Debates of Nov. 30th, 2010

Government Response to Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(b) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Gord Brown, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following reports of the Canadian delegations of the Canada-United States interparliamentary group respecting its participation in a number of meetings.

First, the Western Governors Association annual meeting, which was held in Whitefish, Montana, June 27-28, 2010; second, the annual meeting of the National Governors Association that was held in Boston, Massachusetts, July 9-11, 2010; third, the 64th annual meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference--Council of State Governments held in Charleston, South Carolina, July 31 to August 3, 2010; fourth, the 65th annual meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference--Council of State Governments that was held in Toronto, Ontario, August 8-11, 2010; and fifth, the 50th annual meeting of the Council of State Governments, Eastern Regional Conference and Regional Policy Forum held in Portland, Maine, August 15-18, 2010.

The Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group is working very hard. Many members from this House and the other place have spent a lot of time through the summer and will be spending a lot of time through the winter attending many of these conferences. I commend my executive and other members of the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group for all of their hard work, working on such important issues as the buy America clause, as well as some of the border issues and security issues.

I am happy to have stood today to talk about these many meetings that the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group has been attending.

Industry, Science and Technology

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th and 12th reports of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in relation to its study of Bill C-501, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and other Acts (pension protection), and in relation to its study of Bill C-452, An Act to amend the Competition Act (inquiry into industry sector).

The committee requests a 30 day extension in order to give the bills their proper consideration.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Pursuant to Standing Order 97.1(3)(a), motions to concur in the two reports are deemed moved, the questions deemed put and recorded divisions deemed demanded and deferred until Wednesday, December 1, immediately before the time provided for private members' business.

Justice and Human Rights

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

In accordance with its order of reference of Tuesday, October 5, your committee has considered Bill C-21, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sentencing for fraud), and agreed on Thursday, November 25, to report it with amendment.

First Nations Education Funding Plan Act

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-599, An Act respecting the development and implementation of a First Nations education funding plan.

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief, because I will have the opportunity to go into further detail when we debate this bill.

The purpose of this bill to develop and implement a first nations education funding plan, as its name indicates, is to lift the 2% cap that prevents the department from investing and annually increasing the allotted budget for first nations education.

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

Income Tax Act

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-600, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (tax credit for charitable gifts).

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my friend and colleague, the member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, who handles the revenue file for our party.

What this bill proposes is quite simple: it proposes that the government increase the tax credit for charitable gifts. The year 2009 would be used as a reference year and an extra 10% tax credit for charitable gifts would be provided. In Quebec, it would be more.

Charities are currently experiencing a crisis. Corporation Félix Hubert d'Hérelle in Montreal, which manages a large residence for people living with HIV-AIDS, is a perfect example. It has just learned that the United Way will be cutting funding.

We hope that this specific action will prompt all members of Parliament to act quickly so that new resources can be provided to charities in Quebec and Canada. We hope to have the support of all members of this House.

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

Afghanistan

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

Mr. Speaker, my petition has been signed by dozens of Canadians who are calling for an end to Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan.

In May 2008, Parliament passed a resolution to withdraw Canadian Forces by July, 2011. The Prime Minister, with agreement from the Liberal Party, broke his promise to honour the parliamentary motion and, furthermore, refuses to put it to a parliamentary vote in this House.

Committing 1,000 soldiers to a training mission still presents a danger to our troops and an unnecessary expense when our country is faced with a $56 billion deficit. The military mission has cost Canadians more than $18 billion so far, money that could have been used to improve health care and seniors' pensions right here in Canada.

The polls show that a clear majority of Canadians do not want Canada's military presence to continue after the scheduled removal date of July 2011. Therefore, the petitioners call on the Prime Minister to honour the will of Parliament and bring the troops home now.

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would like to present two petitions today, including one that requires that I have the unanimous consent of the House.

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

Does the hon. member for Ahuntsic have the unanimous consent of the House?

The hon. member for Mississauga South has the floor on a point of order.

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Madam Speaker, we are presenting petitions and I understand the member is asking for unanimous consent to table petitions that she has not yet presented. I wonder if we should understand what her intention is. It is very unusual to table a petition. If it is being presented, it is effectively tabled.

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

Can the hon. member for Ahuntsic give an explanation?

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions, but unfortunately, one of them does not seem to be acceptable because the request to Parliament was written incorrectly. However, the substance of the petition is acceptable; I verified it with the Clerk of the House.

We were told by the Clerk of Petitions that we could table the petition if we had the unanimous consent of the House. That is what I was told.

Consequently, I am asking the House whether it is possible to table this petition, which has been signed by a number of people but which, unfortunately, was not written according to House rules.

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to present the petitions?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Democratic Representation

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Madam Speaker, I will present another petition, this one completely acceptable, from a number of people. The petition concerns Bill C-12, which would reduce Quebec's political weight in the House of Commons. All of the signatories are totally opposed to this bill and want the House to know.

I encourage my colleagues to reconsider this bill, which, in some ways, is seen as unfair in Quebec.

Copyright Legislation

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am proud to present a petition signed by people from Lethbridge, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and other parts of Canada who are concerned about the government's plans for the copyright legislation and, in particular, how it would allow the use of technological protection measures, digital locks, to override the rights of citizens.

Citizens are guaranteed certain rights in terms of access to content that they purchase and use and to be able to make backup copies. However, the technological protection measures would override citizens' rights and it could lead to egregious corporate abuse of their rights. The petitioners are concerned. They refer to the Digital Security Coalition, the Canadian Music Creators Coalition, the Appropriation Art committee, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Library Association and the Canadian Art Museum Directors' Organizations. Thousands of other citizens have signed this petition urging that their rights be protected under the new copyright legislation.

The petitioners call upon the government to recognize the balance that is needed with respect to technological protection measures as these measures cannot erase the rights that are guaranteed through Parliament and through Canada's long tradition of ensuring copyright legislation is balanced for creators, users and educators.

Housing

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today on behalf of residents of Toronto, many of them from Don Valley West, in support of a national housing strategy.

The petitioners urge the House of Commons to ensure that we plan a housing strategy that will look at affordability and accessibility for all Canadians. This comes from an urban perspective but people all across Canada, such as those living on first nations reserves, those living in small communities, those living in rural communities, as well as those in large cities need to have access to affordable housing.

The petitioners point out that Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that we have an aggressive plan to provide accessible housing to all Canadians.

Retrofit Homes Program

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from a large number of Torontonians who enthusiastically support the eco-energy retrofit homes program.

The petitioners note that the United States has invested billions of dollars in home energy efficiency programs. They also note that the U.K. has committed to retrofitting all homes by 2030 and has developed firm interim targets for the next five to ten years.

The petitioners believe that the eco-energy program has proven economic benefits to Canadians and realizes significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The petitioners point out that the decision by the Conservative government, without warning or consultation, to cancel the eco-energy program starting in March 2011 will threaten professionals and renovation contractors all across Canada. These homeowners are asking for the reinstatement of the eco-energy program.

Employment Insurance

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to table in the House a petition from constituents in Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, particularly constituents from the Triton and Green Bay areas, as well as the northern tip of the northern peninsula, the burg called the St. Anthony area.

The petition calls on the House of Commons to maintain benefit duration for at least 50 weeks in all regions of the country for the purposes of employment insurance. It calls on Parliament to eliminate the two-week waiting period. It calls on Parliament to ensure workers can continue to use their best 14 weeks of employment on which to base their claim. The petition also calls on Parliament to continue to allow workers to earn up to 40% of their rate while on claim.

Many of these provisions were temporarily enacted by the government and they are a certain comfort. However, there is a certain anxiety that this is a temporary measure and the petitioners would like Parliament to make this a permanent feature of the employment insurance system.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed from November 29 consideration of the motion that Bill C-47, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 4, 2010 and other measures, be read the third time and passed.

Sustaining Canada's Economic Recovery Act

[The Acting Speaker, NDP, Denise Savoie]

The member for Outremont has two minutes left for his remarks and 10 minutes for questions and comments.