Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2012

Pensions

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Random—Burin—St. George's who are calling on the government to reverse its decision to raise the age of eligibility for OAS from 65 to 67. We are talking about the most vulnerable in our society. In 2009, 4.6 million Canadians received OAS and 1.6 million received the GIS. That number will not be any less as we have an aging population. Seniors are trying right now to make ends meet. It will be no different a year from now, 10 years from now or 50 years from now.

The petitioners are calling on the government to reverse this decision, do the right thing and have the age of eligibility for OAS remain at 65.

Search and Rescue

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by hundreds of people all over British Columbia and the Lower Mainland who petition the House to save the Coast Guard station at Kitsilano. They note that this is one of the busiest search and rescue stations in the country where highly trained crews of the Canadian Coast Guard conduct an average of 300 professional rescues each year, saving hundreds of lives. In addition, these crews prevent many more emergencies through such activities as voter education, pollution response, aid to navigation maintenance and escorting large ships through congested port waters.

I would also point out that recently at the UBCM city councils all across British Columbia expressed their concern about this and passed a resolution calling on the House to save the Kitsilano Coast Guard station.

Income Tax Act

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by many members of my riding requesting Parliament not to pass Bill C-377.

Rights of the Unborn

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present a petition from a large number of Prince Edward Islanders.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons in Parliament to assemble to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of our Criminal Code in such a way to reflect 21st century medical evidence.

Canada Day

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of 34 Canadians, including many from my own riding of Ajax—Pickering, calling upon the government to celebrate Canada Day on July 1 every year to ensure that it is not a floating holiday, regardless of whether July 1 falls on a Sunday or not.

It is an important issue for those who are otherwise sometimes obliged to work on Canada Day, a great central national holiday where all Canadians should have the opportunity to celebrate with their families and to put down their tools.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition from my constituents to the House of Commons and Parliament assembled.

We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following: freshwater is essential for life and vital to social, spiritual and economic well-being of Canadians; Canada's Experimental Lakes Area is a unique, world-renowned facility for freshwater research and education; and since 1968, ELA has been a global leader in conducting all ecosystem experiments that have been critical in shaping environmental policy and understanding human impacts on lakes and fishes.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to recognize the importance of the ELA to the Government of Canada's mandate to study, preserve and protect aquatic ecosystems, reverse the decision to close the ELA research station and continue to staff and provide financial--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I will just use this opportunity to remind members that it is not the practice to read the petition but just to provide a brief summary.

The hon. member for Ahuntsic.

Development and Peace

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to present today a petition calling for financial support for Development and Peace. This petition also reminds us that Canada must contribute 0.7% of its GDP to overseas development assistance and give priority to funding NGOs that have lost the support they were receiving from CIDA.

Justice

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce two petitions.

The first petition is from numerous constituents in my riding and from right across the country who are asking for justice for Paul Temelini. This individual has had an ongoing legal dispute with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that has caused his family undue hardship, burden and financial distress.

The petitioners are asking for the government to look into this matter and resolve it in a timely manner.

Gasoline Prices

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I wish to present is signed by hundreds of my constituents asking for some type of protection from gas price gouging that is happening in northern Ontario.

Access to Medicines

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Canadians, most of whom are from the beautiful city of Saskatoon, calling upon the government to support Bill C-398.

Development and Peace

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of tabling two important petitions on behalf of my constituents and other citizens of Canada.

The first petition, signed by many of my constituents, calls upon the government to restore full funding to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

The petitioners note that the government committed to increasing foreign aid but cut development assistance by a further 10% in budget 2012, making us among the lower donor countries.

These cuts have forced organizations such as Development and Peace to significantly reduce the scope of their activities.

The petitioners are also calling on the government to reaffirm its commitment to humanitarian aid.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from Canadians in southern Ontario who have expressed grave concern regarding the government's decision to close the Experimental Lakes Area research station near Kenora, Ontario, where the ELA is a one-of-a-kind global leader in environmental research and has played a key role in shaping national and international environmental policy.

The petitioners note--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. Once again, I will just use this opportunity to again remind members to provide a brief summary, not to read the entire petition.

The hon. member for Thunder Bay—Superior North.

[Bruce Hyer, Independent, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today.

The first petition is from residents of Kenora, Ontario, who are very concerned about the government's announced closure of the ELA, the Experimental Lakes Area. It is a unique area, studying lakes, rivers and fish.

The petitioners join over 24,000 other Canadians in this petition.

Telecommunications

[Bruce Hyer, Independent, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is on behalf of people from across Canada, including Alberta, Ontario and P.E.I., in support of my cell phone freedom bill, Bill C-560, which they feel takes an important step to providing more consumer choice and promotes competition in the domestic wireless market by unchaining owners from anti-competitive network locks and not allowing them to switch carriers, get full value when selling their phones or using local SIM cards when travelling abroad.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I bring forward a petition in regard to Canada's leading freshwater research station.

Since 1968, the ELA has been a global leader in conducting whole ecosystem experiments that have been critical in shaping environmental policy and understanding human impacts on the lakes and fish.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if a revised response to Question No. 745 originally tabled on September 17, 2012, could be made an order for return, this return would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 745

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

From fiscal year 2010-2011 to the current fiscal year, what is the total amount of funding that the government had provided, each year, in the riding of Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, by department or agency, initiative and amount?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.