House of Commons Hansard #37 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservative.
Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a country that recognizes the Quebec nation and claims to be bilingual, it is rather surprising to hear some senators wondering if it is necessary that Supreme Court justices be bilingual. The Commissioner of Official Languages steadfastly believes that being a competent Supreme Court justice means being bilingual.
Will the government stop trying to kill the bill that would ensure that all Supreme Court justices understand French without the help of an interpreter?
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.
Our position on this issue is very clear and it has been the same since the outset. Our government will continue to adhere to the principles of merit and legal excellence when selecting Supreme Court justices.
However, we do not believe that candidates who are not perfectly bilingual, be they francophone or anglophone, should have their application for a position as a Supreme Court justice thrown out.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the government on the appointment of Colonel Don Ethell as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. The government made a very good choice.
However, Colonel Ethell would be very disappointed to know that veterans and their families in the city of Calgary, the Prime Minister's own city, have to go to a food bank to get medical, dental and food.
Why does the Prime Minister think that he can be wined and dined at 24 Sussex but in his own city with nine Conservatives, veterans and their families have to get food from a charity? This is absolutely disgraceful. Every Conservative in this country should be disappointed with themselves.
What are the Conservatives going to do to stop this from--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Greg Kerr ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we accept the congratulations. It was a wonderful appointment and it has been well received across the country.
That statement seems pretty rich coming from a member and a party that has not supported any of the programs that we have put forward in recent years. It is a little rich when the member singles out the fact that the Prime Minister is showing compassion for these homeless veterans who, in many cases, do not want to be identified. As the ombudsman said, we have a lot of work ahead of us but we are working very carefully to--
Lois Brown Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, this week our government reaffirmed its throne speech commitment to democratic reform. We moved forward with our democratic reform agenda to improve our institutions so they can be accountable to Canadians.
Would the Minister of State for Democratic Reform tell the House what he is doing to improve our democratic institutions?
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, this has been a great week as far as democratic reform is concerned. We have introduced legislation to increase voter participation. We have brought forward legislation to give people in the provinces a direct say in who will represent them in the Senate. We introduced a bill yesterday to get rid of political loans.
Why does the Liberal Party not support getting rid of political loans?
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, the commissioner found that the conflict code has a giant loophole that the Conservatives abused for partisan purposes.
She said that the Conservative cheques were “not appropriate” and that they have “the potential to diminish public confidence in the integrity of members”.
Will the Conservatives close this loophole and stop their deceitful campaign to undermine democracy?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we accept the commissioner's recommendations and will look at strengthening Treasury Board policies as they relate to government announcements.
We must not forget that at the end of the day the Ethics Commissioner said that no violation of any act or any code took place.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, in the last six months, the Obama administration has leaped ahead of Canada in the area of air passenger rights.
Last November, the U.S. imposed the first tarmac delay penalties in North America. That means that after a three-hour tarmac delay, the airline has to pay $27,500 per passenger in fines. Just three days ago, the U.S. fined Southwest Airlines $200,000 for overbooking passengers.
When will the government catch up with Europe and the United States and start protecting air passengers' rights?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I understand that I have a meeting to discuss this important issue with the member in the next few hours.
I can tell the member that airline passenger rights is tremendously important, as is the airline industry. I understand that he presented a bill to Parliament that has been defeated in committee.
I certainly look forward to the opportunity to discuss this important issue with the member.
Jean Dorion Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Mr. Speaker, negotiations have been taking place on the sidelines of Omar Khadr's trial, in regard to his collaboration with the justice system. His repatriation was at the heart of these negotiations. Human rights are not negotiable. Omar Khadr is a Canadian citizen. He was a child soldier when these events took place.
Without passing judgment as to his guilt, why will the government not repatriate this citizen, the last westerner in Guantanamo, especially since we know that he has been tortured?
Deepak Obhrai ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, our government's position has not changed on this matter.
Mr. Omar Khadr faces very serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, support for terrorism and spying. However, the Government of Canada continues to provide consular services to Mr. Khadr. DFAIT officials are in attendance at his pre-trial hearing.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, with respect to First Nations University, since this issue was last raised in the House on Monday of this week, can the government now confirm that all of the applications and all of the business plans that have been required and requested by the government with respect to First Nations University have been received and are in hand within the department?
John Duncan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that the University of Regina-sponsored application under the ISSP program has been received and it has been vetted. The minister has made an announcement that we will be funding that application for $3 million, which will allow the students, who we are most concerned with, to finish their academic year that runs until August 31.
Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions
Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia Manitoba
Conservative
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. When I was answering a question for my colleague, I want it to be very clear that what I was referring to was we introduced legislation to clamp down on political loans that were not being presented in a genuine manner as far as transparency and accountability and I was just asking the other parties to support it, including the Liberal Party, which is not.
Rick Dykstra ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Just for clarification, during my response in question period, I mentioned visa restrictions with respect to Mexico and Costa Rica when it should have been Mexico and the Czech Republic.
John Duncan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2007-08 annual report of the state of Inuit culture and society in the Nunavut settlement area.
Also, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the annual report for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 of the Nisga'a Final Agreement.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 26 petitions.
An Action Plan for the National Capital CommissionRoutine Proceedings
Ottawa West—Nepean Ontario
Conservative
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Transport
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-20, An Act to amend the National Capital Act and other Acts.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
moved that Bill S-210, An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the Auditor General Act (involvement of Parliament), be read the first time.
(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition on behalf of my constituents who are so outraged at the prospect of having to register their long guns. It is an affront to their sensibilities. I am happy to table this petition on their behalf.
The petitioners are calling on Parliament to get rid of the ineffective and wasteful long gun registry.
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition from a number of post-doctoral fellows in Canada who were caught off guard by the government's decision regarding post-doctoral fellowships to eliminate the exemption. What they are looking for is a suspension of that decision until at least the post-doctoral student association can meet with the government. There are a number of people from Ottawa and some from my own community of Halifax asking for that to happen.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
The first petition is signed by thousands of Canadians calling on Parliament to adopt Canada's first air passengers' bill of rights, Bill C-310. The bill would compensate air passengers with all carriers in Canada, including charters, anywhere they fly in the world. The bill would provide compensation for overbooked flights, cancelled flights and long tarmac delays. It would address late and misplaced baggage issues. It would require all-inclusive pricing by airlines in their advertising.
The legislation has been in effect in Europe since 1991, but it has been revamped into its current form in the last five years. The question is why Canadian passengers on Air Transat and Air Canada get better treatment in Europe than they get in Canada.
Airlines would have to inform the passengers of flight changes, either delays or cancellations. The new rules would have to be posted at the airport. The airlines would have to inform passengers of their rights and the process to file for compensation. If the airlines followed the rules, it would cost them nothing.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to support Bill C-310, which would introduce Canada's first air passengers' bill of rights.