House of Commons Hansard #18 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was young.

Topics

Private Members' BusinessOral Questions

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Hon. members will want to hear all about private members' business in this fascinating statement.

At the beginning of the last Parliament on May 31, 2006, as well as at the beginning of the one before that on November 18, 2004, I reminded all hon. members about the procedures governing private members' business and the responsibilities of the Chair in the management of this process. Given that the House is about to take up private members' business for the first time in this Parliament later this afternoon, I would like to make a statement regarding the management of private members' business.

As members know, certain constitutional procedural realities constrain the Speaker and members insofar as legislation is concerned. One procedural principle that I have underscored in a number of statements over the course of the two preceding Parliaments concerns the possibility that certain private member’s bills may require a royal recommendation.

The requirement for a royal recommendation is grounded in constitutional principles found in the Constitution Act, 1867. The language of section 54 of that act is echoed in Standing Order 79(1), which reads:

This House shall not adopt or pass any vote, resolution, address or bill for the appropriation of any part of the public revenue, or of any tax or impost, to any purpose that has not been first recommended to the House by a message from the Governor General in the session in which such vote, resolution, address or bill is proposed.”

Any bill which authorizes the spending of public funds for a new and distinct purpose or effects an appropriation of public funds must be accompanied by a message from the Governor General recommending the expenditure to the House. This message, known formally as the royal recommendation, can only be transmitted to the House by a minister of the Crown.

Such bills may be introduced and considered right up until third reading on the assumption that a royal recommendation could be provided by a minister. If none is produced by the conclusion of the third reading stage, the Speaker is required to stop proceedings and rule the bill out of order.

Following the establishment and replenishment of the order of precedence, the Chair has developed the practice of reviewing items so that the House can be alerted to bills which, at first glance, appear to impinge on the financial prerogative of the Crown. The aim of this practice is to allow members the opportunity to intervene in a timely fashion to present their views about the need for those bills to be accompanied by a royal recommendation.

Accordingly, following the establishment of the order of precedence on February 13, 2009, I wish to draw the attention of the House to five bills that give the Chair some concern as to the spending provisions they contemplate. These are: Bill C-201, An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act (deletion of deduction from annuity), standing in the name of the member for Sackville—Eastern Shore; Bill C-241, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (removal of waiting period), standing in the name of the member for Brome—Missisquoi; Bill C-279, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (amounts not included in earnings), standing in the name of the hon. member for Welland; Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (qualification for and entitlement to benefits), standing in the name of the hon. member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing; and Bill C-309, An Act establishing the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Region of Northern Ontario, standing in the name of the hon. member for Nipissing—Timiskaming.

I would encourage hon. members who would like to make arguments regarding the need for a royal recommendation for any of these bills, or with regard to any other bills now on the order of precedence, to do so at an early opportunity.

I thank all hon. members for their attention to this important ruling.

Citizenship and ImmigrationCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, three reports of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. The first report is on spousal sponsorship. The second report is on Iraq war resisters. The third report is on language rights before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

James Rajotte Conservative Edmonton—Leduc, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-10, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on January 27, 2009 and related fiscal measures.

Public AccountsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

Shawn Murphy Liberal Charlottetown, PE

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts: the first report, on chapter 4, Military Health Care, National Defence, of the October 2007 report of the Auditor General of Canada; the second report, on chapter 5, Keeping the Border Open and Secure, Canada Border Services Agency, of the October 2007 report of the Auditor General of Canada; the third report, on chapter 3, Inuvialuit Final Agreement, of the October 2007 report of the Auditor General of Canada; the fourth report, on chapter 5, Managing the Delivery of Legal Services to Government, Department of Justice Canada, of the May 2007 report of the Auditor General of Canada; and the fifth report, on chapter 4, Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, of the May 2007 report of the Auditor General of Canada.

In accordance with Standing Order 107, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these reports.

ALS Month ActRoutine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-321, An Act to designate the month of June as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) Month.

Mr. Speaker, amyotrophic is a tough word to say. The purpose of the bill is to recognize the month of June as ALS month across Canada. Hopefully the bill and the debates that will take place on it will bring this devastating disease to the attention of Canadians.

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

Canada Post Corporation ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Conservative

Merv Tweed Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (library materials).

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would do two things. It would preserve a reduced rate for postage on books between libraries, and would expand the library book rate program to include magazines, records, CDs, CD-ROMs, audio cassettes, video cassettes, DVDs, and other audio-visual materials. This is something that Canadian libraries and Canadians have been asking for since 1967.

I would like to thank Rhea Laube for her tremendous work on the bill on my behalf and on behalf of all Canadians. I look forward to the support of all members of Parliament on this very important amendment.

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

Unemployment Insurance Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Jean-Claude D'Amours Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-323, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (compassionate care benefits for dependent children).

Mr. Speaker, I am introducing to the House this private member's bill which amends the Employment Insurance Act in order to allow the parents of sick children to be eligible for employment insurance.

As most people are aware, when a family lives in a region where specialized children's hospitals are not nearby, it is very difficult for parents of a sick child to get to hospital with their child and at the same time continue to work in order to support the whole family. This is a reality that exists, and the parent who has to stop work in order to be with a child in a specialized hospital is no longer providing any revenue for the family unit. It is already hard enough to have a sick child, and it is still harder when there is no longer any income.

This private member's bill enables a parent to draw employment insurance benefits while attending to a child in a hospital located outside the region of residence. I have heard much about this situation from parents in recent months and years. It is very important for the House to examine this situation and it is also important to ensure that the public is made aware of it so that financial assistance can be provided to parents most in need of it. We must ensure that what their child is going through does not also have a negative financial impact on the entire family.

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

Competition ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-324, An Act to amend the Competition Act and the Food and Drugs Act (child protection against advertising exploitation).

Mr. Speaker, this bill was developed in cooperation with the Center for Science in the Public Interest and was supported by the Toronto Board of Health in a meeting held just a few months ago.

The bill bans advertising that is targeted at children. The obesity rate among children under the age of 13 continues to grow. It is very disturbing. There are many soft drink manufacturers and junk food manufacturers that target advertising toward children. We have to ensure that our kids are protected from that kind of advertising and manipulation.

Similar legislative measures have been in place in Quebec since the 1980s, and the same thing has been proposed in England. Since the introduction of these measures concerning children, the rate of obesity and the amounts of soft drinks consumed in Quebec are among the lowest in Canada. That is why I am introducing this bill.

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

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Malcolm Allen NDP Welland, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-325, An Act to change the name of the electoral district of Welland.

Mr. Speaker, quite often people will ask what is in a name, and to my constituents, it is everything. At one point in time not that long ago the riding of Welland was known as the riding of Niagara Centre. The component in the Welland riding is actually the city of Welland, but the riding composes the city of Port Colborne, the city of Thorold, parts of the city of St. Catharines and indeed the township of Wainfleet. People of those communities have no real affinity with the city of Welland, so it really is a misnomer to name the riding “Welland“ in the sense of what it really encompasses.

My constituents are saying that Niagara Centre is where they live and Niagara Centre is what they identify with. I would hope to obtain unanimous consent in the House to change the name back to what it was before, Niagara Centre, a name which identifies those people and that constituency.

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

Open Government ActRoutine Proceedings

February 25th, 2009 / 3:30 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-326, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act (open government).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Burnaby—Douglas not only for seconding the bill, but for his tireless work on the subject of freedom of information and access to information.

The bill finds its origin in the notion that the people of Canada have the right to know what their government is doing with their money. In fact, even further, we argue that freedom of information is the very oxygen that democracy breathes.

I would like to pay tribute to a former member of Parliament, Mr. John Bryden, who dedicated most of his career to fighting for access to information reform, and also to Mr. John Reid, the former information commissioner, who drafted this very bill that I am putting forward for first reading today. The bill was written chapter and verse by one of the foremost authorities on access to information, the former information commissioner himself.

Never has there been a more pressing need for the public's right to know than on the threshold of rolling out the massive financial stimulus package. The public deserves to know how the money is being spent and the public deserves access to the government files where the information is held.

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

Canadian Autism Day ActRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-327, An Act respecting a Canadian Autism Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an act respecting national autism day. I am proud to introduce legislation that would recognize the work and struggles of those with autism.

It also would recognize the challenges faced by friends and families of people with this condition, in particular parents who raise an autistic child and all the special people who work with and advocate for them. It is right and overdue to mark and appreciate these challenges.

So much about autism remains to be discovered, and I know many in the House have called for additional funding for research, support and coverage under the Canada Health Act. I repeat that call today.

The creation of a national autism day will bring light and attention to those who fall on the autism spectrum and to those who tirelessly support a family member or friend with autism, people like Abbe and Lucas Gates, Patti Bacchus and Dawn Steele.

I ask all members to support the bill.

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

Rights of the UnbornPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am truly delighted to present this petition wherein the petitioners note that under current federal criminal law an unborn child is not recognized as a victim with respect to violent crimes. They note as well a vast majority of the public support laws that protect unborn children from acts of violence against their mothers which injure or kill the child in the womb.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to enact legislation which will recognize unborn children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid instead of just one.

Transportation of AnimalsPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from concerned citizens with the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. They are petitioning the government to strengthen the animal transportation regulations.

The petitioners request that the amendment to the current Health of Animals Act be consistent with the findings of the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare, which will reduce transportation time for pigs, poultry, calves and lambs to 8 hours and 12 hours for sheep and goats, and to ensure adequate enforcement of regulations.

IraqPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am filing this petition with the House on behalf of more than 370 residents of Edmonton and area.

The petitioners are appealing to the House of Commons and the Government of Canada on behalf of Christians of Iraq. They are petitioning the House to protect the lives and security of Christians in Iraq. They are seeking peacekeeping forces as well as aid, food, clothing, medicine and refuge in Canada for refugees.

Coalition GovernmentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition on behalf of the constituents of Wetaskiwin.

The petitioners, as residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the fact that in the recent federal election, concluded October 14, 2008, Canadian voters provided the Conservative Party with a clear and strengthened mandate to lead Canada through the current global economic crisis and that the opposition are looking to impose an unstable, unelected Liberal-NDP-separatist coalition. During the election, they promised they would not entertain the Liberal leader, expressly rejecting such a move as being bad for the economy.

This is another list of constituents of mine who are very upset and frustrated with the attempted coup to take over the democratically elected government.

Canada Revenue AgencyPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Judy Foote Liberal Random—Burin—St. George's, NL

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of 800 fishers from Newfoundland and Labrador and 50 from Quebec who have been treated unfairly by Revenue Canada.

In 1998 the federal government introduced the Atlantic groundfish licence retirement program, which made it possible for fishers to voluntarily retire from the fishing industry. The benefit they would have received was taxed by Revenue Canada to the tune of 100%, treated as capital gains.

In fact, it was wrong. The wrong information was provided to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by Revenue Canada. Instead of being taxed 100%, it really should have been 25%.

The fishers call upon the government to now undo this damage and treat them fairly. To put names to some of these fishers, they are: Douglas Harvey of Isle Aux Morts; Allen Munden of Burnt Islands; Beatrice Poole of Belleoram; Samuel Coombs of Shoal Cove West; Henry Doyle of New Ferolle; and Clayton Burton of Little Bay East. These are some of the 850 fishers who have been treated unfairly. They now ask the government to treat them fairly and give them back the taxes they were charged.

Polybrominated Diphenyl EthersPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table today in the House a petition signed by over 100 residents of my riding of Burnaby—New Westminster, calling upon Parliament to adopt my motion to ban PBDEs.

As members know, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs, are the new PCBs. They pose a health hazard to all Canadians, particularly to younger Canadians who have higher concentrations of PBDEs in their bloodstreams.

Members of my riding call upon Parliament to adopt legislation that would ban all PBDEs in Canada and that this should be adopted within a year.

The second petition is from dozens of residents of southern Ontario from Toronto, Hamilton, Welland area and Kenora. The petitioners call upon Parliament to adopt the motion to ban all PBDEs in Canada within a year as well.

Omar KhadrPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Mr. Speaker, normally when I rise in this place to present a petition on behalf of Canadians, I am quite pleased and proud to do so, but today I am sad.

In this case of over 100 petitioners, my sadness comes from the fact that these Canadians feel they have to petition on behalf of Omar Khadr. They are petitioning the government on the fact that they understand Omar Khadr was a child soldier, but their government does not. They are petitioning that Omar Khadr be brought home.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Fort McMurray—Athabasca Alberta

Conservative

Brian Jean ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

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

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Is that agreed?

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Fort McMurray—Athabasca Alberta

Conservative

Brian Jean ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Is that agreed?

Motions for PapersRoutine Proceedings

3:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

The House resumed from February 23 consideration of the motion that Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.