Debates of Sept. 30th, 2009

Canada Post

[Michelle Simson, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by constituents of Scarborough Southwest who are calling on the Government of Canada to maintain the moratorium on post office closures and withdraw the legislation to legalize remailers. The petitioners are also calling upon the government to instruct Canada Post to maintain, expand and improve postal services.

Harmonized Sales Tax

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from constituents in British Columbia regarding the HST. The petitioners point out that taking money from the pockets of hard-working families makes no sense in these difficult economic times and it represents an unfair tax shift from corporations onto consumers.

They note that, from restaurants to realtors, small businesses in Vancouver will be hurt and consumers will pay more on everything from haircuts to vitamins. Further, they note it was a product of political deception in the last B.C. election by the provincial Liberals. Although they are aware that the HST is supported by both federal Conservatives and Liberals, they urge the government to change its mind and withdraw its support for the British Columbia HST.

Firearms Registry

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present to the House. The first is signed by citizens of my riding of Dufferin—Caledon asking that all members support Bill C-391, which would ban the ineffective and costly long gun registry program.

Horse Slaughter

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from citizens from across Canada asking the members of the House to ban the slaughter of horses in Canada for human consumption and the export of horses for the same purpose.

Burns Bog

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Burns Bog in my riding of Newton—North Delta is often referred to as the lungs for the Lower Mainland.

Last weekend hundreds of people gathered to support its cause by participating in the Jog for the Bog. Over the summer the Burns Bog Conservation Society and members of my community created this petition to support the Burns Bog.

I am honoured to present this petition on behalf of my constituents from Newton—North Delta.

It asks that the government initiate the process outlined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to establish Burns Bog in Delta, British Columbia as a World Heritage site in recognition of it being a cultural and environmental landmark. We believe this would go a long way to preserving the bog for generations to come.

Duchess of Kent Legion

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions today.

The first is on behalf of the Duchess of Kent Legion, branch 263, which has fallen into financial difficulty with the Canada Revenue Agency due to the theft of the GST fund by a former employee. While that employee was charged and convicted of the crime, the stolen monies were never recovered.

The Duchess of Kent Legion has a debt of more than $275,000, and despite paying thousands on this debt, the accruing interest is driving the legion deeper into debt every month.

The Minister of National Revenue has the authority under section 23(2) of the Financial Administration Act to forgive the interest.

The petitioners ask that the Parliament of Canada direct the Minister of National Revenue to exercise his authority and forgive the interest debt. We owe it to our veterans who served our country with honour and courage to save their legion.

Pay Equity

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

My second petition, Mr. Speaker, asks that the Government of Canada reinstate federal pay equity. Equal pay for work of equal value has still not been achieved in Canada.

The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act is an attack on pay equity. It is the antithesis of the recommendations made by the 2004 pay equity task force and it removes pay equity protection under the Canadian Human Rights Act for public sector employees.

The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to implement all the recommendations of the 2004 pay equity task force, ensure pay equity protection under the Canadian Human Rights Act and scrap the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act.

South Yemen

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from petitioners who are very concerned about events in south Yemen. They ask the Government of Canada to immediately take action with the international community to end atrocities in south Yemen.

The real risk and implications of the current situation there are so grave that such a situation, without a doubt, would profoundly affect the security and stability of the region and endanger the interests of many countries, including Canada.

The petitioners ask that the House of Commons tell the Canadian government to take action to prevent an imminent crime against humanity by coordinating efforts with other friends and allies to send a fact-finding mission to south Yemen to ask the president to refrain from any escalation of violence, release all detainees and fulfill his obligations under UN Security Council resolutions 924-94 and 931-94 to resume dialogue with the legitimate and recognized representatives of the people of south Yemen.

Canadian International Development Agency

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to present a petition from people, predominantly from southern Ontario, calling upon the Government of Canada to stop all funding to Planned Parenthood by CIDA.

Fuel Prices

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition that is signed by Canadians from across this country, ranging from Dawson, Yukon, all the way to British Columbia, back to Kamloops and over to Richmond Hill.

The petitioners call upon the government to acknowledge that the high price of fuel is damaging the Canadian economy, on a day when gas prices are probably going to go up 2¢ to 3¢ a litre; reinstate the office of petroleum price information, which was abolished by the government in 2006; begin hearings into the energy sector to determine how the government can foster competition and provide transparency in the energy market; and eliminate the monopolistic efficiency defence cost to the competition of Canada.

The petition has been signed by over 103 Canadians.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

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

The first petition concerns the CBC. The petitioners would like the Government of Canada to understand that CBC programming is an essential service in northwestern Ontario and to ensure that the quality of local programming remains and that jobs are not lost in northwestern Ontario.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present signed by petitioners who are concerned about the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement.

The petitioners call on Parliament to reject the agreement at least until an independent human rights impact assessment and some other measures are carried out.

Suicide

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition from about 400 people from Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Ontario.

The petitioners are calling on the government to enable prosecution of those who encourage or counsel someone to commit suicide, and to update the Criminal Code to reflect the new realities of 21st century broadband access.

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present three petitions from Canadians right across the country, including individuals in Quebec.

The petitioners call on Parliament to pass legislation to enable the prosecution of those who encourage or counsel someone to commit suicide and to upgrade the Criminal Code to reflect the new realities of the 21st century broadband access.

Budget Implementation Act

[Jim Maloway, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today calling for a stop to the wage rollbacks and a restoration of pay equity for public service workers.

The budget implementation bill empowers the government to roll back negotiated wages and arbitration awards retroactively and to radically change the rules governing pay equity in the federal public sector.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to support Motion No. 384 presented by the member for Burnaby—New Westminster and to rescind the provisions of Bill C-10 that violate workers' rights to collective bargaining, including the right to arbitration awards and the right to have equal pay for work of equal value.

Human Trafficking

[Dona Cadman, Conservative, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Kildonan—St. Paul, I would like to present petitions from many communities across Canada.

The petitioners call on parliamentarians to support Bill C-268. The bill will be voted on tonight, and Canada's citizens are counting on parliamentarians to support it.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, if Question No. 231 could be made an order for return, the return would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 231

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of Skeena—Bulkley Valley, listing each department of agency, initiative and amount?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

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

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions for Papers

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

Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to be so kind as to call Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers No. P-5 in the name of the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.