Debates of May 28th, 2008

Aboriginal Affairs

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, there will be a second day of action, which comes as no surprise. Aboriginal people are frustrated by the government's refusal to address our concerns. It has been more than two years since it cancelled the Kelowna accord and all we get in its place is window dressing.

More aboriginal people are in care now than there were students at the height of the residential schools era, and the education of aboriginal children is sorely lacking.

When will the government stop ignoring aboriginal people and deliver a real plan? Will the minister stop his swagger and give us some substance?

[Chuck Strahl, Conservative, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians]

Mr. Speaker, we are interested in substance. That is why we are not following through on the Kelowna press release. When we came into office, we found out that there was nothing in the budget allocated for the Kelowna accord. There were no details as to how it was going to work. There was nothing in there that said how we were going to change the system to make it work. That is why Bob Nault, the former minister from the Liberal times, in case he forgets this, said that the Kelowna accord would not get the job done.

That is why we are moving on specific things such as action plans on clean water, action plans on housing, including the first ever market housing fund, action plans on specific claims, action plans on human rights. We are getting it done.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Norman Doyle, Conservative, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, members of Parliament, premiers, coastal Canadians, Inuit and many more have been calling on the Government of Canada to take a stand against a ban on humanely harvested Canadian seal products. They are tired of unethical fundraisers undermining a difficult but honest living.

Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans update the House on the action the government is taking in the European Union and on the world stage to stand up for our sealers?

[Loyola Hearn, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his support on this issue.

The Prime Minister, who has raised this issue previously in Europe and at the United Nations, has been in two countries these past two days, France and Germany, and has raised the issue with both leaders.

At the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Conference this past week, I arranged to ensure it went on the agenda. We have the open public support of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Russia. We are doing our job. It is up to them to support us.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

The House resumed from May 27 consideration of the motion that Bill C-33, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, be read the third time and passed, and of the motion that this question be now put.

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

It being 3 p.m. or so, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the previous question at the third reading stage of the Bill C-33.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #114

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I declare the motion carried.

Accordingly, the next question is on the main motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think if you were to seek it you would find unanimous consent to apply the results of the vote just taken to the motion currently before the House.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is there agreement to proceed in this fashion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #115

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

Public Sector Integrity Commissioner

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I have the honour, pursuant to section 38 of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, to lay upon the table the report of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.

This report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

Tabling of Documents

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during question period, I was speaking of the national campaign for the students of Attawapiskat and when I referred to the 2,000 letters that had been delivered by the students of St. Edmund Campion, 5,000 from Aurora and 1,500 from Clarke Road Secondary School, the member for Kitchener—Conestoga at that time challenged me to table the documents in the House.

The students from St. Edmund Campion drove from Brampton this morning to deliver the 2,000 letters. Since the Conservative Party asked me to table those, I would ask the Conservatives to second this so I can table, with the unanimous consent in the House, as per their request, the 2,000 letters from the students in Brampton fighting for a grade school in Attawapiskat.

I would like my hon. colleagues in the Conservative Party to know that I did follow up. I believe next Monday or Tuesday they are coming from Aurora with 5,000 letters and I will be more than willing to table those then.

I look for the unanimous consent of all parties.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is there unanimous consent to permit the hon. member to table these documents?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Alleged Comments by Member for Hamilton Centre

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and to the Minister of International Trade raised a point of order regarding unparliamentary language in the House the day before.

I want to say that the discussion that is in question here was not even a matter on the floor between two members. It was a non-partisan discussion. We were not talking about anything that has to do with a bill or politics.

Where the member gets off feeling that his rudeness under the guise that my words “very aggressively and deliberately attacked” a member, I have no idea.

However, there is no question that in my response I went beyond his rudeness, which is where I should have kept it and responded in kind, but I did cross the line. I did use unparliamentary language, language that is unacceptable. Therefore, I apologize to the member and to anyone else who may have heard that.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I thank the hon. member.

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, under the provisions of Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the meeting of the second part of the 2008 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held in Strasbourg, France, April 14-18, 2008.

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 47th Canadian-American Days, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States of America, March 25-30, 2008.