Debates of March 27th, 2009

Forestry Industry

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are all aware of the current economic situation and how it affects the demand on raw materials. We also understand that we need to work together to counteract the effects of the economic crisis.

As for the forest industry, the government has implemented several measures to help this industry, its workers and the communities, and we will continue to work with Canadians to come out stronger in the end.

Could the parliamentary secretary remind us of the hard work the government is doing to help the forest industry, despite the political games the Bloc has been playing?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I say shame on the Bloc Québécois.

I would like to remind them of a few facts. We have announced $1 billion to help communities, but the Bloc voted against that. We have earmarked more money and more resources for Export Development Canada, but the Bloc voted against that too. We are investing $8.3 billion in the Canada skills and transition strategy, but the Bloc voted against that. The next words coming out of Bloc members' mouths in this House ought to include an apology to all the Quebec workers they are letting down.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2007-08 annual report of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Plan. Section 31 of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act requires an annual report of the administration of the force's pension plan, including a statement of the amounts paid into and out of the superannuation account, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension fund and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police superannuation investment fund.

Truth in Sentencing Act

[Jay Hill, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (limiting credit for time spent in pre-sentencing custody).

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

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Russ Hiebert, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34 I have the honour to present, in both official languages, two reports.

The first report is the Canadian branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 1 to 10, 2008, and the bilateral visit to Singapore from August 10 to 14, 2008.

The second report is the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation to the International Parliamentary Conference on International Migration and Human Trafficking held in London, United Kingdom from February 2 to 6.

Excise Tax Act

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-350, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on reading materials).

Madam Speaker, in this time of concern within the country, the last thing any government should do is tax educational reading materials for people to get a decent education, especially for young people who are starting to read, or for seniors who enjoy reading or workplace manuals for people who are learning, et cetera. No government should make money on educational materials that benefit all society.

We are pleased to introduce the bill today, and I would encourage rapid transit of it, from the Senate to the Governor General, and impress upon the Canadian people what a fine piece of legislation this is.

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

Income Tax Act

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-351, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (herbal remedies).

Madam Speaker, thousands upon thousands of Canadians cannot take pharmaceutical sulpha-based drugs and their doctors recommend alternative remedies for their ailments. I for one, and many others, do not believe they should be taxed. These should be considered a medical expense and people should able to deduct that expense from their income tax. They should not be taxed because fair is fair. For those who cannot take the regular sulpha-based pharmaceuticals, if these alternative are available to help improve their lives, so be it.

We are very pleased to introduce the bill, which would remove the tax and make it a tax deduction for people.

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

National Security Committee of Parliamentarians Act

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-352, An Act to establish the National Security Committee of Parliamentarians.

Madam Speaker, this bill is the same as the one introduced by me in the last Parliament and as government Bill C-81 introduced in 2005. The bill would create a committee of the House and Senate in the field of security and intelligence, capable of receiving and protecting classified information in the national security envelope. This is for the purpose of better assuring accountability effectiveness and civil liberties.

The components of the bill were composed and agreed to by an all party committee, a special committee which reported in 2004. The current government has told me it intends to proceed with such a bill, but so far, and it has been three years, it has not done the job.

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

Nuclear Weapons

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Madam Speaker, I have a petition signed by 116 of my constituents from Okanagan—Shuswap, calling upon Parliament to press publicly for an urgent review of NATO's nuclear weapons policies.

The petitioners request that all NATO states fulfill their international obligations under the NPT to negotiate and conclude an agreement for eliminating nuclear weapons and reliance on them within NATO's strategic concept.

Animal Welfare

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

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions to present this afternoon.

The first petition is signed by many residents of metro Vancouver, including some from my constituency of Burnaby—Douglas.

The petitioners call upon the government to support a universal declaration on animal welfare. They point out that there is a scientific consensus and public acknowledgment that animals feel pain and can suffer. They call upon the government to do all it can to prevent animal cruelty and reduce animal suffering. They note that one billion people around the world rely on animals for their livelihoods and companionship. They also note that often in times of natural disasters, little attention is paid to the needs of animals and their importance to humans in that context.

They call upon Canada to participate in discussions and to support a universal declaration on animal welfare.

Trade

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

Madam Speaker, the other petition is signed by approximately 165 residents of British Columbia, including people from metro Vancouver, from Victoria and from the interior.

The petitioners are very concerned about the Canada-Colombia trade deal. They note that violence against workers and members of civil society by paramilitaries in Colombia associated with government has been ongoing, that more than 2,200 trade unionists have been murdered since 1991, as well as other violence committed against indigenous people, Afro-Colombians, human rights activists, workers, farmers, labour leaders and journalists.

They believe that all trade agreements must be built upon a principle of fair trade, which includes fundamental respect for social justice, human rights, labour rights and environmental stewardship.

They call upon Parliament specifically to reject the Canada-Colombia trade deal until an independent human rights impact assessment is carried out, and that the agreement be renegotiated along the principles of fair trade, which would take environmental and social impacts fully into account, while genuinely respecting labour rights and the rights of all affected parties.

Housing

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to present a petition in support of private member's Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians, due for debate in the House in the coming weeks.

The petitioners call for an increased federal role in housing through investments in not-for-profit housing, housing for the homeless, access to housing for those with different needs, including seniors and persons with disabilities, and sustainable and environmentally sound design standards for new housing.

I am pleased to point out that many of these petitioners come from Halifax as well as from Saskatoon, which shows that the support for this bill runs across the country. They ask that this support extend beyond the one-time stimulus investment contained in budget 2009.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 55 and 57.

Question No. 55

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

With respect to Health Canada’s Women’s Health Contribution Program and the Centres of Excellence for Children’s Well Being: (a) is the Minister of Health going to submit a new submission to Treasury Board that would extend the mandate for funding that is expected to expire on March 31, 2009; and (b) will the government show a renewed commitment to these centres by granting permanent funding?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada is committed to improving the lives of all of Canada’s people and to making this country’s population among the healthiest in the world as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system.

In regard to the Women’s Health Contribution Program, the Government of Canada will continue to provide core program funding for the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health and the Canadian Women’s Health Network until March 31, 2010. Funding will remain unchanged from 2008-2009 levels.

In regard to the Centres of Excellence for Children’s Well Being, the Government of Canada will continue to provide core program funding for the Centres of Excellence for Children’s Well-being until March 31, 2010. Funding will remain unchanged from 2008-2009 levels.

Question No. 57

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

With respect to the Public Health Goals agreed to at the September 2004 First Ministers' Meeting and developed in 2005, has the government continued to work with provincial and territorial governments to develop the targets and indicators as part of the Public Health Goals process?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the public health goals were developed through close collaboration with the provinces and territories and broad consultation with stakeholders. The goals agreed upon by the first ministers in October 2005 articulate broad directional goals.

Ministers of Health committed to using the goals to inform and guide the development of their respective initiatives but have retained jurisdictional independence in setting of targets and indicators. While indicators and targets have not been set through the public health foals process, federal, provincial and territorial partners have continued to work together since 2005 to improve the health status of Canadians and have undertaken specific initiatives to begin to identify selected indicators and targets in specific areas. For example, in 2008, federal-provincial-territorial ministers responsible for sport, physical activity and recreation set targets for physical activity.

More broadly, through the pan-Canadian public health network, PHN, federal-provincial-territorial governments are undertaking collaborative efforts with stakeholders across the country to identify and develop common health indicators, and share best practices and information. Two of the PHN expert groups have identified this as a priority over the coming year.

Federal-provincial-territorial governments have also worked together to address the health needs of Canadians through the development of patient wait times guarantees, PWTGs, across the country, with all provinces and territories agreeing to establish a PWTG in a priority area by 2010. Guarantees will move the health care system further toward more responsive patient centred care, providing patients with greater certainty of timely access. More than $1 billion in federal funding is being provided to provinces and territories and Canada Health Infoway to support the development and establishment of PWTGs.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, if Questions Nos. 54 and 56 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 54

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

With regard to government-owned buildings: (a) how many buildings does the government own by region and territory; (b) what are the annual utility costs including electricity, water, heating and cooling costs for these building by province or territory; (c) what are the overall energy costs for government-owned buildings by province or territory, including all energy uses; (d) what government initiatives exist for improving energy efficiency in government buildings; (e) how many government-owned buildings have been retrofitted in order to improve their energy efficiency in the last 25 years; (f) how many buildings have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design recognition for new construction and for existing buildings; (g) what studies and evaluations with respect to improving energy efficiency in government-owned buildings have been requested or commissioned by any department before January 27, 2009; (h) how much has the government spent on these studies, by study; and (i) what analysis has been done by the government or on its behalf regarding potential cost savings on energy costs if energy efficiency retrofits were conducted on some or all government-owned buildings?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 56

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

With respect to health human resources: (a) how will the government address the issues of doctor shortages, wait times, access and hospital closures; (b) is there a strategy to address the brain drain of doctors, nurses and researchers to the United States; and (c) what are the prospects of a health human resources fund to encourage partnerships between health faculties in the universities and colleges and the academic health science centres that would immediately create more training spaces?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

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