House of Commons Hansard #143 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservative.
Deepak Obhrai ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 22 petitions.
Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have to two reports from interparliamentary delegations.
First, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the 2010 annual session held in Warsaw, Poland from November 12-16, 2010.
Second, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the visit of the Defence and Security Committee held in Afghanistan from October 24-27, 2010.
Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources.
In accordance with its order of reference of Tuesday, February 8, the committee has considered votes 1(c), 5(c), 15(c) and 25(c) under Natural Resources in the supplementary estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, and reports the same.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-635, An Act to establish criteria and conditions in respect of funding for post-secondary education programs in order to ensure the quality, accessibility, public administration and accountability of those programs.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand in the House to present my bill. This bill, known as the Canada post-secondary education act, is about establishing a vision for our country whereby the federal government works with the provinces to establish a post-secondary education program that looks toward our future and toward assisting our students and our young people in creating a much brighter future for all of us.
Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes that post-secondary education has an important role in the economic, social, cultural and political development of Canada.
Also, the post-secondary act, akin to the Canada Health Act, would guarantee accountable, stable federal transfers for post-secondary education and would enshrine the principles of accessibility and quality for Canadian students.
At a time when Canadian students and young people across our country are finding it increasingly difficult to afford their education and to achieve opportunities in our economy, it is essential that the federal government show leadership by working with the provinces to look out for them and to establish a way that accessible and affordable education can be there for all.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-636, An Act respecting the Marine Mammal Regulations (seal fishery observation licence).
Mr. Speaker, our government supports the legitimate economic activities of all Canadians, and that includes the 6,000 Canadian families who derive part of their income from the sealing industry. Whether it is opening new markets or protecting traditional ones, Canadian sealers know our government has their back.
The bill I am introducing today is about protecting our sealers on the very ice where they conduct the seal hunt. In fact, in 2008 the Canadian Coast Guard had to seize a vessel and arrest European activists who were putting sealers' lives at risk by coming dangerously close to the hunt. This practice was breaking up the ice floe under which our sealers' feet tread while they are trying to conduct the hunt.
Canadian sealers have nothing to hide from legitimate observers. However, for dangerous radicals like this, with the stated aim not of observing the seal hunt but of disrupting the seal hunt, this bill proposes to amend the marine mammal regulations to increase the distance these individuals can get to the hunt.
It is about protecting our sealers, and it is the right thing to do.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Brent Rathgeber Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-637, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (public transit operators).
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to introduce my first ever private member's bill. If passed, the legislation would amend the Criminal Code to make the fact that a public transit operator who is the victim of an assault, an aggravating circumstance for purposes of sentencing. The legislation would give added protection to public transit operators.
Sadly, these types of assaults endanger not only the life and safety of the public transit operators, but also the lives and safety of their passengers and anybody who happens to be in the vicinity of the vehicle.
This bill will be known as “Bregg's Law” in honour of one of my constituents, Mr. Tom Bregg, an Edmonton transit bus driver who was the victim of a violent attack resulting in serious permanent injuries.
Mr. Bregg and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union are present today to witness the introduction of this important legislation. I thank Mr. Bregg for his courage in sharing his story, which serves as the inspiration for the Public Transit Operators Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I have the honour to lay upon the table pursuant to subsection 39 of the Access to Information Act a special report of the Information Commissioner entitled, “Open Outlook, Open Access--2009-2010 Report Cards”.
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of State and Chief Government Whip
moved:
That, notwithstanding any standing or special order or usual practice of the House, C-61, An Act to provide for the taking of restrictive measures in respect of the property of officials and former officials of foreign states and of their family members, be allowed to be called for the third reading stage today; that, during the debate at the said stage, not more than one member from each recognized party may speak for not more than two minutes, after which the bill shall be deemed read a third time and passed; and that the House then immediately proceed to consideration of the opposition motion under the Business of Supply.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Does the hon. Chief Government Whip have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to present a petition signed by over 1,000 constituents from my riding of Guelph who are calling on the Prime Minister to reaffirm the importance of Canada's national public broadcaster.
There is no denying that, like me, the signatories of the petition are strong believers in public broadcasting and strong supporters of the CBC and Radio-Canada. Their support and their affirmation of the CBC and Radio-Canada's importance is unmistakable, as stated within the first four words of the petition, “We love the CBC”.
The CBC gives a voice to people, communities, regions and issues that would not otherwise be heard or serviced. In addition to requesting the reaffirmation of the importance of the CBC, the petition also calls on the Prime Minister to provide the CBC with adequate financing by raising its current funding levels, rather than reducing them as planned.
I hope that when responding to the petition, the federal government will strongly consider the cherished memories the CBC has provided Canadians throughout its existence and support the calls for increasing CBC and Radio-Canada's funding.
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by 4,203 people.
This petition calls on the government to move forward with Bill C-452, which would authorize the Commissioner of Competition to conduct an inquiry of her own accord into the fluctuating price of gasoline. This is even more important these days, since the price at the pumps changes from one day to the next.
Members from every party hear from the public every day. These fluctuating gas prices make no sense. This petition calls on the government to authorize the Competition Bureau to conduct inquiries to determine whether consumers are paying a fair price for gasoline.
Jim Maloway NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by machinists from the Air Canada overhaul base in Winnipeg. Over 500 full-time employees may be finding their jobs ending up in El Salvador. Air Canada failed in its duty to comply with the Air Canada Public Participation Act by selling its overhaul bases to Aveos, formerly known as ACTS, in Winnipeg, Mississauga and Montreal.
On December 14, 2010, the Air Canada counsel at the transport committee claimed that Aeroman, the Aveos subsidiary in El Salvador, could not do Air Canada maintenance in El Salvador. This is totally untrue, as Aeroman performs maintenance on exactly the same aircraft as is overhauled in Winnipeg, namely the A320 series and the Embraer.
The El Salvador shops can maintain 87% of Air Canada's fleet. In a confidential J.P. Morgan information memorandum from February 2007, which attracted equity investors into the company, they detailed the expansion plan in El Salvador going from four to sixteen lines.
Just so members know, Aveos has only four lines in Vancouver, four in Montreal, one in Toronto and five in Winnipeg, for a total of fourteen. In El Salvador alone it will have 16 lines, more than all of Canada combined.
San Salvador overhauls the exact same narrow-body planes, the A320s, as Winnipeg and Montreal does. Page 28 states that the narrow-body aircraft can travel to Central America for service. The report states that aircraft overhaul schedules are months and years in advance, so it is easy to schedule the work in El Salvador.
When we consider that the machinists in Canada cost Air Canada $90 an hour and in San Salvador only $40 an hour, we can see where this is going.
Workers want Air Canada to comply with the Air Canada Public Participation Act by reverting to ownership of its overhaul centres.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I would remind hon. members that presenting petitions are to be brief summaries of the petitions, not lengthy speeches. I would urge members to restrain themselves and comply in that respect of the rules.
Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of constituents who note that Canada is a country that respects human rights and that since 1988 there has been no law to protect the lives of unborn children.
The petitioners call on Parliament to pass legislation that will protect life from conception until natural death.
Leon Benoit Conservative Vegreville—Wainwright, AB
Mr. Speaker, in my second petition, the petitioners note that right now an individual has to contribute to Canadian society for 10 years to be eligible for old age security. They note that Bill C-428 would reduce that requirement to three years.
The petitioners call upon Parliament to defeat Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions. The first petition deals with the Air Canada Public Participation Act.
As the member for Elmwood—Transcona has said, there is a great deal of concern with regard to thousands of jobs in Winnipeg, Mississauga and Montreal. These jobs are all at risk because Air Canada is not following the intent and what was meant in the passage of the Air Canada Public Participation Act.
The petitioners are asking the government to take the action necessary to hold Air Canada accountable for protecting those most important jobs in the aerospace industry.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition deals with the guaranteed annual supplement for our seniors.
Our seniors built our country and they are very concerned in terms of affordability. they do not necessarily have the money to buy some of the essentials, whether it is medicare or being able to buy their grandchildren a McDonald's happy meal on their birthday or whatever it might be.
There is a time in which we need to come to the table for our seniors and I would suggest that the time is now. We need to increase that annual supplement, which is what the petition is ultimately asking.
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
First, I have the honour to present a petition signed by thousands of Canadians across our great country. They draw the attention of the House of Commons to the fact that the Internet is unregulated and that it is a pipeline for child pornography and child exploitation.
The petitioners refer to statistics that show that 39% of those who possess child sex abuse materials have images of children between three and five years old and 83% have images of children between six and twelve years old being sexually assaulted.
The petitioners also aver that section 163 of the Criminal Code currently allows sentences of as little as 90 days for making criminal child sex material and 14 days for the possession of criminal sex materials.
The petitioners call upon Parliament to speedily enact legislation that would change the legal terminology in section 163 from “child pornography” to “child sex abuse materials” and enact strong and mandatory minimum sentences that would protect children, provide justice and deter pedophilia.
In the interest of time, Mr. Speaker, my second petition essentially does the same thing. It calls upon the government to enact those changes.
Deepak Obhrai ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.