Debates of June 19th, 2008

Unborn Victims of Crime

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to present this petition wherein the petitioners note that under current federal law an unborn child is not recognized as a victim of violent crimes. They go on to note that a vast majority of the public supports law that protects unborn children from acts of violence and that forcing upon a pregnant woman the death or injury of her unborn child is a violation of a woman's right to give life to and protect her child.

They therefore call upon Parliament to enact legislation which would recognize unborn children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers.

CBC Radio Orchestra

[Bill Siksay, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition signed by thousands of Canadians who stand on guard for the CBC.

The petitioners are concerned by CBC/Radio-Canada's decision to disband a venerable national institution based in Vancouver, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the reduced commitment by CBC/Radio-Canada to classical music.

In that regard, the petitioners call on the government to ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada is well funded so that it can fulfill its mandate, to recommend to the CBC/Radio-Canada board of directors that the long-standing commitment to the CBC Radio Orchestra be maintained with sustained and substantial funding and a mandate for 10 years, and that CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate include a strong and permanent commitment to classical and concert music.

Unborn Victims of Crime

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

Mr. Speaker, once again I have a whole handful of petitions. These are in support of Bill C-484, the unborn victims of crime act.

The 1,523 people who signed this particular group of petitions are pretty well all from Markham and Scarborough. They support the legislation. They want Parliament to enact legislation that recognizes it is just wrong to force upon a pregnant woman the death or injury of her unborn child and that this is a violation of a woman's right to protect and give life to her child.

The petitioners urge that the legislation be passed. Of course I am delighted to present their petition in the House on their behalf.

Arts and Culture

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to present a petition from various signatories calling on Parliament to staunchly defend Canadian artistic and cultural expression and to rescind any provisions of Bill C-10 which allow the government to censor film and video production in Canada and to ensure that the government has in place objective and transparent guidelines that respect freedom of expression when delivering any program intended to support film and video production in Canada.

CBC Radio Orchestra

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table petitions on behalf of many concerned citizens who have expressed opposition to the CBC's decision to disband the CBC Radio Orchestra.

The petitioners believe that this 70-year-old institution which has brought so much joy to Canadians across the country is an institution worth protecting. They are very concerned that there was no public consultation on this decision. They are calling for ongoing sustained funding to restore the CBC Radio Orchestra.

Human Trafficking

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table two petitions signed by people from coast to coast to coast across Canada who call on the government to continue its work on stopping the horrendous crime of human trafficking in our country.

Electoral Reform

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present three petitions today from members of my constituency and from across Vancouver Island.

The petitioners who signed the first petition want Canada to reform its electoral system. They are tired of the first past the post system that has been around for over 100 years, since before women were considered persons under the law and before aboriginal people and non-property owners were entitled to vote.

The petitioners want the government to have the broad consultation across the country that we have not had. They call on the Government of Canada to follow up on the report that recommended real cross-country consultations on electoral reform.

Terminator Technology

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from constituents from all over British Columbia. They are concerned about the use of terminator technology, which is genetic engineering designed to render seeds sterile at harvest and prevent farmers from saving and replanting the seeds. The use of these genetically engineered seeds will impact farmers' livelihoods, food security and crop genetic diversity.

The petitioners call on Parliament to legislate a permanent ban on terminator technology to ensure that these seeds are never planted, field tested, patented or commercialized in Canada.

The Environment

[Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from approximately 130 of my constituents who are concerned about the environment. They know that the impacts of climate change will be catastrophic and that we must act to reduce our greenhouse gases immediately.

The petitioners call on the government, which has no plans to do so, to reduce our greenhouse gases, to honour our legal commitments to the Kyoto treaty and to further reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition today that has been signed by over 250 of the residents of Pontiac County, Quebec. Over 3,000 individuals in that area of Shawville and Pontiac County have signed copies of this petition.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to halt the extradition of Stuart B. Collins, a local business person. He has been involved in the community and has hired dozens of people in this particular area of Shawville, Quebec.

He is being extradited under dubious, to say the least, justification. As we know, the minister and the government can intervene to halt that extradition.

These hundreds of petitioners from Pontiac County call on the government to do just that.

Immigration

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have petitions signed by people from Ottawa, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and other parts of Canada.

The petitioners call on the government to deal with the immigration backlog by increasing the staff in overseas visa offices and to also increase the immigration target to 1% of the Canadian population, or 330,000 new residents. Doing so would facilitate family reunification and would also meet labour needs.

The petitioners also call on the government to stop the expansion of the temporary foreign workers category. These petitioners are extremely concerned that temporary foreign workers have very limited labour rights and have an uncertain future in Canada. They feel that immigrants should be nation building rather than being used as cheap labour for big corporations.

Consumer Price Index

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition from my constituents in Hamilton Centre who are troubled that Statistics Canada's error in calculating the consumer price index resulted in lost revenues for Canadians who are on fixed incomes, like CPP, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. These are incomes that are directly tied to Statistics Canada's calculations.

The petitioners call on the Conservative government to take full responsibility for this error and to take every step necessary to repay every Canadian who was shortchanged by this egregious error.

CBC Radio Orchestra

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions.

The first petition is from people in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland who are very concerned about the elimination of the CBC Radio Orchestra. It is the last such orchestra in North America. It has been around for 70 years, providing wonderful music and programs to Canadians across the country.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada and the House of Commons to reconsider the decision of the CBC and ask for the reinstatement of the CBC Radio Orchestra. They also point out that the CBC, as a public institution, should have consulted with the Canadian public before making such a decision of national importance.

Security and Prosperity Partnership

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is a call to suspend the security and prosperity partnership of North America, often called the SPP. The petition is signed by people in the Lower Mainland.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to stop further implementation of the security and prosperity partnership of North America until there has been a democratic mandate from the people of Canada, parliamentary oversight, and consideration of its profound consequences on Canada's existence as a sovereign nation.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre, very briefly.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have three separate petitions on three different subjects, and I will be very brief.

The first petition is signed by thousands of Canadians from all across the country.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to suspend the security and prosperity partnership or continental integration strategy currently ongoing. They point out that the SPP encompasses over 300 wide-ranging initiatives but yet is going on without the scrutiny, oversight or even mandate from any of the people of Canada, the United States or Mexico.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The 15 minutes for presenting petitions have expired. That is why I urged the hon. member to brief. He can do them, but he will have to be very quick.

Federal Minimum Wage

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I see, Mr. Speaker. I will be quick.

The second petition, put forward by hundreds of Canadians and regarding the federal minimum wage, calls upon the Parliament of Canada to ensure that the workers in the federal jurisdiction are paid a fair minimum wage by passing the NDP private member's bill, Bill C-375, which would establish a federal minimum wage and set it at $10 an hour.

Rail Transportation Safety

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the last petition I have to present is regarding rail transportation safety.

The petitioners point out that CN Rail's trains traverse Canada with dangerous commodities, that Transport Canada concluded an audit of CN's safety management system, but the audit has never been made public. Therefore, these many Canadians are calling upon Parliament to make public the contents of Transport Canada's audit of CN's safety management system.

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 question will be answered today: No. 267.

Question No. 267

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

With regard to the world-class arctic research station mentioned in the Speech from the Throne opening the Second Session of the 39th Parliament: (a) what is the anticipated cost; (b) which Northern communities are being considered for the location of the station; (c) when will the final selection be made for the location; (d) when will the station be included in the government's budget plans; (e) what types of scientific research will be supported by the station; and (f) will the station be part of existing arctic scientific research facilities such as the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik, Northwest Territories?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada’s world-class Arctic research station, part of our government’s northern strategy, will help position our country as the global leader in Arctic science research. We are committed to ensure that northerners will be involved in and benefit from this important project.

Planning for the station is now in preliminary stages, including consultations and analysis of possible options for infrastructure and logistics, a science program, governance and location. The design and development of the station will be driven by the science priorities for Canada.

In response to a) An estimated cost for the station cannot be identified until more analysis is done regarding the infrastructure and logistics, science program, governance and location.

In response to b) A site location for the research station has not yet been determined. We are presently undertaking operational research to analyze location options.

In response to c) We hope that analysis and discussion with key stakeholders will yield a location recommendation in the coming months.

In response to d) The development of an Arctic research station is a multi-year initiative, as is the case with any large infrastructure project, but we hope to undertake initial feasibility studies over the next year which will also then help with future financial estimates and planning.

In response to e) A process has been launched to define Canada’s global advantage in Arctic science. The results of this process will provide key information for the Arctic science priorities in Canada and the science and technology program for the station. As part of this process, we recently convened a workshop with representatives from federal and territorial governments, universities, colleges, northern and aboriginal organizations and industry to discuss Arctic science priorities for Canada. The discussion considered varied scientific activities and disciplines including natural, physical, social and health sciences. The next step in this process is an international validation of Canada’s priorities for Arctic science.

In response to f) Analysis is underway now to provide options for an optimal model and governance structure for the station. This analysis includes consideration of the existing capacity for Arctic scientific research in Canada.

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 Question Nos. 265 and 277 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.