Debates of June 2nd, 2008

The Environment

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I can hear the oil executives quaking in their boots after a spin like that.

The Dene and the Cree in Fort Chipewyan are living with the consequences of irresponsible development of what happens when the impacts are considered only after the oil starts flowing rather than before, as it should be.

In Alberta, it means disappearing drinking water for first nations and local communities, while greenhouse gas emissions spin out of control, all this while the Conservatives continue to grant obscene billion dollar subsidies to the most profitable sector in Canada's economy.

Will the government use all its powers at hand and stop this crime? Will it stop the dangerous plans of Imperial Oil that would put 800,000 more cars on the road?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we will ensure rigorous environmental assessments are done before any sensitive ecosystems take place.

I want to thank the NDP for being brave enough to stand with those of us in the government against the Liberals' carbon tax plan. Why are the NDP against the carbon tax plan? They know it would hurt seniors living on fixed incomes. They know it would hurt people in Atlantic Canada who have to use home heating fuel for their homes. It would be the death nail of rural Canada. It would be a new tax on heating hot water.

Thank goodness the NDP is finally standing up against a new tax.

Health

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the health minister falsely claims that the science on Insite is mixed and, therefore, we should get rid of it. This gives me a bad feeling of déjà vu.

Was this not the tactic of big tobacco and Conservative climate change deniers to block needed action for so long: claim there is a scientific debate when, in fact, the scientists agree there is none?

Will the minister stop imposing his right wing ideology on Canadians, respect the court ruling and let Insite continue to save lives?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, the expert advisory committee was very clear. It found that only 3% of those who attend Insite actually get referred to treatment and that only 10% of those who use Insite use it for all their injections.

The expert advisory committee insisted that Insite only saved one life, and that life is important but I want to save more than one life. I want to save hundreds of lives around the downtown eastside, which is why we are focused on treatment and on professionals. Not one life should be lost.

Cluster Bombs

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the international community formally recognized the grave consequences that inhumane cluster munitions cause to innocent civilians around the world. This was an historic day for countries such as Canada that have never used these weapons and also for the victims who have had to live through the adverse effects of the irresponsible use of cluster bombs.

It should be recognized that once again Canada has demonstrated leadership by being one of the original signatory states in leading the fight for victim assistance within this treaty.

Would the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us what Canada's position is regarding the outcome of this new treaty?

[David Emerson, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Westlock—St. Paul for his many years of diligent work on this very issue.

Canada is proud to join over 100 countries in welcoming the text of this very important treaty that addresses the humanitarian and developmental costs of cluster munitions. This text, endorsed unanimously by the participating countries, includes language to prohibit the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. It requires existing stocks to be destroyed--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Sydney--Victoria.

Tourism

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, The Economist states that the tourism industry worldwide has increased 6% and yet Statistics Canada states that the number of travellers to Canada has fallen to a record low, a 12.5% drop over last year.

Many tourist operators are facing a crisis and feel they are on their own with no help from the government. Many recommendations were brought forward to the House but no action has been taken.

Why is the government not showing any leadership in helping this vital industry?

[Jim Prentice, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, the member is not correct in his facts. Tourism continues to be a thriving industry in this country. The secretary of state continues to work on this file. We will continue to make progress.

Throughout the country, we will continue to welcome people from overseas and from the United States, and that will be the success of the industry.

Presence in the Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

It is with great pleasure that I draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of 12 members of the Canadian Forces who are taking part in Canadian Forces Day today.

Canadian Forces Day is an opportunity for Canadians across the country to recognize the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make on our behalf.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

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

Public Safety and National Security

[Garry Breitkreuz, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

National Defence

[Rick Casson, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on National Defence in relation to its study on health services provided to Canadian Forces personnel, with an emphasis post-traumatic stress disorder.

Telecommunications Clarity and Fairness Act

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-555, An Act to provide clarity and fairness in the provision of telecommunication services in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate having 30 seconds or so to speak to this bill, which would direct the Minister of Industry to amend the conditions for PCS and cellular spectrum licences to include a prohibition against the levying of any additional fee or charge that would not part of a subscriber's monthly fee or monthly plan rate.

It also would require the government to direct the CRTC to gather information and seek input and make a major report on competition, consumer protection and consumer choice issues relating to telecommunication services in Canada.

I hope this goes some distance in addressing what many Canadians believe to be unfairness and a lack of transparency in the charging for services that are occurring on a monthly basis, including system access fees, which the federal government ceased requiring to be collected by the telephone companies some 21 years ago. Still today 18.5 million Canadian cellphone users are paying monthly charges. We intend to address this through the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Access to Information Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-556, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act (improved access).

Mr. Speaker, this is the first bill that I have had the honour of introducing in this House in four years. This bill will improve access to information, not simply by increasing access, but by making federal institutions completely accountable to the public. It is the spirit of the act and the basic principles that would be changed, and it would change this government's culture of secrecy.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

Volunteer Service Medal

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of my constituent Dave Palmer, who is calling on the Government of Canada, in conjunction with the Governor General, to adopt a new volunteer service medal to recognize Canadian volunteer soldiers who are not eligible for past volunteer medals that have been created.

During a specified period of service to their country, Canadians from September 3, 1939 to March 1, 1947, received Canadian volunteer service medals. There was a similar medal between 1950 and 1954 to recognize Korea veterans.

There is no such medal, I am told by my constituent, for those who served after that period. My constituent calls upon the government to work with the Governor General, the Queen's vice regal, to create one.

Darfur

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition from Quebec, collected by STAND, to stop the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

The petitioners note that in this horrendous crisis since 2003, 400,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million people displaced. They say that Canada has the responsibility to engage the international community in dealing with these atrocities.

They want the House to know that each signature represents 100 innocent citizens of Darfur who have been killed.

Federal Public Sector

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with about one hundred signatures stating that the government pays 93% of federal public servants who serve the Canadian population across the country according to a national pay scale for the duties they perform. The remaining 7% continue to receive a regional rate of remuneration based on where they live and not what they do.

Consequently, the petitioners are asking the House of Commons to put an end to this discriminatory practice by ordering Treasury Board and all federal agencies to negotiate and pay national rates of remuneration for all individuals working in the public sector no matter where they work.

Foreign Affairs

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition, signed by approximately 400 people, that is calling on the Canadian government to pressure the Israeli government and the international community to ensure the immediate release of prisoners according to the recognized principles of law, children, women and the thousands of non-combatants who have been detained for reasons Israel has no jurisdiction over, the majority of them being prisoners of conscience or political prisoners. They are also calling for the destruction of the occupation wall built in the occupied territories which, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice, is illegal and adds to the peoples' suffering while serving as an official reminder of the theft of Palestine's territories and resources.

Human Rights

[Rob Anders, Conservative, Calgary West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, human rights in China have not improved as a result of being granted the 2008 Olympic Games. In fact, they have become worse. The continuing crackdown on Tibet by the Chinese government is an egregious violation of human rights.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to request that all Canadian politicians boycott the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

International Aid

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition initiated by the sociology students of Sir James Dunn Academy in St. Andrews, New Brunswick and signed by students and residents of St. Andrews in recognition of the fact the United Nations 2006 Millennium Development Goal report indicated that, between 1990 and 2002, the number of people living in extreme poverty in Africa increased by 140 million, that an estimated 824 million people in the developing world were affected by chronic hunger, that 10.5 million children died from preventable causes before their fifth birthday in 2004 and that global rates of HIV infection was still growing.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to immediately take the necessary steps to establish a specific plan and timetable to increase Canada's aid budget to achieve an aid level of 0.7% of Canada's GNP by 2015.

Unborn Victims of Crime

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, I have 1,500 new names on Bill C-484. The petitioners come from right across the country, but most of them are from Calgary and Fort McMurray in Alberta, and a large number in this group is from various locations in the province of Quebec.

The petitioners draw attention to the fact that when a pregnant woman decides to have a child, the forcing upon her of the death or injury of her unborn child is a violation of a woman's right to protect and give life to that child.

They urge Parliament to support Bill C-484, the unborn victims of crime act.

Income Trusts

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to again present an income trust broken promise petition on behalf of a number of constituents of my riding of Mississauga South.

The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income trusts, but he broke that promise by imposing a 31.5% punitive tax, which permanently wiped out over $25 billion of the hard-earned retirement savings of over two million, particularly seniors.

The petitioners therefore call upon the Conservative minority government to: first, admit that the decision to tax income trusts was based on flawed methodology and incorrect assumptions, as was shown in the finance committee; second, apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise; and finally, repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.

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. 251.