House of Commons Hansard #44 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cards.
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 eight petitions.
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the 2008 annual session held in Valencia, Spain, November 14 to November 18, 2008.
Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation to the Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum held in Washington, D.C., December 15 to December 16, 2008.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, 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 of the Canadian group of the Interparliamentary Union concerning its participation at the Women and Work--Seminar for Chairpersons and Members of Parliamentary Bodies Dealing with Gender Equality and other committees addressing labour issues in Geneva, Switzerland, December 6 to December 8, 2007.
Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the membership of committees of the House.
If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in this 11th report later this day.
Access to Information, Privacy and EthicsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
In accordance with the order of reference of Thursday, February 26, the committee has considered vote 15 under Parliament in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, and reports the same without amendment.
Gary Schellenberger Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in relation to the analysis of the arts programs that were cancelled in the summer of 2008.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology on Bill C-4, An Act respecting not-for-profit corporations and certain other corporations.
Denise Savoie NDP Victoria, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-368, An Act to amend the Pest Control Products Act (prohibition of the use of chemical pesticides for non-essential purposes).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this morning to introduce legislation that would establish a federal moratorium on the use of cosmetic pesticides as of Earth Day 2010.
The moratorium would apply to the non-essential use of chemical pesticides in homes, gardens or hospitals, within 100 metres of waterways and on recreational facilities, such as parks and schoolyards where kids play, and on golf courses. It would be in place for all chemical pesticides until medical evidence of the given product's safety has been presented to Parliament and approved by a parliamentary committee.
When it comes to the health of Canadians and our children, the onus of proof should not be on the public to prove the products are dangerous but on producers to prove they are safe.
The bill was inspired by the extraordinary work of Victoria's Pesticide-Free CRD movement that advocates the reduction of pesticide use. I encourage it to keep up its efforts as we move in that direction.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Malcolm Allen NDP Welland, ON
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-369, An Act to establish the National Organ Donor Registry and to coordinate and promote organ donation throughout Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I think all members of the House understand the severe nature of the lack of organ donation in this country. We really need a national registry to ensure that folks who are waiting for an organ transplant will actually receive it and not lose that opportunity based on the fact that they did not know a donor was available for them because of the lack of a registry.
It is very difficult, obviously, for those families affected to make those decisions, especially the parents of young children. However, when they finally make the decision to do it, it is extremely troubling to know, at the end of all that process, that the transplant did not take place because no one knew the organ was available. That organ could have been used by another young person at that time, perhaps to continue living.
We need a national registry to ensure that all organs being willingly donated will actually find recipients and that both parties, the party that has made the sacrifice and the recipient, will be matched up and we will have a fruitful conclusion to a sad situation in one family's life and a positive one for the other.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek the consent of the House to revert to reports from interparliamentary delegations. I missed one of my reports.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Is there unanimous consent to revert to presenting reports from interparliamentary delegations?
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, 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 of the Canadian group of the Interparliamentary Union respecting its participation at the annual parliamentary hearings at the United Nations headquarters in New York, United States of America, from November 20 to 21, 2007.
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 11th 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.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 and as certified by the Clerk of Petitions, I am pleased to present yet another income trust petition sent to me by my constituent, Mr. Frank Pike, from my riding of Mississauga South.
Mr. Pike remembers the Prime Minister boasting about his apparent commitment to accountability when he said, “The greatest fraud is a promise not kept”.
The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income trusts but that he recklessly broke that promise by imposing a 31.5% tax, which permanently wiped out over $25 billion of the hard-earned retirement savings of over two millions Canadians, particularly seniors.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Conservative minority government to: first, admit that the decision to tax income trusts was based on flawed methodology and incorrect assumptions; second, apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise; and finally, repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.
Tony Martin NDP Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the same Standing Order, I seek permission to present two petitions that have come into my office over the last few months. They are of extreme interest and importance to folks who serve in the interest of the public good in this country. The petitions are in support of the Governor General's volunteer service medal being introduced.
The two petitions include a significant number of names of people from Sault Ste. Marie who support the creation of a new Canadian medal, the Governor General's volunteer service medal. It is not a UN or NATO medal, but a Canadian medal.
The petition has been circulating all across Canada and is gaining momentum as many Canadians are happy to see that something is being done to honour many veterans who have never been formally recognized or honoured for their service to our nation.
Since the beginning of March 1947, thousands of young Canadians have served for a number of years in the forces and have absolutely nothing to show for it. This medal would give therm something to recognize that the country appreciates their efforts.
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the same Standing Order, I am pleased to present a petition from my riding.
The Sri Lankan Tamil seniors of Etobicoke call upon Parliament to urge the United Nations Security Council to send a special envoy to Sri Lanka to find a way to end the killing of innocent Tamil civilians; to rush humanitarian aid to displaced people in the war zone; to persuade the two warring factions, the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to stop the war immediately and to bring them to the negotiating table to formulate a lasting peace solution under the guidance of the United Nations.
Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I would like to present a petition signed by over 40 constituents who remain very concerned that the government may proceed to deport the Tabaj family to Albania. This family fled to Canada after an assassination attempt on the life of Mr. Arjan Tabaj. During this assassination attempt, two other people were machine-gunned to death. Since the perpetrators still remain at large in Albania, the deportation of Mr. Tabaj, his wife, Anilda, and their three children back to that country would place in jeopardy the lives of this family.
As a result, the petitioners urge the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism to allow the Tabaj family to remain in safety here in Canada.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition in support of a national housing strategy.
The signatories of this petition are from Antigonish, a vibrant university town in the riding of Central Nova in Nova Scotia. The signatures were collected by Katherine Reed, a well-known anti-poverty advocate from the area.
They are calling for swift passage of Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians. They 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.
Both the signatories and I look forward to the minister's response.
Malcolm Allen NDP Welland, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of signatories from across this country who are opposed to the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. They want it to be put in abeyance until such time as human rights impacts and assessments are carried out and the agreement is renegotiated around the principles of fair trade, which would take environmental and social impacts fully into account while generally respecting labour rights.
As we know, Colombia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for trade unionists and human rights activists. In fact, since 1991, 2,200 of those people have been murdered.
At this time, the petitioners are seeking that the government not continue with the free trade deal with Colombia, that it put it aside until such time as we can guarantee the safety of those workers, leaders and human rights activists, and that it negotiate a fair trade deal, not a free trade deal.