House of Commons Hansard #46 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was relationship.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Words, Mr. Speaker. As an academic, a journalist and author, the Liberal leader has built his entire career on words. Surely he cannot tell us that his words mean nothing. If his words mean nothing, then he means nothing.
His words were, “We will have to raise taxes”. Which taxes would he raise, how much would he raise them and who would have to pay? I invite the leader of the Liberal Party to return to his seat and answer that question right after question period.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, on April 22, the listeriosis investigator informed committee that she had not completed an official interview with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Yet, according to her calendar, the fact-gathering sessions are now complete.
Has the minister been officially interviewed? If not, has he been scheduled, not for a quiet coffee chat but for an official interview, or is the Prime Minister now willing to admit his so-called investigations purpose is really designed to avoid holding the minister to account?
Gerry Ritz ConservativeMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I can just imagine the howling by the member for Malpeque if I were meddling with the independent investigator. That is exactly the nature of independence. She works independently of me or any other department, for that matter. If she calls, I would be happy to sit down, I would be happy to be interviewed and I would be happy to talk to her at any time.
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I request the unanimous consent of the House to table information about allocations to provincial and territorial committees for 2003-09 editions of “Celebrate Canada!”
This document shows that, contrary to what the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages said, I reported not factual inaccuracies, but factual accuracies, and all of the numbers I mentioned were correct.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert have unanimous consent to table this document?
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 two petitions.
Chuck Strahl ConservativeMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-28, An Act to amend the Cree-Naskapi (of Quebec) Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the reports of the Canadian delegations of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting their participation at the APF Bureau meeting, held in New York on January 21 and 22, 2009, and the meeting of the steering committee of the network of women parliamentarians of the APF, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from February 12 to 15, 2009.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-370, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods).
Mr. Speaker, this is a private member's bill that I had introduced in a previous Parliament. It is a bill that was voted down unfortunately when it was introduced by another member during the last Parliament.
It is an important bill so that we can at least have some labelling of genetically modified foods. This is a question that many people are asking these days. The least we can do for the Canadian public is to let them know what they are eating.
My bill calls to amend the Food and Drugs Act to provide this labelling of genetically modified food. It is the least that members and the government can do for the Canadian public.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Peter Van Loan ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
moved that Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Customs Act, be read the first time.
(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Mr. Speaker, because of the need for good coordination and reliable information on the swine flu situation, the official opposition would like to make a proposal today. Consultations have begun with all of the parties; more may be required. We are flexible about that, but I wonder if there is yet unanimous consent for a motion along the lines of the following.
I move that in order to reinforce the confidence that all Canadians should have in Canada's public health system at this time, when concern is growing in many countries about the risk of a new international influenza outbreak, a special surveillance committee of parliamentarians is hereby established with all the powers given to standing committees by the Standing Orders. It would consist of 11 members of the House of Commons, including five from the Conservative Party, three from the Liberal Party, two from the Bloc Québécois and one from the New Democratic Party, with a chair to be elected from among the government members, for the purpose of monitoring all developments in respect of the influenza situation and ensuring that the public receives the timely, accurate and useful information needed to react appropriately to evolving events. To that end, the parties should select their representatives on this committee at least in part based upon their expertise in public health matters. The committee should receive daily briefings from senior government officials, in camera when necessary, on all matters that it deems to be relevant to protecting and promoting the public interest.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?
Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order on that point. Mr. Speaker, you have been here a lot longer than I have and I think you are well aware that these types of matters are usually discussed between all of the House leaders. The whips are going to have a meeting tomorrow. This is a very serious, non-partisan issue. I would have hoped that we could have discussed this before this motion was brought before the House.
I would further point out to the hon. member that there is a standing committee for health that could and I am sure will be immediately seized with this issue. I do not see the need for this and I certainly do not see the need to play politics with this important, non-partisan issue.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I do not know that we need to get into a debate. We have had a proposal. There is no consent at the moment. The government House leader has suggested that this is a matter that might be raised at the House leaders meetings.
The Speaker, of course, is always glad to see cooperation between all hon. members in the House on various matters, but I do not think this is a matter for debate in the House.
Does the hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord want the floor on this point of order?
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to move another motion that has nothing to do with the point of order. Shall I do so immediately?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The hon. House leader of the official opposition has a point of order.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order to reassure the government House leader that the objective today in the proposed motion that the deputy House leader for the opposition just referred to is to assist the government and all Canadians in dealing with a very serious health concern.
We are not in any way endeavouring to be provocative in this matter and I am glad that it will be discussed among House leaders tomorrow. I think that can be useful. All members of the House will have the substance of the motion for some considerable length of time in advance of that meeting to consider it.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The hon. whip for the Bloc Québécois wishes to move another motion.
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is about something else entirely. There has been some discussion among the parties, and I believe that, this time, you will find unanimous consent in the House for the following motion:
That, at the conclusion of tomorrow’s debate on the Bloc Québécois' opposition motion, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at 3:00 p.m.; and that the deferred recorded division on the second reading stage of Bill C-241 in the name of the member for Brome—Missisquoi and the deferred recorded division on Motion M-294 in the name of the member for Vaudreuil- Soulanges, currently scheduled immediately before the time provided for private members business on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, be deferred anew following the vote on the Bloc Québécois' opposition motion on the same day.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. whip for the Bloc Québécois have the unanimous consent of the House to move this motion?