House of Commons Hansard #117 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was inuit.

Topics

2 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Papineau.

[Members sang the national anthem]

Protection of ChildrenStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Conservative

Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB

Mr. Speaker, child pornography is a form of child abuse which has increased dramatically due to its growth on the Internet. This must not be tolerated.

Through several pieces of legislation, our Conservative government has demonstrated in the past that we are committed to protecting families and children, but more is needed.

Yesterday our justice minister stepped forward with an announcement that will make it mandatory for Internet providers to report to a designated agency any information they receive about the appearance of child pornography on the web. The present voluntary reporting has been helpful, but this legislation will make it mandatory to report any tips they receive on child pornography and the resulting sexual exploitation.

When it comes to protecting children and families, I am proud of the stand taken by the Prime Minister and this government. May God bless them.

Montreal ImpactStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Mr. Speaker, on October 17, 2009, the Montreal Impact defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps to win the United Soccer League Championship before a sold-out crowd at Saputo Stadium in Montreal.

Hosting an impressive lineup of international and local talent, such as captain Mauro Biello, the underdog Impact overcame incredible odds to go undefeated throughout the playoffs on their way to the championship.

By winning its third championship in franchise history, the Montreal Impact have proven to other professional franchises that their tireless efforts within our community through support for a variety of initiatives such as local youth programs and charities can help make a team better by strengthening its connection to the community.

In my name and as the member of Parliament for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, I wish to congratulate the entire Montreal Impact organization, beginning with its president, Joey Saputo, for its championship season.

Guaranteed Income SupplementStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Bloc

Paule Brunelle Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Table de concertation Abus auprès des aînés de la Mauricie organized a press conference on Friday, November 20, 2009, to announce the results of a petition on the guaranteed income supplement.

The organizers took the opportunity to give me and my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé a petition that has nearly 5,000 signatures of people from the Mauricie region.

The petitioners are calling on Parliament to make the following changes to the guaranteed income supplement: a $110 monthly increase in benefits, a six-month compassion period for seniors who lose their spouses, full retroactivity for anyone entitled to the guaranteed income supplement, and automatic registration after an individual first applies for old age security.

I would like to congratulate the Table de concertation Abus auprès des aînés de la Mauricie and its partners, the Mauricie FADOQ and the Trois-Rivières AQDR, on this initiative. I will point out that they are here on the Hill today.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

NDP

Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the NDP we recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and call for an end to violence against women. In our communities, our homes and on our streets, too many women still live in fear, live without safe and secure housing or a safe place to turn in times of crisis.

In Vancouver's downtown east side and on B.C.'s Highway of Tears, women, mostly aboriginal women, are disappearing and dying in frightening numbers, but their courageous sisters are standing up and speaking out against this epidemic. We honour the women who are daring to speak out.

I recently hosted former Afghan MP Malalai Joya for her book launch in Vancouver. Ms. Joya is a woman who has dared to speak out, as her book notes. Ms. Joya faces death threats and suspension from Parliament for her outspoken criticism of the warlord-dominated government, yet she continues to raise her voice for women's rights and an independent and democratic Afghanistan.

We have the capacity and the resources to end violence against women everywhere. We call on the government to make doing so a political priority.

Year of the InuitStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Rod Bruinooge Conservative Winnipeg South, MB

Mr. Speaker, today the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami declared 2010 to be the Year of the Inuit. I applaud this national organization and its president, Mary Simon, for launching this important initiative.

As chair of the government's aboriginal caucus, I welcome the year of the Inuit as a time for Canadians to celebrate the accomplishments of the Inuit. It will also be a chance to learn more about the challenges Inuit face in the future.

Canada's 2010 Winter Olympics feature the inukshuk, a proud symbol of the Inuit. The Inuit are proud to share this symbol with the world and want Canadians to see the Inuit in more than just symbolic terms. In doing so, we must work to improve Inuit living standards and address concerns such as their high education dropout rate.

Canada's Inuit population is young and growing in numbers. That makes initiatives like this one so necessary and valuable. I ask the House to join me in applauding the launch of the Year of the Inuit, and I welcome everyone to celebrate with them this year.

Climate ChangeStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC

Mr. Speaker, Canada will be on the world stage shortly and billions of people from nations large and small will have their eyes on our country. No, I am not talking about the Vancouver Olympics; I am talking about the climate change conference in Copenhagen.

For four long years, Canadians have consistently asked their government to take action on climate change. As the Conservative government has already demonstrated in Nairobi, Bali and Bangkok, it is not willing to address Canadians' concerns but rather wants to block action on climate change.

International headlines this week acknowledge Quebec's decision to deflect from Canada's current “road to nowhere” climate policy and come up with its own. The international embarrassment continues.

With Copenhagen only weeks away, will the Conservatives choose to work with international leaders and address this urgent crisis, or will they maintain due course and drive Canada into a future of failure economically, environmentally and on the world stage?

Ottawa City CouncillorsStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON

Mr. Speaker, today I pay homage to four selfless servants. They are city councillors Michel Bellemare, Rainer Bloess, Rob Jellett and Bob Monette.

Deep down, they are all Liberals, yet they carry out their duties impartially.

Four years ago questions were raised about my ability to work with Liberal city councillors.

The fact that the transition went smoothly thanks to the impartial altruism of all elected members is proof that I can.

Together, we have worked on many important projects as part of Canada's economic action plan. Their support of these projects has made our community stronger.

Yet when one of them seeks the Liberal nomination for a federal election, the partisan assembly chooses a die-hard partisan instead.

So today, I pay tribute not only to my four selfless city councillors but also to their electors who have the good sense to recognize this superior quality.

Riding of HochelagaStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Daniel Paillé Bloc Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking you for the warm welcome you gave me yesterday. I would also like to thank the people of Hochelaga, 51.2% of whom, a clear majority, voted on November 9 to put their trust in me. The people of Hochelaga have been showing their unfailing support for the Bloc Québécois since 1993.

During the election campaign, I made a number of promises to voters in the riding of Hochelaga and to Quebec, and I intend to keep those promises.

On November 29, 1994, 15 years ago, I joined the National Assembly of Quebec. Today, in the House of Commons, I am still motivated by the same desire and the same ideal: Quebec's independence.

Holodomor Memorial DayStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake, MB

Mr. Speaker, 76 years ago one of the greatest crimes against humanity was committed against the people of Ukraine. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and his communist regime created a man-made famine in 1932-33 called the Holodomor and starved millions of Ukrainians to death.

At its peak more than 25,000 Ukrainians died each day. Stalin and the Soviets did this, not as part of forced collectivization but as a genocide to kill Ukrainian nationalism.

In 2008, Parliament recognized Holodomor as genocide and designated the fourth Saturday of every November as Holodomor Memorial Day. This week there have been educational events, and I encourage all Canadians to attend Holodomor memorial services this Saturday.

This is our chance to remember the victims who perished. This is our chance to learn from Holodomor survivors how Stalin tried to stamp out Ukrainian nationalism.

This is our chance to educate one another and the world about this atrocity, the cover-up and the story of millions of Ukrainians who perished in one of the world's worst genocides. Their memory shall be eternal.

[Member spoke in Ukrainian as follows:]

Vichna Yim Pamyat.

[English]

Year of the InuitStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to also rise in the House today to acknowledge that today the Inuit of Canada, represented by Mary Simon of ITK, declared 2010 the Year of the Inuit.

All Canadians should share in the accomplishments of the Inuit over the last 40 years.

As we host the Winter Olympic Games, we will be sharing the Inuit symbol with the world. We must celebrate this and ensure that we as Canadians see the Inuit as more than just symbolic figures.

There is still much work that needs to be done to ensure Inuit people have the same opportunities the rest of us have.

Today, on this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we must not ignore the calls from Inuit women to ensure that we give them the support and resources they need to ensure that they can move forward and stop the violence.

All Inuit and especially all Inuit women deserve to feel safe and to be equal participants in Canadian society.

Official LanguagesStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, the Bloc Québécois refused to defend the French language.

The Bloc adopted a motion allowing the committee to work with only English documents.

I am a francophone who works primarily in French, and yesterday, the Bloc refused my right to have federal government documents in French, my mother tongue.

I do not understand how a party that claims to defend the rights of Quebec francophones could do such a thing. The actions of the member for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour and the member for Gatineau are insulting.

They are an insult to me, as well as to all Quebeckers. We have to wonder whether the Bloc really does defend the interests and values of the Quebec nation.

As a Quebecker and a francophone, I am completely stunned by the attitude of the Bloc Québécois.

Marcel Prud'hommeStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge today the retirement of the Hon. Marcel Prud'homme, whose Senate term ends on November 30. His leaving is a great loss not only to the Senate, but to Parliament as a whole.

He was a member of Parliament for the riding of Papineau, which was once called Saint-Denis, from 1964 to 1993, when he became a senator, and he has had a major impact on Canada's political life. Throughout his political career, Mr. Prud'homme has tirelessly defended the causes that are close to his heart: human rights and peacekeeping.

Mr. Prud'homme's 45 years in politics make him a dean of Parliament, and all those who have had the pleasure of working with him can attest to his dedication and courage. I had the chance to work with Mr. Prud'homme in the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association, and I can tell you that he was a staunch defender of la Francophonie and was well liked by all the members of the committee here and in France.

On behalf of all the members of the New Democratic Party, I wish Mr. Prud'homme a happy retirement, a retirement—

Marcel Prud'hommeStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou.

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Mr. Speaker, ending violence against women—

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Order. The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou has the floor.

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Mr. Speaker, ending violence against women is the responsibility of all governments, civil society and other partners. Our government is working hard to end violence against women here and abroad.

It is important to realize that violence against women takes many forms. Above all it is important to break the silence so that we can finally eradicate this violence.

That is why our government is introducing certain bills so that criminals, and not victims, pay for their crimes.

Let us take a moment to remember all those women who have lost their lives and all those who have lost their self-confidence, and let us give ourselves the tools to change things once and for all.

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Bloc

Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC

Mr. Speaker, on this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, let us think of our aboriginal sisters, more than 500 of whom have disappeared or been killed without any investigation.

Let us think of our 14 sisters from the École Polytechnique in Montreal who were killed with a shotgun. A number of people have insulted the families of these women by voting in favour of Bill C-391, which would repeal the Canadian firearms registry. These women were killed because they were women.

Let us think of all our sisters whose bodies are used, disrespected, violated and abused, and who are used as weapons of war in ongoing conflicts.

We must take action now. We must stop talking, researching, examining. We must take action. The government must open its eyes and its heart and put an end to its complacency. Let us find ways now to ensure that violence against women becomes a thing of the past.

Status of WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the first of 16 days of solidarity.

The sexual health and safety of women are key components of the prevention of violence against women. Recently in Ethiopia I witnessed the good work that organizations like the International Planned Parenthood Federation are doing to educate women, young girls and young boys about relationships and respect for themselves.

In 1994, and again in 2009, Canada joined the fight to eliminate violence against women. But 15 years later, 500,000 women still die every year around the world because of inaction at the international level.

As chair of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians for Population and Development, I invite all members of the House to honour this commitment by financially supporting organizations in Canada and around the world working to educate this generation and the next one about the importance of respect and preventing violence against their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters.

Violence against WomenStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK

Mr. Speaker, the 16 days of activism to end violence against women begin today, with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day.

December 6 is Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of 14 young women who were murdered at École Polytechnique in Montreal.

Ending violence against women is the responsibility of all levels of government, including the police, the justice system, civil society and other stakeholders.

Our government has been working diligently to end violence against women at home and abroad. Canada has signed onto the UNIFEM campaign, “Say NO” to violence against women, and our government has introduced a number of justice reforms to protect our most vulnerable.

As we pause to commemorate the activism to end violence against women, it is important to recall that violence takes many forms and that all Canadians have a responsibility to stand against violence.

New MemberRoutine Proceedings

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Mr. Scott Armstrong, member for the electoral district of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley.

Scott Armstrong, member for the electoral district of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, introduced by the Right Hon. Stephen Harper and Hon. Peter MacKay.

New MemberRoutine Proceedings

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the house has received from the Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Mr. Fin Donnelly, member for the electoral district of New Westminster—Coquitlam.

Fin Donnelly, member for the electoral district of New Westminster—Coquitlam, introduced by the Hon. Jack Layton and Mr. Yvon Godin.