House of Commons Hansard #189 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was terrorism.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Speaker, further to my point of order on Wednesday regarding Bill C-377, I would like to include another document for consideration, in addition to the ones I mentioned before.
There is a letter from the building trades and construction trades. If I could include this and two other documents, I will forward this to your office.
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 22 petitions.
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
The committee advises that pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), the subcommittee on private members' business met to consider the items added to the order of precedence as a result of a replenishment of Wednesday, November 7, 2012, and recommended that the items listed herein, which have been determined, should not be designated non-votable be considered by the House.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), the report is deemed adopted.
Justice and Human RightsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Delta—Richmond East B.C.
Conservative
Kerry-Lynne Findlay ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to requesting an extension of 30 sitting days to consider Bill C-273, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cyberbullying).
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Pursuant to Standing Order 97.1(3)(a) a motion to concur in the report is deemed moved, the question deemed put and a recorded division deemed demanded and deferred until Wednesday, December 5, immediately before the time provided for private members' business.
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations on this, and I believe if you seek it, you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That, notwithstanding Standing Order 83.1, the Standing Committee on Finance be permitted to present its report on pre-budget consultations no later than December 14, 2012.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Does the hon. parliamentary secretary have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?
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?
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from 25 people from Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta, 16 of whom are women. I have a second petition to exactly the same effect from 173 people from British Columbia, 80 of whom are women.
The petitions are with respect to the fact that Canada's 400-year-old definition of a human being states that a child does not become a human being until the moment of complete birth, contrary to 21st century medical evidence, and that Parliament should reject any law that states that some human beings are not human.
The petitioners call upon the House of Commons and Parliament assembled to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of the Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence.
I have another petition that is a little different. It points out that subsection 223(1) of the Criminal Code remains identical to section 195(1) of the Statutes of Canada, 1953-54, and refers to the science of embryology, ultrasound, intrauterine photography, microsurgery, fetal health interventions, all confirming that a child is distinct before birth.
The petitioners ask Parliament to strike down subsections 223(1) and 223(2) and replace them with definitions that currently reflect embryological knowledge.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table petitions with hundreds of signatures from people in my riding of Scarborough—Rouge River who are calling for the repeal of Bill C-31. The petitions are with respect to the fact that Bill C-31 concentrates more power in the hands of the minister by allowing him to name safe countries and restrict refugees from those countries. It also restricts access to humanitarian and compassionate considerations and would arbitrarily designate irregular arrivals and the mandatory incarceration of people who are arbitrarily designated as irregular arrivals.
The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to repeal Bill C-31, which they call the “punishing refugees act”, and return to the framework of the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, which was passed with the support of all parties during the last parliamentary session.
Joy Smith Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions from roughly 75 people who have written asking the government to recognize the importance of the ELA to the Government of Canada's mandate to study, preserve and protect aquatic ecosystems; to reverse the decision to close the ELA research station; and to continue to study and provide financial resources to the ELA at the current or higher level of commitment.
Jack Harris NDP St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two separate petitions from residents of St. John's East and other parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The petitioners are among the extremely large number of people who are calling upon the government to reverse its decision to close the Coast Guard marine rescue sub-centre in St. John's. They point out that the base was responsible for 900,000 square kilometres of ocean and an astounding 28,956 kilometres of coastline.
The petitioners believe it is irresponsible to close down this base because of the work that it does in preserving the lives of many people who live and work at sea.
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions that I am tabling. As was the case earlier with the member across the way, the petitioners call upon the government to save the Experimental Lakes Area. They say that it is important to recognize the historic and international reputation for the area and that it is critical to the future of aquatic ecosystems.
The petitioners ask the government to continue to staff and provide financial resources to the Experimental Lakes Area at the current or higher level of commitment.
Mylène Freeman NDP Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition today in support of a national strategic transit plan. We are the only OECD country that does not have such a plan, even though it is very much needed. In my riding, the people of Mirabel, who commute to Montreal, often tell me how needed this is. It is very important for us to develop a national transit and infrastructure strategy.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today with two petitions. The first is from residents from Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Bracebridge and Oakville, Ontario.
The petitioners urge members of Parliament to support my private member's Bill C-442, which would move Canada toward a national Lyme disease strategy. I am hearing from patients and doctors across Canada who support this legislation. I certainly hope my colleagues will join me with all-party support.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, my second petition is from residents of the Toronto area but is consistent with petitions that continue to come into my office.
By email alone, I have heard from 70,000 Canadians who urge the government not to ratify the Canada-China investment treaty at least until its terms are changed. Without any vote or debate in the House, we could be locked into a treaty for 31 years that would give an unaccountable group of arbitrators permission, without appeal, to rule out of order our laws and to order billions of dollars in damages against Canada for measures to protect health, the environment or labour standards.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Grandmothers Advocacy Network did a wonderful job in trying to ensure a sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries when it circulated petitions in regard to Bill C-398 even though it did not pass.
I introduce this petition to encourage the government to reflect on how it voted on Bill C-398. I submit this petition on behalf of residents of Manitoba.
Charmaine Borg NDP Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition on behalf of the people of the greater Toronto area, who feel that a national public transit strategy is needed.
It is also very much needed in my riding. My situation is similar to my colleague's. My constituents from Terrebonne, Blainville or Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, commute as far as Montreal, so we need a national strategy. We must sit down together to manage this situation. We must look at what can be done and look at what kind of leadership role the federal government can play.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of residents of my riding of Scarborough—Rouge River.
The petitioners are calling for the creation of a national public transit strategy since Canada is the only OECD country that does not have a national public transit strategy. It is estimated that over the next five years there will be an $18 billion gap in transit infrastructure needs.
It takes me two hours to get from my home to downtown Toronto where most of the jobs are in the greater Toronto area. On behalf of my constituents, I am very happy to present this petition.
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition to the House today.
The petitioners point out that Canada is the only nation in the western world, and is in the company of China and North Korea, without any laws restricting abortion. They note that Canada's Supreme Court has said it is Parliament's responsibility to enact abortion legislation. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to speedily enact legislation that would restrict abortion to the greatest extent possible.