Debates of Dec. 10th, 2012

Housing

[Marie-Claude Morin, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition today signed by Canadian citizens from across the country, of all ages and social classes, who are calling on the government to take responsibility once and for all and to pass Bill C-400, which would ensure that all Canadians have access to secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing.

Correctional Service Canada

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Fort McMurray—Athabasca and in particular the residents of Big Lakes, High Prairie.

The petitioners ask the government to construct a federal penitentiary in the municipal district of Big Lakes. Although the oil sands are doing great, not all of Alberta or all of the country is doing great. As such they ask for assistance to help with their employment needs in that area.

Search and Rescue

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions from residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who are petitioning the government to reverse the closure of the marine search and rescue centre in St. John's.

The petitioners point out that this decision takes away a very important search and rescue function where the highest reports of distress incidents occur in Canada, responding to an average of 500 incidents a year, saving the lives of 600 people in distress. They note that the rescue centre is responsible for 900,000 square kilometres of ocean and some nearly 29,000 kilometres of coastline. The staff have a unique knowledge of that area of ocean coastline and of the people who work upon it. They ask that the decision—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Wascana.

Prairie Shelterbelt Program

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions to file today, about 40 or so, with hundreds of names of people from one end of Saskatchewan to the other, expressing concern about the prairie shelterbelt program and in particular the planned closing of the tree nursery at Indian Head.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to maintain appropriate funding so the shelterbelt program can continue and the tree nursery, which began in 1901, can continue its invaluable work to Canadian agriculture.

Sex Selection

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of constituents in beautiful Langley, British Columbia. It says that 92% of Canadians believe that sex selection pregnancy termination should be illegal.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists vehemently opposes sex selection. Two hundred million missing women and girls in the world right now are creating huge societal problems. The petitioners are seeking condemnation of from Parliament, which they believe would have a strong educational component.

The petitioners call on members of Parliament to support Motion No. 408 to condemn gender selection.

Parks Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, today, I have the honour to present a petition signed by 300 people from the Gaspé region who are calling on the government to improve services at Forillon Park, particularly during the winter.

Housing

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from residents of Nova Scotia who note that nearly 1.5 million households, almost 13% of all Canadian households, are in core housing need.

The petitioners therefore call upon the House of Commons to pass Bill C-400 and give Canada a national housing strategy.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on Canada's leading freshwater research station, the ELA.

The petitioners recognize that fresh water is essential for life and vital to the social, spiritual and economic well-being of Canadians.

They therefore call on the Government of Canada to recognize the importance of the ELA to Canada's mandate to study, preserve and protect aquatic ecosystems and to continue to staff and provide financial resources to the ELA at current or higher levels of commitment.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I have with me a certified petition from 40 people of the Bedore area.

The petitioners ask for recognition as first nations people. They also petition to have their ancestors' names restored to the Indian Register under Bill C-31.

Windsor-Detroit Crossing

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table.

In the first one the petitioners call for the government to have a bike lane on the new border crossing between Windsor and Detroit.

Rail Transportation

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners call for high speed rail. They note that our country is deficient in high speed rail.

The petitioners call for that service expansion.

Multiple Sclerosis

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a stack of petitions on CSVI. This debate was never based on the science as it should have been, but rather on wilful blindness, medical politics and collusion with special interest groups.

Conservative senators had the opportunity to finally do the right thing and act in the best interests of Canadians with MS and vote for Bill S-204. Instead, they silenced Canadians with MS and they silenced clause-by-clause study of the bill.

The petitioners call for phase III clinical trials at multiple centres across Canada and to require follow up care.

Fiji

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of my constituents of Newton—North Delta.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to open a high commission in Fiji at the earliest opportunity. The fact is Canada has no high commission or regular consular services in Fiji, even though it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations just as we are. All immigration business and other matters between Canada and Fiji are handled through the high commission in Sydney, Australia and they find that unacceptable. The petitioners believe this situation causes inordinate delays and inefficient service for tourists, visas, business and immigration issues for both Canadian and Fijian families.

Our fellow Commonwealth countries, Australia and New Zealand, both have high commissions in Fiji and the petitioners believe it is time Canada did as well.

Closed Captioning

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, at the present time the House of Commons provides closed captioning for question period only.

The petitioners request the House of Commons to provide closed captioning for House of Commons debates, statements by members, orders and televised committee meetings. They believe access to these proceedings for the hearing impaired is fundamental to democracy and the basic matter of fairness.

Old Age Security

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from hundreds of Canadians.

The petitioners are very concerned about the Conservatives' decision to change the eligibility age for OAS. They understand that this will jeopardize many middle-income Canadians and condemn them to a living standard that is below the low cut-off for lower-income families.

The petitioners ask that the Government of Canada ensure that the Canada pension plan is more stable by maintaining the age of eligibility for retirement at age 65, increase OAS and GIS for all retirees and improve the Canada pension plan by implementing a modest phase-in increase in the contributions and the benefits.

Human Rights

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present three petitions.

The first is very appropriate, since this is the international day for the protection of human rights. It is from petitioners in Surrey and Langley who call for an end to the practice of using security certificates as an offence to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I had participated earlier today in a press conference with Mohamed Harkat, who has been under one of these directives for 10 years. We certainly hope to see the end of them.

Foreign Investment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions which relate to the Canada-China investment treaty. I noted earlier today in question period that members referred to it as if it was currently law and it is not. It has not been ratified.

The petitioners from London, Ontario and Kelowna urge that the Prime Minister not allow it to be ratified.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from residents of Vancouver.

The petitioners call for a permanent ban of supertankers on the coastline of British Columbia.

Parks Canada

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions.

The first petition asks that the Parks Canada Agency, which is responsible for the operation of the Rideau Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway, not reduce the hours of operation nor shorten the seasons of operation and to return service to 2011 levels.

Status of Women

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on Parliament to stand up for women's rights and stop honour killings in Pakistan.

The Environment

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from a large group of folks from Toronto.

The petitioners strongly urge the Government of Canada to immediately legislate a ban on bulk oil tanker traffic off the B.C. northern coast. They are against the Enbridge northern gateway pipeline.

Motor Vehicle Safety

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the fourth petition the petitioners want to see mandatory side guards for trucks to protect cyclists and pedestrians from being pulled under the wheels of these vehicles.

Experimental Lakes Area

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many Manitobans asking the Government of Canada to recognize the importance of the ELA. Its mandate is to study, preserve and protect our aquatic ecosystems.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1001, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1018, 1030 and 1031.