House of Commons Hansard #72 of the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was artists.

Topics

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Just for the sake of clarification for the record, would the government House leader confirm that this has to do with certain court matters in the province of Manitoba?

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is correct.

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

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?

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I declare the motion carried.

(Motion agreed to)

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon B.C.

Conservative

Chuck Strahl ConservativeMinister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Judges Act.

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

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Consequently, pursuant to order made earlier today, Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Judges Act is deemed read a second time, deemed referred to a committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, deemed read a third time and passed.

(Bill read the second time, considered in committee, reported, concurred in, read a third time and passed.)

Judges ActRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

The hon. government House leader has another motion, I believe?

(Bill C-6. On the Order: Government Orders:)

June 9, 2009--Report stage of Bill C-6, An Act respecting the safety of consumer products--the Minister of Health

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Prince George—Peace River B.C.

Conservative

Jay Hill ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I have one last motion. I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, the report stage motion to C-6, An Act respecting the safety of consumer products, standing on the Notice Paper in the name of the Minister of Health, be amended by replacing the words “advise him or her”, in the first paragraph, with the words “provide him or her with public advice”; that the motion be deemed adopted as amended; that Bill C-6 be deemed concurred in at report stage with a further amendment; and that the said Bill be ordered for consideration at third reading stage later this day.

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

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?

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.Routine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken

I declare the motion carried.

(Motion agreed to)

(Report stage Motion No. 1, as amended, deemed adopted, bill, as amended, concurred in)

Animal CrueltyPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to present two petitions signed by numerous residents of my constituency of Guelph who are seeking federal action to protect animals from cruelty.

Specifically, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to support a universal declaration on animal welfare and for Criminal Code amendments to protect animals from cruelty.

Contaminated Water in ShannonPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Bloc

Christiane Gagnon Bloc Québec, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is with a sense of compassion that I am tabling today a petition signed by some 23,000 people asking the federal government to recognize its responsibility in the matter of the contaminated water on the Valcartier military base, provide compensation to victims, decontaminate the affected sites, identify former residents and employees of the Valcartier military base and inform them that they may have been exposed to contaminated water.

I would like to thank all those people and groups as well as a few members of the Shannon citizens' coalition, including Marie-Paule Spieser, the president, Jean Bernier, the vice-president, and Chantal Mallette, who are on the Hill today and who helped make this petition possible.

I take this opportunity to condemn the Conservative government for its lack of compassion towards the victims affected by the TCE contaminated water and toxic fumes. The matter is not resolved just because they paid for infrastructure to provide citizens with potable water. The minister's answers this afternoon to my question about Shannon's contaminated water have not reassured people. In two months, 23,000 people have shown their compassion for the victims of Shannon's contaminated water. They can say their mission is accomplished. There is solidarity in Quebec on this matter.

Nuclear WeaponsPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Denise Savoie NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions on behalf of my constituents.

The first one calls on the government to press publicly for a review of NATO nuclear weapons policy with a view to eliminate nuclear weapons and NATO's reliance on nuclear deterrents.

Canada has signed and ratified the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and as such, it is incumbent on the government to work toward the goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Cosmetic PesticidesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Denise Savoie NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on the government for an immediate moratorium on cosmetic pesticides until their use is conclusively proven safe and long-term consequences on human and environmental health are known.

My constituents know that while pesticides may continue to have a role in insect infestation, there is nothing that justifies the use of cosmetics, and they ask the government to enact Bill C-368.

Security and Prosperity PartnershipPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Denise Savoie NDP Victoria, BC

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I present the third petition from my constituents, asking the government to stop the security and prosperity partnership until there is a democratic mandate from the people of Canada, parliamentary oversight and consideration of its profound effect on Canada's sovereignty, and particularly its consequences on Canada's social-economic-environmental well-being.

Protection of Human LifePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a petition from over 250 Canadians that calls on Parliament to pass legislation for the protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.

In fact, this petition directly supports the event that took place on the Hill a few weeks ago, the March for Life, when over 12,000 Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill, once again asking Parliament to show respect for human life throughout all its stages.

EnergyPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON

Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you how much I thank the fact that I am the member for Pickering—Scarborough East and I beat out the member for Scarborough—Guildwood.

I have the honour to present a petition in the House that is written and signed by well over 140 residents of the Toronto-Mississauga-Markham regions of Toronto, of our region in the GTA.

As residents they want to underscore the serious lack of competition and transparency in the energy industry, which has hampered the free market to the detriment of all Canadians. They believe that high fuel prices inflate the price of everything that is purchased, and during a period of economic uncertainty, the devastating impact this is having on the bottom line in our economy as a whole.

They wish to draw to the attention of the government and the House of Commons that many countries around the world have an energy market monitoring agency, and that an energy superpower like Canada needs such an agency.

They, therefore, call upon Parliament to finally acknowledge the high price of fuel and its impact on the economy, reinstate the office of petroleum price information, which was abolished by the government in 2006, as an energy market information service which, like the U.S. energy information agency would produce weekly reports, including all Canadian energy supply-demand inventory and storage information.

They would also finally ask that we begin hearings in the House into the energy sector to determine how the government can foster better competition and provide transparency to the energy market and to eliminate the monopolistic efficiency as a defence clause of the Competition Act, supported by my good colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood.

EthiopiaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first is regarding the human rights situation in Ethiopia. Bertukan Mideksa was put in prison by the Ethiopian authorities at Christmastime under trumped up charges. She has remained in solitary confinement and has essentially been denied her freedom to act as leader of the opposition in Ethiopia.

The petitioners, who range from across British Columbia, ask Parliament and the government to put pressure on the Ethiopian government to ensure that she is unconditionally released, and that she continues to be able to exercise her function as leader of the major opposition party in Ethiopia.

Sri LankaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I wish to present is regarding the situation in Sri Lanka. It is signed by hundreds of individuals across the country, particularly in southern Ontario.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to use every diplomatic means at its disposal to end the violence in Sri Lanka and ensure full human rights for all the citizens of Sri Lanka, including the Tamil population of northern Sri Lanka.

Employment InsurancePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions from the constituents in beautiful Langley, British Columbia.

The first one says that there are a number of severe, potentially life-threatening conditions that do not qualify for disability programs because they are not necessarily permanent. They are calling upon the House of Commons to enact legislation to provide additional medical EI benefits at least equal to the maternity benefits.