House of Commons Hansard #122 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was self-employed.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Once again, I urge hon. members. We have had a couple of points of order today that I do not think are points of order. They are disputes as to facts and these will happen. Rising on points of order that are not points of order is not helpful to maintaining order in the House.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 62 petitions.
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, 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 to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly regarding its participation in the election observation mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held in Kyrgyzstan from July 21-24, 2009.
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in relation to Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year March 31, 2010, and reports the same.
Gary Schellenberger Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in relation to a motion adopted at the committee on Thursday, November 26, 2009, on the resolution of the labour dispute at national museums.
Steven Blaney Conservative Lévis—Bellechasse, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages entitled: Impact of Approval and Payment Delays on Department of Canadian Heritage Recipient Organizations.
James Rajotte Conservative Edmonton—Leduc, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-288, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (tax credit for new graduates working in designated regions).
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding membership of committees of the House. If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 26th report later this day.
Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to the agriculture flexibility program.
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-486, An Act respecting the negotiation and conclusion of treaties.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a private member's bill to implement the Gérin Lajoie doctrine. Our bill will give Quebec and the provinces the authority to enter into international agreements in their exclusive jurisdictions.
When a treaty pertains to an area of provincial jurisdiction or affects provincial responsibilities, Ottawa can only act if Quebec or the provinces have empowered it to do so.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House earlier today be concurred in.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?
Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Agreed.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Agreed.
Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit two petitions signed by members of my constituency of Leeds—Grenville and folks from other constituencies across Canada.
The first petition calls upon Parliament to maintain the moratorium on post office closures.
Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville, ON
Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on Parliament to support a universal declaration of animal welfare.
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present an important petition from my constituents of Newton—North Delta. This is the second time I have presented a petition calling for Burns Bog in Delta, British Columbia, to become a UNESCO world heritage site. This recognition of Burns Bog as a cultural and environmental landmark will go a long way to preserving the bog for generations to come.
The government has refused to commit the inclusion of Burns Bog in Canada's next submissions to UNESCO. That is not good enough. I congratulate the Burns Bog Conservation Society and other community leaders for their excellent work toward this goal. I hope the government will hear their message to include this in the next submission to UNESCO.
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition signed by more than 1,100 citizens of the town of Sainte-Martine, which states that the post office infrastructure plays a key role in the economic and social life of rural communities. Both communities and businesses need post offices in order to prosper.
They are asking the Government of Canada to continue the moratorium on closing rural post offices.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the House and present a petition from residents in my constituency, namely those from Flin Flon and surrounding communities as well as Creighton, Saskatchewan. These people have signed a petition calling for the government to act when it comes to the disastrous impact of climate change.
We in northern Canada know first-hand the impact of global warming on our communities, on our ecosystems, and quite frankly, on our livelihood. People like Warren Martin have organized many of our people in communities like Flin Flon to get up and say “no” to the continued legacy of inaction of the Conservative government, and say “yes” to passing legislation such as the one we presented and calling for leadership when we go to Copenhagen.
Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to table three petitions, signed by the residents from across my riding, places such as Maxville, Alexandria, Dalkeith, Glen Robertson, Treadwell and Plantagenet. They are opposed to Bill C-384, which proposes to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The petition states that Bill C-384 contradicts fundamental human values and threatens all Canadians by undermining the inherent and inviolable value of each human life and its dignity. It is a real and growing threat to the sick, depressed, seniors and handicapped.
The petition urges us to vote against Bill C-384. I would also like to mention that this call for positive measures to protect life was highlighted by the presence of over 12,000 people who participated in the March for Life here on the Hill this past spring.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by quite a number of constituents asking for changes under the Criminal Code section for sexual interference with a minor. I might also say that there were quite a number of other names attached that did not meet the requirements, but their effort and initiative was the same.
Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present five petitions on behalf of the people of Saint-Ours, Notre-Dame-de-Pierreville, Odanak, Baie-du-Febvre and Saint-Zéphirin-de-Courval. They are all calling on the government to maintain the moratorium on rural post office closures. Instead, they want Canada Post to maintain, increase and improve postal services.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, given the government's travel in China right now, it is important to table this petition. It is signed by about 100 members from the communities of Burnaby and Vancouver in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
These petitioners are concerned about the large-scale arrests of Falun Gong adherents in China that started on January 1, 2008. They are concerned about the arrests of two particular Falun Gong practitioners, Su Min Gao and Qian Min Gao, who have been arrested in Guangzhou, China. They are concerned about other practitioners who have been arrested in the province of Guangzhou at the same time.
They are calling on the Canadian government to make a public statement, condemn the government of China for committing these crimes, and urge the Chinese government to end their persecution of Falun Gong and release all Falun Gong practitioners immediately.