House of Commons Hansard #79 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was tax.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I have the honour, pursuant to Section 38 of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, to lay upon the table the report of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010.
This report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
Veterans AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Jonquière—Alma Québec
Conservative
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I would like to table in the House, in both official languages, two copies of the government's response to the report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs entitled “A Timely Tune-up for the Living New Veterans Charter”.
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure, as the chair of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in relation to Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts.
The committee has studied the bill and is now reporting the bill back to the House without amendments.
Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Langley B.C.
Conservative
Mark Warawa ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I have the great honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in relation to Bill S-210, An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the Auditor General Act (involvement of Parliament).
The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendments.
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to present an initial petition circulated by the FADOQ network and signed by more than 1,200 people from Quebec and my riding of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant who are calling on the government to improve the guaranteed income supplement paid out to our poorest seniors. This is a matter of social justice and dignity for those who built our society over the years, and who are now living below the poverty line.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to present in the House a petition from the Fédération de l'âge d'or du Québec network. It criticizes the fact that the federal guaranteed income supplement, the spouse's allowance and the allowance for the survivor no longer fulfill their missions to allow low-income seniors to earn a reasonable living.
The petitioners are calling on the House to implement automatic enrollment for the guaranteed income supplement, for the spouse's allowance and for the allowance for the survivor, to increase the guaranteed income supplement by $110 per month for seniors living alone, and to increase the monthly allowance for the survivor by $199. It also calls on the government to implement full and unconditional retroactivity, and to extend by six months the guaranteed income supplement and the spouse's allowance upon the death of one of the beneficiaries in the couple.
Raymonde Folco Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, today I want to present a petition signed by 2,000 of my constituents, who are calling for improvements in Canada's guaranteed income supplement, spouse's allowance and survivor's allowance programs. I add my petitions to those presented by the two members who spoke previously. All these petitions call for automatic registration for the guaranteed income supplement, the spouse's allowance and the survivor's allowance; improvements in the guaranteed income supplement for people who live alone; an increase in the monthly survivor's allowance; full, unconditional retroactivity; and a six-month extension of the guaranteed income supplement and the spouse's allowance when a beneficiary dies.
Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this morning to submit a petition signed by members of my constituency of Leeds—Grenville, as well as from others across Ontario.
The petition calls on the federal and provincial Ministers of Health to discuss allowing hospitals, private clinics and doctors to test for and treat CCSVI in all Canadians who desire testing and treatment. It also asks the federal and provincial Ministers of Health to plan and implement a nationwide clinical trial for the evaluation of venography and balloon venoplasty for the treatment of CCSVI in persons diagnosed with MS.
Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC
Mr. Speaker, I also want to present a petition that was signed by 1,068 people for the reasons explained by the member for Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate her on taking the initiative to organize the tabling of these petitions on the federal guaranteed income supplement program.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to present this petition from seniors in Quebec. The petition calls on the government to protect seniors, specifically by improving the federal guaranteed income program, the spouse's allowance and the survivor's allowance.
Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition on behalf of my colleague, the hon. member for Whitby—Oshawa and his constituents regarding Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement).
The constituents from the riding of Whitby—Oshawa, spearheaded by Dorothy and Frank Murray, believe that the proposed change to lower the residency requirement from 10 years to 3 years for OAS is unmerited, as the current residency requirement for an OAS pension is sufficient.
Therefore, they call upon the House of Commons to oppose Bill C-428.
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition with 913 names. It is the same as the petition my colleague from Châteauguay—Saint-Constant presented, and it calls for improvements in the federal guaranteed income supplement, spouse's allowance and survivor's allowance program.
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, following in the footsteps of the member for Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, I also want to present a petition today calling for improvements in the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. My petition has more than 1,082 signatures. The Bloc Québécois has been fighting for many years to improve the guaranteed income supplement program. We want the government to bring in automatic registration for the supplement, increase the monthly benefit for people living alone by $110 and introduce full, unconditional retroactivity for the seniors who have been cheated in recent years.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting four petitions, the first one with regard to skin cancer.
The petition states that one in seven Canadians will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and that melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in Canada.
The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to support a national skin cancer and melanoma initiative to provide much needed access to newer drug treatments.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the next petition is with regard to life.
The petitioners point out that Canada is a country that respects human rights and includes in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that everyone has the right to life.
The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to pass legislation for the protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition 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.
The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to enact specific and precise legislation to provide additional medical EI benefits to at least equal to maternity EI benefit.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the last petition is regarding the long gun registry. It states that the long gun registry has spiralled to an estimated $2 billion and that the registry has not saved one life.
The petitioners are calling upon the House of Commons to support any legislation that will cancel the long gun registry.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, my petition calls upon the Canadian government to negotiate with the United States government to reduce the United States and Canadian passport fees. The petitioners are concerned that American tourists visiting Canada are at their lowest levels since 1972. American tourism has fallen by 5 million visits in the last seven years, from 16 million in 2002 to only 11 million in 2009.
Currently, one-half of Canadians have passports but only one-quarter of Americans have passports.
At the recent Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, attended by myself and 500 other elected representatives from 11 border states and 3 provinces, the following resolution was passed unanimously. It reads, be it:
RESOLVED, that [the] Conference calls on President Barack Obama and [the Canadian] Prime Minister...to immediately examine a reduced fee for passports to facilitate cross-border tourism;
...we encourage the governments to examine the idea of a limited time two-for-one passport renewal or new application; and be it further
RESOLVED, that this resolution be submitted to appropriate federal, state and provincial officials.
To be a fair process, passport fees must be reduced on both sides of the border. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the government to work with the American government to examine the mutual reduction in passport fees to facilitate tourism and, finally, promote a limited time, two-for-one passport renewal or new application fee on a mutual basis with the United States.
Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present this petition, and I hope that the government will pay attention to the 86 pages filled with just over 1,050 signatures from people calling on it to improve the guaranteed income supplement as well as spousal and survivor allowances. Motion M-300, which I tabled in the House and which was adopted by the majority of elected members—only the Conservatives were opposed—proposed this same idea. The Conservative government needs to do something quickly for seniors, who built today's society.
I would like to draw attention to the fine work being done in my riding by the Richelieu-Yamaska region of FADOQ and by Mr. Leblanc and his members. I would also like to mention the member for Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, our seniors critic, and her unrelenting efforts on behalf of Quebec's seniors.
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from citizens across many communities and all walks of life who wish Parliament to know that they genuinely support and value the contributions of our veterans and that they regard a veteran as a veteran regardless in which deployment or where an individual may have served.
The petitioners join the veterans ombudsman and General Walter Natynczyk in condemning the new Veterans Charter and the Department of Veterans Affairs for creating barriers to serving Canadian veterans.
The petitioners also demand that existing services, such as veterans hospitals, be mandated to serve modern-day veterans, including the more than 200,000 members of the armed forces who have served in peacekeeping missions since the Korean war.
The petitioners want there to be a full hearing in the House of Commons in response to the issues of special care, pensions, programs, services and the preservation of an independent Department of Veterans Affairs; and that Parliament act to ensure that veterans and their families receive the supports they have been promised and to which they are entitled as members of the armed forces, past, present and future.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Malcolm Allen NDP Welland, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would ask for unanimous consent to revert to introduction of private members' bills as I had intended to introduce one today. It seems that somehow it slipped off the order paper. I am not sure how that happened but I would ask for unanimous consent to do that. It will take about 60 seconds.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Is there unanimous consent to revert at this time to introduction of private members' bills?