House of Commons Hansard #100 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was banks.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Pursuant to section 15(3) of the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons, it is my duty to lay upon the table the list of all sponsored travel by members for the year 2011, as provided by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
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)(b) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to two petitions.
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
moved:
That notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, following Oral Questions today, a Member from each recognized party, the member for Bas-Richelieu--Nicolet--Bécancour and the member for Saanich--Gulf Islands may make a brief statement and the time taken for these statements shall be added to the time provided for Government Orders.
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I anticipate unanimous consent.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Does the hon. Government House Leader 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?
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from people all over Canada who are concerned with the megaquarry in Melancthon township in Dufferin county, which would be largest open pit quarry in Canada, at over 2,300 acres.
They are concerned with quite a few items in this matter. One concern is that in the proposed megaquarry application, there are distinct issues relating to the use of water operations based on NAFTA considerations, which may have a substantially negative financial implication federally and provincially.
They are asking that the Government of Canada conduct an environmental assessment under the authority of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act on the proposed Highland Companies megaquarry development.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Madam Speaker, I have several petitions to present this morning.
The first one is a request to the House to inform the Canadian public of the number of civilian casualties inflicted by Canadian troops in Afghanistan and that the House report the numbers of military casualties, including serious injuries, to the Canadian public. The petitioners request that the House keep the Canadian public informed of the cost of the war to Canadian taxpayers and the House act to bring our troops home forthwith.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
My second petition is in regard to NATO, and our NATO review of nuclear weapons policy.
Petitioners point out that NATO states still rely on policies involving nuclear weapons for their defence. There are no ongoing multilateral negotiations for an agreement to eliminate these weapons of mass destruction. A model nuclear weapons convention has been filed before the UN General Assembly as a discussion document to encourage progress toward nuclear disarmament. Therefore, the petitioners demand that the Government of Canada call for an urgent review of NATO's nuclear weapons policy to ensure that all NATO states fulfill their obligations and negotiate and conclude an agreement for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Madam Speaker, the third petition supports Bill C-322. Whereas Canadian horse meat products that are currently being sold for human consumption in domestic and international markets are likely to contain prohibited substances, the petitioners call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to bring forward and adopt into legislation Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption), thus prohibiting the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well as horsemeat products for human consumption.
This petition comes from Quebec.
The fourth petition I have is dealing with the same subject. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to bring forward and adopt into legislation my Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption), thus prohibiting the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well as horse meat products for human consumption.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Madam Speaker, the last is a last short petition to establish a department of peace.
The fact is that 27,000 nuclear weapons still exist, and the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear weapons is still increasing. Of the 26,000 nuclear weapons held by the United States and Russia, 3,000 are on a 15 minute launch on warning status and threaten to destroy our world due to potential technical systems failure. Of today's modern nuclear weapons, 50 could kill 200 million people. There is no medical response to the effects of a nuclear war. Prevention is the only answer. The petitioners call upon Parliament to establish a department of peace that would reinvigorate Canada's role as a global peacemaker that holds the abolition of nuclear weapons as a top priority.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions today.
The first group of petitioners note that the proposed Enbridge northern gateway pipeline would require overturning a moratorium that has been respected by the federal government and the Province of British Columbia for 40 years, and is very important in preventing transport by supertankers. The petition was signed mainly by residents in my riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands, but most British Columbians are also saying no to supertankers.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Madam Speaker, the second is a very timely petition, as we look at a federal budget later this week. It is presented on behalf of a number of residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands and a number of Ontario towns, looking to the federal government to protect stable base funding, on a sustainable basis, to ensure that our public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada is protected so that it can continue to provide excellent service across this country.
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Madam Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of several of my constituents of Kelowna—Lake Country, as well as on behalf of my hon. colleague for Abbotsford, the Minister of International Trade.
Canada is the only nation in the western world, in the company of China and North Korea, without any laws restricting abortion. As the Supreme Court has said, it is Parliament's responsibility to enact abortion legislation. The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to speedily enact legislation which restricts abortion to the greatest extent possible.
Scott Andrews Liberal Avalon, NL
Madam Speaker, I am here today presenting another petition calling upon the government not to change the age of OAS from 65 to 67. Another 200 names from my riding have been added to this petition.
This particular policy announcement, which we suspect will come in the budget, has no basis whatsoever. The old age security system is sustainable over the long haul. This increase in the age will only hurt low-income seniors.
The petitioners are calling upon the government not to proceed with this particular policy.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Madam Speaker, I table a petition today with respect to a policy announcement by the government on November 4 to establish a super visa. The petitioners are asking that the government revisit and reconsider the issue of how one can qualify for a super visa and, in particular, the requirement to have health insurance for a minimum time period of one year, which can cost thousands of dollars.
The concept of a 10 year super visa is good. It is the criteria that is disallowing hundreds if not thousands of people across Canada from being able to acquire one for their parents or grandparents in their homeland that needs to be revisited.
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
Madam Speaker, if Questions Nos. 452, 454, 455, 456 and 457 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.
Tyrone Benskin NDP Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
With regard to social and cooperative housing facilities: (a) what steps is the government presently taking, or does it anticipate taking in the next 12 months, to renew or extend the long-term operating agreements upon which social and cooperative housing organizations across Canada depend, given the impending expiry of funding arrangements established under Section 56.1 of the former National Housing Act, Section 95.1 of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Act, and agreements entered into by the federal government and Quebec government pertaining to Article 61 of Quebec’s National Housing Law; (b) will the government immediately commit to the renewal of the Renovation and Retrofit of Social Housing component of Canada’s Economic Action Plan; (c) what is the government’s long-term strategy to ensure the immediate health and survival of social and cooperative housing organizations subject to long-term operating partnerships with the federal government in the event these agreements expire; (d) what impact assessment has the government undertaken to verify the broader impact of expiring long-term operating agreements on the economy, job creation, and the affordability of residential housing for low income Canadians; (e) what steps has the government taken, or will take in the next 12 months, to develop and implement a coordinated strategy with provincial and municipal authorities for the funding of social and cooperative housing; and (f) what is the government’s plan to ensure the future construction and maintenance of social and cooperative housing across Canada?
(Return tabled)
Raymond Côté NDP Beauport—Limoilou, QC
What is the total funding allocated by the government to the constituency of Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière between fiscal year 2006–2007 and the current fiscal year, broken down by (i) department or agency, (ii) activity, (iii) amount?
(Return tabled)
