Debates of June 6th, 2011

Flooding in Montérégie

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Forces will remain in these regions during the emergency period to provide assistance to the civilian authorities, until their specific skills are no longer needed.

The member would know that the regional minister for Quebec attended the flood-ravaged area, as did the Minister of Veterans Affairs and myself.

Our thoughts are certainly with the people of the region. We will continue to work with them as members of the Canadian Forces continue to go about their important work there.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Canadian Forces Day is an opportunity for Canadians across the country to recognize the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make on our behalf.

It is my great pleasure to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of 11 members of the Canadian Forces, who participated in today's celebrations marking Canadian Forces Day.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Special Economic Measures Act

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 7 of the Special Economic Measures Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the special economic measures, Syria regulations and the special economic Syria permit authorization order formally announced on May 24, 2011 by the Prime Minister.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to present to this House, in both official languages, a document from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that indicates at the end of fiscal year 2010-11, CFIA inspection staff had increased by a net total of 733 members since this government was formed in 2006. That is an 18% increase, something to be celebrated.

Appointment of Chair

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I am now prepared to propose for the ratification of the House a candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker and chair of committee of the whole.

Pursuant to Standing Order 7, I propose Ms. Denise Savoie for the position of Deputy Speaker and chair of committee of the whole.

The motion is deemed moved and seconded. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

(Motion agreed to)

Appointment of Deputy Chair

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I am now prepared to propose, for the ratification of the House, a candidate for the position of Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole.

Pursuant to Standing Order 8, I propose Mr. Barry Devolin for the position of deputy chair of committee of the whole.

The motion is deemed moved and seconded. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

(Motion agreed to)

Appointment of Assistant Deputy Chair

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I am now prepared to propose, for the ratification of the House, a candidate for the position of Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole.

Pursuant to Standing Order 8, I propose Mr. Bruce Stanton for the position of assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.

The motion is deemed moved and seconded. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

(Motion agreed to)

Business of the House

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I believe you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, when the House adjourns on June 9, it shall stand adjourned until Monday, June 13 and, for the purpose of the debate on 2011 Ways and Means Motion No. 1, Standing Order 84 be amended as follows:

Section (5) be deleted and section (6) replaced with:

“(6) On the fourth of the said days, at fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business in such sitting, unless the debate be previously concluded, the Speaker shall interrupt the proceedings and forthwith put every question necessary to dispose of the proceedings.”; and

immediately following the adoption of the budget motion, the Speaker forthwith puts every question necessary to dispose of the Ways and Means motions tabled during the budget presentation.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Does the hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

(Motion agreed to)

Asbestos

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from literally thousands of Canadians from right across the country who call upon the House of Commons to recognize that asbestos is the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known and yet Canada remains one of the largest producers and exporters of asbestos in the world. They also point out that Canada spends millions of dollars subsidizing the asbestos industry and also blocking international efforts to curb its use.

Therefore, these thousands of petitioners from all across the country call upon the Government of Canada to ban asbestos in all its forms and institute a just transition program for asbestos workers; to end all government subsidies of asbestos, both in Canada and abroad; and to stop blocking international health and safety conventions designed to protect workers from asbestos, such as the Rotterdam Convention.

Pensions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to put forward a petition from seniors and others from within the constituency dealing with the whole issue of senior pensions. At a time in which we are dealing with the budget coming down just an hour or so from now, it is very easy to distinguish what are the important priorities of the government.

The petitioners are saying that we need to see more seniors receiving higher pensions, as opposed to issues such as giving corporate tax breaks.

It is with pleasure that I table this petition.

Animal Welfare

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on the first day back to present a petition in the 41st Parliament with over 1,400 signatures on an issue that is of grave concern to many Canadians concerning animal safety and well-being.

The petition calls upon Parliament to protect sentient beings in our care from needless cruelty and suffering; to ban the sale and use of electric shock devices on any animal to ensure that in that future no person will be able to purchase these kinds of tools in Canada; to recognize that the use of electric shocks as a teaching tool is barbaric and unnecessary; and to heed the advice of credible, world-renowned experts, documented evidence and scientific studies that explicitly affirm that the use of electric shock is abusive and damaging to an animal's physical and psychological well-being.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition from members of the community of Twillingate Island who want more science being infused within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Over the past 20 to 25 years, science has taken a back seat in many of the managements decisions. The result of all this comes down to last minute decisions that affect all the communities involved in a social way detrimentally. I have 193 communities in my riding and they are affected, especially along the eastern coastlines.

Therefore, the petition calls for the government to initiate a public inquiry into all aspects of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with emphasis on fisheries management, dismantling the current state of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and put in place a model that takes into account fisheries science. Indeed, this is essential for these communities, not just for the east coast, but for the west coast as well.

Suspension of Sitting

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Pursuant to an order made on Friday June 3, the sitting is suspended until 4 p.m. this afternoon.

(The sitting of the House was suspended at 3:19 p.m.)