life and death situations. To our surprise, we learned that no such law existed in Canada and only existed in the province of Quebec, as well as a number of European countries.
The bill I am introducing today addresses this gap in our laws and also responds to recommendations made in the 1985 Law Reform Commission of Canada report. It seeks to amend the Criminal Code to make it an offence not to take reasonable steps to assist someone who is in imminent and overwhelming danger without a lawful excuse. I urge all members to support this bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-456, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods).
Mr. Speaker, I am reintroducing this bill from the 38th Parliament. It is an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act with respect to mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods.
This bill will ensure mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods. Canadian consumers have the right to know what they are eating.
Polls have shown that over 80% of consumers want to know what they are eating.
As predicted, the voluntary labelling standard introduced in 2004 has not resulted in any labels on genetically modified foods. There are many reasons why Canadians want to know if they are eating genetically modified foods. It is a matter of choice. For that reason, I am introducing the bill today.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Brian Pallister Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-457, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (interest rates on debts owed) and to make a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Regulations.
Mr. Speaker, for the last 12 years Revenue Canada has credited the interest on refunds owing to Canadians at a rate lower than the rate it has charged those same Canadians when they owed Revenue Canada. This bill proposes to make the rate the same for Canadians who are owed money and those who owe it, so that we equalize the treatment of Canadians under the Income Tax Act. I would urge members of the House of Commons to support that concept and this bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the government House leader a few moments ago gave notice to the House of two proposed appointments of officers. I wonder if the government House leader could give us the assurance that the committees to which these two appointments have been referred automatically will have the full opportunity to conduct any hearings that they consider to be appropriate with respect to the two nominees.
Of course, at the end of next week when the normal adjournment of Parliament would occur, the 30 day period that is provided for this matter would run beyond that date. I would like to have the government's assurance that if the committees deem it appropriate to hold hearings with respect to these two appointments, that whether the House is sitting or not, the committees would be at liberty to pursue the matters as they saw fit.
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, while I am not sure this fits into the rubric of motions I am very happy to answer the opposition House leader's question. He raised this issue earlier today in a discussion with me when we discussed the nominations.
Since that time I have taken steps to try to ensure that everything is done to allow those committees to be able to do their consideration of the nominations. Right now we are exploring what can best be done to facilitate their efforts if it is the ultimate decision of the committees to crystallize those nominations as final.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the 112,000 signatures already submitted to the House on this issue, I would like to present several more petitions that call upon the Conservative government to introduce effective animal cruelty legislation, like my private member's bill, Bill C-373, and to vote against the ineffective placebo Senate bill, Bill S-213.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to present a petition signed by Canadians calling upon the government not to extradite Marc Emery, who is wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for selling cannabis seeds.
Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of presenting a petition signed by my constituents on the subject of HIV-AIDS in Africa. The petition calls upon the Government of Canada to expedite the production and export of anti-retroviral drugs in Africa.
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and especially proud to rise here today to present two petitions containing 1,499 signatures from 75 women's groups in Quebec. These women feel betrayed by the Conservative government and its Minister for the Status of Women.
The Prime Minister has reneged on a promise he made on January 18, 2006, when he committed to taking action to support the human rights of women. The petitioners are calling on the government to re-open the 12 offices of Status of Women Canada, to bring back the court challenges program and to restore the original criteria for the women's program.
Basically, the petitioners hope that the Prime Minister will keep his word and respond positively to their concerns.
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by over 100 residents of Burnaby and other communities on the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
The petitioners point out that the federal government has failed to extend financial support to the 2009 World Police & Fire Games, which are to be held on B.C.'s Lower Mainland. This failure does not recognize the important role law enforcement officers and fire personnel play in communities, often at great risk to their lives. It does not recognize the importance of developing relationships between public safety officers around the world, nor does it recognize the positive economic impact the games will have.
The petitioners call on the government to extend generous financial support to the 2009 World Police & Fire Games and at least match the funding that has been extended to the last Canadian host city of this important event.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this income trust broken promise petition on behalf of Mrs. Janet Tieman from my riding of Mississauga South. She recalls that when the Prime Minister was reflecting upon his apparent commitment to accountability, 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 recklessly broke that promise. He imposed a 31.5% punitive tax which permanently wiped out $25 billion of hard-earned retirement savings of over two million Canadians, particularly Canadian 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 and to apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise, and to repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions. The first petition is from residents in Vancouver who are very concerned about the escalating number of foreign takeovers of Canadian companies. They point out that there have been over 10,000 from 1985 to 2002.
They call on Parliament to limit foreign ownership and takeovers, promote Canadian corporations and repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from petitioners in Vancouver who are pointing out that subsidies to co-op housing were cut under section 95 of the program. There are more than two million Canadians in desperate need of affordable housing.
The petitioners call upon the government to repay all the lost subsidies, to provide new assistance to co-ops and to build 200,000 new affordable co-op housing units and social housing units and also to renovate 100,000 existing units.
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is signed by hundreds of petitioners in Red Deer and elsewhere who have joined thousands of others across Canada in calling for a federal minimum wage that was eliminated in 1996.
The petitioners call on the government to pass Bill C-375, in the name of the member for Parkdale—High Park, to re-establish a federal minimum wage and to set it at $10 an hour so that people can be paid a fair minimum wage and have a quality of life. Thousands of these petitions are coming in from across the country.
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition to the Minister of Justice regarding animal cruelty.
The Criminal Code has not been updated significantly since 1892 with regard to animal cruelty. Recently in Windsor we had a case where an animal was abused. A.K. had his ears cut back. It was that case which prompted the petitioners to ask that the law be updated.
The petitioners are calling on Parliament to act immediately and to provide a new modern animal cruelty act to protect animals in this country.
Blair Wilson Liberal West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and present this income trust broken promise petition on behalf of Howard Stevenson who remembers the Prime Minister reflecting on his apparent commitment to accountability when he said, “The greatest fraud is a promise not kept”.
The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income trusts, but he recklessly broke that promise by imposing a 31.5% punitive tax which permanently wiped out $25 billion of hard-earned retirement savings of over two million Canadians, particularly Canadian 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, to apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise, and to repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary 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.
Bill C-52--Time Allocation MotionBudget Implementation Act, 2007Government Orders
York—Simcoe Ontario
Conservative
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
moved:
That in relation to Bill C-52, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2007, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the third reading stage of the Bill;
and fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business on the day designated for the consideration of the said stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.
The Deputy Speaker NDP Bill Blaikie
Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1) there will now be a 30 minute question period.
I invite all hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places so the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.
The hon. House leader of the official opposition.