House of Commons Hansard #170 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions. Two of them call upon the House to confirm that every human being is recognized in Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of our Criminal Code.
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, the third petition calls on the Government of Canada to reconsider its decision to cancel the community access program. These are from constituents, primarily, of the constituency of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions signed by 34 constituents of mine from towns in Alberta, including Chestermere, Langdon, Calgary and Rocky View.
The petitioners call on Parliament to look into the definition of a human being. According to current legislation, a child does not become human until the moment of complete birth. They would like section 223 of the Canadian Criminal Code to be amended in order to confirm that every human being is recognized to be a human being by Canadian law.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have another petition today with respect to the prairie shelterbelt program and the federal tree farm located at Indian Head.
These petitioners are from across Saskatchewan: Gull Lake, Hazlet, Neudorf, Killaly, Lemberg and many other places in the province. The petitioners are calling on the federal government to change its position with respect to the tree farm and to maintain federal funding for the shelterbelt program and the farm at Indian Head.
Bruce Hyer Independent Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have been tasked once again with presenting petitions from the residents of Timmins, Ontario and Kirkland, Quebec on the topic of the Experimental Lakes Area, now well over 25,000 petitioners.
In the 2012 budget, the government made the ill-advised decision to close the ELA, one of the world's leading freshwater research stations, depriving Canadians of the groundbreaking scientific advancements that it provided. These petitioners call on parliamentarians to reverse the decision to close the ELA as well as to continue to provide staff and financial support for this important Canadian institution.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions.
The first one is from residents of Burnaby, Vancouver and other areas of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia calling on the House to take action to put forward legislation to ensure that the coastline of British Columbia is never subjected to supertankers carrying bitumen crude or other forms of crude oil.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is very timely. It is from residents of Nanaimo, Vancouver and Toronto.
In this regard, I stand here today a mere seven days before the Prime Minister is entitled, by himself, in a closed room somewhere, to ratify the Canada-China investment treaty.
The petitioners call on the House to take very step possible to stop ratification.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, I am rising to present two petitions today.
The first petition is about environmental sensitivities. The petitioners point out that this is a chronic condition that affects multiple body systems. It can develop in people of all ages. They also note that there is very limited awareness of and education about this medical condition in Canada. Therefore, they are asking the House of Commons to declare May as the month of awareness and education on environmental sensitivities in Canada and to declare May 12 as environmental sensitivities day in Canada, and join the ranks of other countries that are providing health and social services to their citizens who suffer from this medical condition. The petitioners and I look forward to the minister's response.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, my second petition is about saving the Experimental Lakes Area. The petitioners note that since 1968 the ELA has been a global leader in conducting whole ecosystem experiments, which have been critical in shaping environmental policy and understanding human impacts on lakes and fish. They are asking the government to reverse the decision to close ELA research stations and to continue to staff and provide financial resources to the ELA at current or higher levels of commitment. The petitioners and I look forward to the minister's response.
Hélène LeBlanc NDP LaSalle—Émard, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on the Experimental Lakes Area, a Canadian jewel whose international reputation is founded on research spanning several years. Halting this research, which belongs to all Canadians, would be disastrous. This public research allows us to conserve and to better understand Canada's most important resource: our lakes, rivers and streams.
Colin Mayes Conservative Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from my constituents of Okanagan—Shuswap calling upon Parliament to confirm that every human being is recognized in Canadian law as a human in section 223 of the Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence.
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. 839, 866 and 868.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
With regard to new jobs created in Scarborough—Rouge River from January 2009 to June 2012: (a) what is the total number of new jobs created by (i) sector, (ii) regional location; (b) how many of the total number of new jobs created are classified as (i) full-time status; (ii) part-time status, (iii) contract status, (iv) student status, (v) seasonal status; (c) how many of the total number of new jobs created are filled by (i) women, (ii) youth, (iii) visible minorities, (iv) Aboriginals, (v) people with a disability; and (d) what are the pay ranges of these jobs?
Question No. 839Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Mégantic—L'Érable Québec
Conservative
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)
Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada cannot fully complete the request because the labour force survey, LFS, does not measure the number of jobs created, as has been requested, but measures employment or the number of people employed in a given period.
To obtain employment numbers, a geocoding exercise would be required to produce data for a specific federal electoral district, such as Scarborough—Rouge River, as this level of geography is not readily available. Also, the labour statistics division, LSD, would recommend using a 12 month average for these data because the sample size is not large enough to produce reliable monthly estimates for smaller geographical divisions. Even with a 12 month average, there might not be enough samples for some of the breakdowns required.
Hélène LeBlanc NDP LaSalle—Émard, QC
With regard to the government’s decision to prevent the acquisition of the firm Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates by Alliant Techsystems Inc. under the Investment Canada Act: (a) which factors persuaded the government that the acquisition was not of “net benefit” to Canada; (b) which senior officials or outside consultants made recommendations regarding this transaction, including (i) their names, (ii) their duties; (c) what were the specific criteria used to determine whether the transaction was of “net benefit” to Canada; and (d) what was contained in the reports or memos written on the issue as to whether the transaction under consideration was of “net benefit” to Canada, including (i) the report title, (ii) the name of the author (or authors), (iii) the title and duties of the author (or authors), (iv) the report’s status, namely whether it is public or not, (v) the date of the report or memo, (vi) the intended audience of the report or memo?
Question No. 866Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Mégantic—L'Érable Québec
Conservative
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)
With regard to the government’s decision regarding the acquisition of the firm Macdonald, Detwiller and Associates by Alliant Techsystems Inc. under the Investment Canada Act, and in response to (a), (b), (c) and (d), the confidentiality provisions of the act do not permit the minister to discuss specifics of the case. As referenced in section 36 of the act, all information obtained in the course of the administration of the act is privileged.
In response to (a), in general terms, to approve an application, the minister must be satisfied that the proposed investment is likely to be of net benefit to Canada. In making his decision, the minister carefully considers the information submitted by the investor in light of the six net benefit factors listed in section 20 of the act. The six factors listed in section 20 are, first, the effect of the investment on the level and nature of economic activity in Canada, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the effect on employment, on resource processing, and on the utilization of parts, components and services produced in Canada and on exports from Canada; second, the degree and significance of participation by Canadians in the Canadian business or new Canadian business and in any industry or industries in Canada of which the Canadian business or new Canadian business forms or would form a part; third, the effect of the investment on productivity, industrial efficiency, technological development, product innovation and product variety in Canada; fourth, the effect of the investment on competition within any industry or industries in Canada; fifth, the compatibility of the investment with national industrial, economic and cultural policies, taking into consideration industrial, economic and cultural policy objectives enunciated by the government or legislature of any province likely to be significantly affected by the investment; and sixth, the contribution of the investment to Canada’s ability to compete in world markets.
In response (b), as is standard practice, the minister consults federal departments as appropriate, affected provinces or territories and the Competition Bureau. The act, section 19, also requires that the director of investments provide the minister with specific information to assist in the net benefit determination. This includes the information contained in the investor’s application for review, written undertakings and other information, and representations from affected provinces and territories. At Industry Canada, the director of investments is supported by a deputy director and the personnel of the investment review division. The list of personnel in the investment review division is available online at: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ica-lic.nsf/eng/h_lk00058.html.
The response to (c) is the same as the response to part (a).
In response to (d), in general terms, the act, section 19, requires that the director of investments provide the minister with specific information to assist in the net benefit determination. This includes the information contained in the investor’s application for review, written undertakings and other information, and representations from affected provinces and territories.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB
With regard to Canada’s Muskoka Initiative: (a) which percentage of the amount allocated to the Muskoka Initiative is devoted to family planning; (b) what is the breakdown of family planning funding that has been disbursed so far; and (c) how much family planning funding will be spent?
Question No. 868Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Vaughan Ontario
Conservative
Julian Fantino ConservativeMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the Canadian International Development Agency’s Muskoka initiative balances the need to address the immediate health challenges facing women and children in developing countries while also supporting countries’ efforts to build sustainable health systems for the future. CIDA includes family planning as part of an integrated package of health services.
CIDA’s approach consists of three paths: strengthening health systems to improve service delivery to maternal, newborn, and child health at the local level by training more health workers and increasing access to adequately equipped local health centres; reducing the burden of diseases to prevent and treat the prevalent diseases and illnesses that are the main causes of maternal and child mortality; and improving nutrition by increasing access to healthful and nutritious food and essential micronutrient supplements that improve and save lives. From the total commitment of $1.1 billion, over $935 million worth of Muskoka initiative projects are currently operational, of which approximately 9% is allocated to family planning.
Canadian taxpayer investments are achieving results for child health. For example, in Bolivia 53% fewer children under the age 5 are dying from malnutrition, and 205,000 women and newborns are benefiting from improved health services in Burkina Faso. In Haiti, Canada is supporting the reconstruction of Haiti’s National School of Midwifery and the construction of 10 maternity clinics, which will provide a range of reproductive and maternal health services. In Bangladesh, 1.4 million children have been treated for infections and diarrhea. In Afghanistan, more than 2,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, and community health workers, have been trained in order to improve the quality and accessibility of the Afghan health care system.
Canada will continue to deliver on its commitment to the Muskoka initiative on maternal, newborn and child health.
With regard to (b), CIDA is also partnering to improve the quality and availability of sexual and reproductive health services including antenatal care, the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and the provision of information and resources in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania, five countries facing high burdens of maternal and under-five child mortality.
Canada's pledge of $1.1 billion in new funding to the Muskoka initiative on maternal, newborn, and child health, MNCH, is in addition to the $1.75 billion of existing MNCH funding, for a total of $2.85 billion between 2010-11 to 2014-15. Out of the $1.1 billion new funding pledge, in fiscal year 2011-12, CIDA disbursed $825 million towards MNCH objectives, and over $26M for family planning has been disbursed in fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12, broken down as follows: $10.90 million in 2010-11, and $15.97 million in 2011-12.
With regard to (c), CIDA will continue to deliver on child survival, including maternal, newborn and child health by working to improve access to maternal health care in an effort to reduce maternal and newborn deaths; investing more in child-specific, integrated health interventions, which include immunization, nutritional supplements, and clean water; investing more in the prevention of diseases such as HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and in water and sanitation, all of which directly affect mothers and children; strengthening sustainable health systems that can provide quality health care to mothers and children; and helping train health care workers to address the needs of mothers and children under the age of five.
As of September 26, 2012, out of the $1.1 billion new funding pledge, approximately $84 million of programming has been committed for family planning purposes. To date, more than $26 million has been disbursed and another $58 million will be disbursed from 2012 to 2015. This figure may change as new projects are approved or due to operational requirements.
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. 822, 848 and 860 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
With regard to government expenditures in Nova Scotia: (a) what is the total amount of all government grants provided to the following Nova Scotia ridings from 2006 to 2012, broken down by year, (i) Halifax West, (ii) Halifax, (iii) Sackville-Eastern Shore, (iv) West Nova, (v) Kings—Hants, (vi) Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, (vii) Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, (viii) Sydney—Victoria, (ix) Central Nova, (x) Cape Breton—Canso, (xi) South Shore—St. Margaret's; and (b) what is the total amount of government loans provided to the Nova Scotia ridings listed in (a)?
(Return tabled)
Matthew Kellway NDP Beaches—East York, ON
With regard to the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS): (a) has a statement of operational requirements been established, (i) if yes, when was this done and what are the criteria that will be used to determine what ships will be built, (ii) if no, when will it be done, (iii) if it will not be done, what criteria will be used to determine what ships will be built; (b) will there be an open competition for contracts associated with the strategy; (c) what is a current breakdown of the $35 billion contract value that was assessed, specifically, what is the value of each individual component included in this assessed value; (d) where will the technology being used to build the ships come from; (e) what components will be included in each ship (i.e., hull, weapons systems, propulsion, etc.); (f) will the ships have all components necessary for deployment, (i) if not, why not and which components will need to be procured at a future date, (ii) if yes, what contracts have been signed that to account for this answer; (g) how will the contracts be awarded, specifying (i) how many ships will be built, (ii) which shipyards will be used for construction, (iii) what will be the dollar value of contracts awarded to each of the shipyards; (h) what are the details of any changes the government has made to the strategy and associated contracts as a result of delays in delivery (for example, in the case of the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS)) and what are the impacts of the delays in delivery on the overall cost of the project, identifying in particular whether and how delays have impacted the estimated $3.1 billion cost of the AOPS; (i) has there been an evaluation of how many jobs will be created by this strategy, if yes, (i) how many jobs are expected to be created and for what duration, (ii) who conducted this evaluation, (iii) have the job creation projections been independently verified, and, if yes, by whom; (j) for what reasons has the NSPS been in the “definition” phase for over a year; (k) when does the government expect the NSPS will move to the effective project approval and implementation phase; (l) what are the steps of the procurement process that is being used to coordinate the NSPS, including (i) the dates of each step or phase, (ii) for each step or phase where there has been a delay, what are the reasons for the delay and what steps were taken to address the delay, (iii) what delays are expected to occur in future steps or phases of the process?
(Return tabled)
