House of Commons Hansard #32 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was leave.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe if you were seek it, you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That in the opinion of the House, April 23, which coincides with the birthday of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, be recognized as the national day of remembrance and action on mass atrocities, in tribute to his commitment to peace and international co-operation to end crimes against humanity.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Mass AtrocitiesRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Peter Milliken
Does the hon. member for Ottawa Centre have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Mass AtrocitiesRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Agreed.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Mass AtrocitiesRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Peter Milliken
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Mass AtrocitiesRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Agreed.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Mass AtrocitiesRoutine Proceedings
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present two petitions in the House. The first petition is signed by thousands of people in my riding and across the entire country.
The petitioners ask Parliament to declare November 11 a national holiday observed in all provinces and territories.
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the second petition asks the government to instruct Canada Post to maintain its post office system and consult with major stakeholders before it makes any changes.
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to table a petition signed by people from my riding of Mississauga—Streetsville and other parts of the greater Toronto area.
The petitioners are concerned about the ongoing discrimination against Egypt's Christian citizens who seek systematic change for justice and equality within Egypt.
Those who have attached their names wish to call our attention to the evening of January 6, the Orthodox Christian celebration in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, which ended in violence, 6 murdered and 15 injured. This is only the most recent example of religiously motivated attacks. Sadly this type of violence and persecution has become a common occurrence in Egypt over the last 30 years. Those who are victims feel unheard by their government. They feel it has failed to dissuade this violence or take the necessary steps that are needed to be taken to reach sustainable change.
The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to demand justice and equality within Egypt and to intervene and pressure the Egyptian government to ensure tolerance, freedom and safety to its Christian population.
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
Mr. Speaker, once again, I am presenting a petition that calls for the adoption of my bill, Bill C-343, which provides assistance for victims of crime, and particularly their families, by extending the eligibility period for employment insurance and allowing the families of victims to take time off work and keep their job for an indeterminate period of time.
On April 28, the House will vote to send this bill to committee. On behalf of the hundreds of petitioners and all the families of victims, I hope that a majority of this House will support the bill. These 35 signatures, in addition to all the others, show that the public is concerned about the families of victims and that they want the government to take action as quickly as possible.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
In the first petition, thousands of Canadians are calling upon Parliament to adopt Canada's first air passengerss' bill of rights. Bill C-310 would compensate air passengers with all Canadian carriers, including charters, anywhere they fly.
The bill would provide compensation for overbooked or cancelled flights and long tarmac delays. It addresses issues, such as late and misplaced bags, and requires all-inclusive pricing by airlines on all of their advertising.
Legislation such as this has been in effect in Europe since 1991 but, in its current form, for the last five years. The question is why Air Canada passengers should be treated better in Europe than in Canada. In fact, in the current environment in Europe, we find out that they are not being treated the way they should be even under European law.
Airlines would need to inform passengers of any flights changes, either delays or cancellations. The new rules would need to be posted at airports and airlines would need to inform passengers of their rights and the process to file for compensation. If airlines follow the rules, they would not pay any compensation.
The petitioners call upon the government to support Bill C-310, which would introduce Canada's first air passengers' bill of rights.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by dozens of Canadians who call upon the government to match funds personally donated by the citizens of Canada for the victims of the Chilean earthquake.
On February 27, a Chilean earthquake of an 8.8 magnitude occurred in southern Chile. The Chilean Canadian community mobilized with fundraising events.
The petitioners are wondering why the government does not give the same treatment to the victims of the Chilean earthquake as it has for the victims of the Haitian disaster.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents and citizens across the land who strongly condemn the terrorist violence targeted at Egyptian Christians. They demand full religious freedom and call upon this Parliament to speak out against human rights abuses and sectarian violence in Egypt.
This Conservative government and this Prime Minister stand with Egyptian Christians and other persecuted religious minorities in defence of religious freedom.
The petitioners call upon our government to continue its strong record of conviction and dedication to the value of religious freedom in Canada and all around the world.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to submit to the House the following three certified petitions from constituents in Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte who call upon the government to maintain the moratorium on post office closures and to withdraw the legislation to legalize remailers.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting four petitions. The first petition calls on the Canadian government to support a universal declaration on animal welfare.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from my constituents who are concerned about the new provisions or new elements in the 2010 budget implementation bill.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from the citizens of my riding, who are concerned by the Auditor General's recent report on crown corporations, in particular Canada Post.
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting two petitions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first petition calls upon the Canadian government to follow up on the Goldstone Commission.
The second petition calls upon the Canadian government to work on an embargo of arms headed for Israel, Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups, which could be used to commit flagrant violations of human rights.
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition to the House concerning a very serious issue, that of child pornography and victimization.
The petitioners draw the attention of the House to the fact that the creation, use and circulation of child pornography is condemned by the clear majority of Canadians, that the CRTC and Internet service providers have a responsibility for the content that is being transmitted to Canadians, and that anyone who uses the Internet to facilitate any sex offences involving children is committing an offence.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all of the necessary steps to stop the Internet as a medium for the distribution of child victimization or pornography.
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, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 105 and 106.
Glen Pearson Liberal London North Centre, ON
With regard to the Canadian International Development Agency's requirement under the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act to report annually to Parliament on its progress in three key areas: (a) what reporting requirements has the agency implemented in incorporating the act; and (b) how are these reporting requirements evaluated?
Question No. 105Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Durham Ontario
Conservative
Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, with regard to a) the government tabled the summary of the Government of Canada's official development assistance 2008-2009 at the end of September 2009. It is the first report of its kind under the new Official Development Assistance Accountability Act. The report is fully compliant with the requirements of the Act.
It was the first time that the government presented a report including a comprehensive picture of the development assistance provided by all federal departments and agencies. The assistance reported in this report meets the official development assistance definition of the act and of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. Under these definitions, official development assistance must contribute to poverty reduction.
In terms of CIDA’s implementation of the act, a number of actions were taken, including:
i) Clear directions were provided to CIDA staff to ensure that the provisions of the act were integrated in our programming. We take the implementation of the act seriously.
ii) CIDA also coordinated the production of the above mentioned whole-of-government report that was tabled in September on behalf of the Government. In doing so, CIDA ensured all the provisions of the Act were respected, including the requirements to provide Parliament with a summary of its own departmental performance report. CIDA also published, as required by the act, a statistical report on the total Canadian ODA for 2008-2009.
Poverty reduction has been at the core of CIDA's mandate for many years. CIDA’s ODA contributes to poverty reduction in developing countries in an effective and focused manner. We take the perspectives of the poor into account as a central element in delivering Canada's aid program, for instance through consultations with local partners and beneficiaries, participatory approaches and policy dialogue. Our programs are consistent with international human rights standards through our “Do No Harm approach”--ensuring that our programs do not contribute to violations of human rights.
With regard to b) there is no specific requirement for the evaluation of the reporting requirements of the act. However, the Federal Accountability Act, 2006, which modified the Financial Administration Act, section 42.1, requires that departments conduct evaluations of the relevance and effectiveness of each ongoing program for which they are responsible every five years. These evaluations are used as inputs for CIDA’s reporting to Parliament, including the departmental performance report.
In that context, CIDA prepares a rolling five-year evaluation plan to address the requirements of the Federal Accountability Act. The evaluation committee, composed of a majority of non-CIDA members, reviews the evaluation plan every year and advises on the adequacy of it. The evaluation committee also reviews each of the program evaluations completed under the plan to advise on their adequacy and readiness for approval, so that they can made public.
The most recent program evaluations undertaken by the agency are posted at the CIDA website: www.CIDA.ca/Performance/Evaluation/Evaluation Reports.
Glen Pearson Liberal London North Centre, ON
With regard to KAIROS, which has lost their funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as of November 30, 2009 due to KAIROS no longer fitting CIDA priorities: (a) what are the CIDA priorities that did not fit well with the priorities of KAIROS; (b) what sort of criteria does CIDA examine to determine whether or not a non-governmental organization will receive funding; and (c) what specific criteria did KAIROS not meet to have their funding cut by CIDA?
Question No. 106Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Durham Ontario
Conservative
Bev Oda ConservativeMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, with regard to a) The CIDA decision not to continue funding KAIROS was based on the overall assessment of the proposal, not on any single criterion.
With regard to b) Non-government organizations’ proposals to CIDA are assessed on a variety of criteria, which are described on CIDA’S website www.acdi-cida.gc.ca.
With regard to c) CIDA receives more proposals than it has the resources to fund, so that even some proposals that meet the Agency’s basic criteria must be turned down.
Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 96, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, and 113 could be orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.