Debates of May 30th, 2008

Fisheries and Oceans

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, monitoring, surveillance and enforcement are important elements of preserving our fisheries and oceans.

When our government came to power, we inherited a depleted force of fisheries officers who were stretched very thin in performing their duties. We took immediate action. We reversed the cuts made by the previous Liberal government and we have continued to invest assertively in this area.

Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please update the House on any further investments that we are making in this area?

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

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to congratulate 30 new fisheries officers who recently graduated from the fishery officer training program. This brings to a total of 135 new officers since we came into power.

These young people will now be spread throughout the country to do what fisheries officers do, which is protect our fish and our fish habitat. The added bonus is that a number of them will be stationed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mining

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of northern Ontario have always lived with a boom-bust cycle of international mining but what we have learned is that our greatest strength is not the ore in the ground. It is the innovation that we are bringing toward new exploration and mining techniques.

In Kirkland Lake, we have MAJIC, which is the Materials Joining Innovation Centre. In Sudbury, we have the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation. However, we need the federal government at the table if we are truly going to become world class leaders.

I would like to ask the government what steps it will take to work with the city of Sudbury, to work with the Centre of Excellence in Mining to ensure that we take the expertise from northern Ontario and make us a truly world class leader in mining development.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would advise that FedNor has a limited funding base and it needs to take that into account when it makes decisions. In the case of the particular proposal for CEMI in Sudbury, that is one that would not maximize the leverage of the FedNor money as we would like to see it through northern Ontario.

That being said, I can let the House know that since January 2008 the Sudbury-Nickel Belt area has received $3.67 million in funding for economic development and, in 2007, Sudbury received more funding than any other region in northern Ontario, $5.3 million. That is almost $9 million in funding.

While that particular project might not be funded, I can say that overall that region has been taken care of by this government to ensure economic development opportunities are created, pursued and people there can be wealthier and live prosperous lives in a Canada where the economy is growing.

Government Response to Petitions

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union respecting its participation at the parliamentary panel within the framework of the WTO Public Forum 2007 held in Geneva, Switzerland, October 4, 2007.

I also have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union concerning its participation at the 15th session of the steering committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization held in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14 and 15, 2007.

Main Estimates, 2008-09—Agriculture and Agri-Food

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

The following motion in the name of the hon. Leader of the Opposition is deemed adopted:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 81(4)(b), consideration by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food of Votes 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 under AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, be extended beyond May 31, 2008.

(Motion agreed to)

Unborn Victims of Crime

[Ken Epp, Conservative, Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured again to have a large number of names on petitions, almost 2,000 today. These keep pouring in from right across the country. I am pleased to see this time a number from Sherwood Park, but also a large number of signatures from Abbotsford; Wetaskiwin; La Crete, which I do not know if members have even heard of; Laval; and Montreal.

It is a very great honour to represent Canadians from right across the country who recognize the difference between a woman who wishes not to have a pregnancy and one who wishes to have one, to complete it and to give birth, life, love and care to her child, and that that right ought not to be interfered with by any third party intruder, a violent offender, who would attack her.

Darfur

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of people in Quebec who want to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.

They note that since 2003, over 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million people displaced. Canada has a responsibility to engage the international community to end these atrocities, and these signatories want us to note that each signature represents 100 innocent citizens of Darfur who have been killed.

Unborn Victims of Crime

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have before me a petition that comes from Niagara and some of the surrounding areas of Vineland and St. Catharines. The petitioners state that when a pregnant woman is killed or assaulted, there is no legal protection for the unborn child, and they believe that this is wrong. This supports my colleague's private member's bill and I would like to present this petition today which has over 200 signatures.

Human Rights

[Tina Keeper, Liberal, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions from people in the Winnipeg region and Edmonton. They are calling on the government to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Property Crime

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition from my constituents in the beautiful community of Langley who are concerned about, and want Parliament to deal with, prolific property crime offenders.

Property crime is a serious offence which affects most people and often results in huge financial losses and significant emotional upset due to loss of security at home. A majority of property offences are committed by a minority of prolific offenders.

The petitioners point out that it appears that property offences are treated as insignificant and minor by enforcement agencies and the justice system. The fears and concerns of victims are often left unaddressed by enforcement agencies or the criminal justice system.

They also point out that repeated claims compromise the ability of homeowners to receive home insurance, and that the government has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to enact specific and precise legislation to deal appropriately with prolific property crime offenders.

Canada Post Corporation

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from residents of Cardigan in the province of Prince Edward Island.

The petitioners wish to indicate to the House of Commons that Canada Post is switching residents from door to door mail delivery to community mailbox delivery without properly assessing the safety of those community mailboxes to the residents. Many of the community mailboxes being established in the province of Prince Edward Island are no safer than regular mailboxes and have additional problems in terms of accessibility, litter, snow build-up, and the environment.

The petitioners request that Parliament ensure proper consultations with the affected customers and thorough assessment of the location of the community mailboxes before they are put in place.

Nahanni National Park

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

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

The first petition is from Canadians who appreciate the government's work at the Nahanni National Park Reserve recognizing that it is a UNESCO world heritage site. They continue to ask Parliament to look at expanding the Nahanni to make sure that all of that area and the wildlife in there, as well as the flora and fauna, are protected and that the South Nahanni watershed be expanded.

Sponsorship Program

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from citizens in my riding.

The petitioners say that it is the duty of Parliament to be accountable and to protect the taxes collected from Canadian citizens. They request that Parliament continue to investigate the location and possible allocation of the $40 million of taxpayers' money which mysteriously vanished under the Liberal Party of Canada during the sponsorship scandal.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, if Questions No. 249 and No. 250 could be made orders for returns these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Is it the pleasure of the House that Questions Nos. 249 and 250 be made orders for returns and that they be tabled immediately?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question no 249

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

With respect to Canada’s fiscal framework: (a) which sectors benefited the most from the tax cuts announced in The Budget Plan 2008; (b) when drafting The Budget Plan 2008, were investments on social or infrastructure projects considered but rejected in order to implement the tax cuts and, if so, which investments were rejected; (c) what is considered the largest source of tax “leakage” by the government on an annual basis for the last five years and (i) what are these losses worth on an annual basis, (ii) from which provinces are most of these losses incurred; (d) which countries, in terms of size of Canadian assets, are considered the largest foreign tax havens and what plans, if any, does the government have to tighten the restrictions on the use of such tax havens; (e) with respect to a comparison between a 0.5% cut to the lowest marginal tax rate and lowering the goods and services tax (GST) by 1%, which of these initiatives would benefit more Canadians, in dollars and people, according to income level; and (f) with respect to a comparison between a $ 500 increase in the basic personal exemption and lowering the GST by 1%, which of these initiatives would benefit more Canadians, in dollars and people, according to income level?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 250

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

With respect to newly implemented tax credits: (a) what was the anticipated cost of the public transit tax credit measure prior to its implementation and how many Canadian transit users, by urban centre, were expected to file for this credit; (b) since its inception, on an annual basis, what has been the cost of implementing the public transit tax credit and how many Canadian transit users, by urban centre, have filed for this credit; (c) what would be the costs of extending the public transit tax credit to users who pay for their transit on a basis other than with a monthly travel pass (i.e. on a daily or weekly basis, or by buying blocks of transit chits); (d) by what margin was transit ridership expected to increase with the implementation of this tax credit, by urban area and on an annual basis; (e) since the inception of this credit, how much has ridership increased or decreased, by urban area and on an annual basis; (f) what was the anticipated cost of the tax credit to promote physical fitness among children prior to its implementation; (g) how many Canadian families, by urban centre, were expected to file for this credit; (h) since its inception, on an annual basis, what has been the cost of implementing this tax credit; (i) how many Canadian families, by urban centre, have filed for this credit; (j) under existing regulations what length of time must a sports program be in operation for a family to be eligible for the tax credit; (k) what would be the costs of extending this credit to families who enroll children in sports programs whose duration is for two weeks or longer; and (l) since its implementation, what are the sports, by category that have most and least been utilized under this tax credit?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

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

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Galipeau), Conservative, Royal Galipeau]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.