Debates of Nov. 4th, 2013

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, a week from today, the 19th conference of the parties on climate will open in Warsaw. Two months ago I wrote the Minister of the Environment to inquire if she intended to return to the traditional practice of having our delegation represent Canada and not just the Conservative Party. This close to the opening day, I assume the answer to that question is no. Therefore, I want to ask her this. Will Canada remain committed to the targets the Prime Minister adopted in 2009 in Copenhagen? Will we still remain committed to 607 megatonnes by 2020, and financing for mitigation and adaptation to developing countries?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to working with our international partners to address climate change. We have contributed $1.2 billion to developing countries so that they can reduce emissions and adapt to changes. We are also a founding member of an international coalition taking action to reduce pollutants like black carbon.

I look forward to meeting with my international counterparts to continue to take action in addressing climate change.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

That concludes question period for today.

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Mr. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Sex Selection

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition from my constituents in beautiful Langley. They highlight that the CBC revealed that ultrasounds are being used in Canada to tell the sex of an unborn child so that if it is a girl, the pregnancy will end.

Ninety-two percent of Canadians believe that sex selective pregnancy termination should be made illegal. The petitioners are calling on all members of Parliament to condemn this practice. They have also highlighted that the Conservative Party's policy is that this be condemned. They encourage the members opposite to also condemn this practice.

The Senate

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, like Canadians from coast to coast to coast, my constituents on Hamilton Mountain are profoundly worried about the Senate expense scandal. They are also worried about the fact that there is no place for an unelected, unaccountable Senate in our democracy. They believe that the $92.5 million per year it costs to run this archaic institution would be better spent elsewhere and that appointed senators, especially those who abuse their privileges, do not represent the interests or values of Canadians.

As a result, this petition, signed by hundreds of people in my riding, calls on the Government of Canada to abolish the unelected, unaccountable Senate once and for all.

Migrant Workers

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table three petitions from constituents in Guelph and other concerned Canadians on the ratification of the UN migrant workers convention. The petitions recognize the important role thousands of temporary foreign and seasonal labourers play every year in Canada's workforce performing necessary work, consuming local goods and services, and paying taxes.

The petitioners are concerned that the workers are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and unsafe or substandard working conditions. They state that the United Nations developed the migrant workers convention, entitled the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, to address these vulnerabilities and that it entered into force on July 1, 2003.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which it has failed to do for the last ten years.

Lyme Disease

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of people from across this country who are concerned about Lyme disease in Canada. They are concerned about a number of things, one of which is that numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have warned that a warming climate will expand the geographic range of Lyme disease, carrying ticks further into Canada. They include a 2012 paper by Leighton et al., which states that over 80% of the population in eastern and central Canada could be living in areas at risk of Lyme disease by the year 2020.

The petitioners are asking the government to convene a national conference with provincial and territorial health ministers, representatives of the medical community, and patients' groups for the purpose of developing a national strategy that works toward ensuring the recognition, timely diagnosis, and effective treatment of Lyme disease in Canada.

Shark Finning

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by thousands of Canadians regarding the practice of shark finning and the results. It was an estimated 73 million but in fact is now upwards of 100 million sharks a year being killed for their fins alone. Over one-third of all shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning.

The petitioners say that measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation management of all sharks. They call on the Government of Canada to immediately legislate a ban on the importation of shark fins into Canada.

Genetically Modified Alfalfa

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. One is from constituents in Kingston and the Islands, who are concerned about the risk posed by genetically modified alfalfa. They call upon Parliament to impose a moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa to allow a proper review of the impact on farmers in Canada.

Government Advertising

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from constituents in Kingston and the Islands, who call upon the Government of Canada to refrain from all further tax-supported advertising by the federal government that goes beyond providing factual information for compliance or access to government programs and to reduce the expenditure on communications to the level it was when the government took over in 2006. Finally, they call upon the government to redirect all the extra money being put toward communications toward front-line service for Canadians, which has been cut.

Human Rights

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of my constituents in Etobicoke Centre and the Ukrainian diaspora Canada-wide who are grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing the Holodomor, which was a great famine in the world and a crime against the Ukrainian people and a crime against humanity; for recognizing the internment operations against the Ukrainian community during the First World War; and for our funding for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to support having the Holodomor and the first internment operations prominently displayed at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Railway Noise and Vibration

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every Canadian has the right to a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, many communities in Canada have railway operations, with shunting, coupling, decoupling, and idling at high speeds. Accordingly, in many places in this country, residents are unable to get a good night's sleep. That is the case in the Westminster Quay area of New Westminster.

I am tabling a petition today from nearly 100 residents of Westminster Quay and New Westminster calling upon the government to bring amendments to ensure that railways cannot operate with any operations they want at two o'clock and three o'clock in the morning, particularly in railway yards that are in areas of high urban density.

The petitioners from New Westminster, B.C. call upon the Government of Canada to support the NDP private member's bill, Bill C-393, the railway noise and vibration control act, which would prohibit railway companies from engaging in extremely noisy rail yard activities in high-density residential areas between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., Monday to Friday, and on weekends.

We hope that the government will support these residents and all Canadians who want a good night's sleep.

The Environment

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

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

The first concerns the pipelines and more specifically the Enbridge proposal.

The petition is signed primarily by residents of Nelson and Parksville. They call upon the current government to cease and desist from promoting the project and to allow for a full investigation.

Correctional Facilities

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition relates to issues of the criminal justice system. It is primarily signed by residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands, namely Saanichton, Saturna Island, and Mayne Island. The petitioners point out that they are lacking facilities they critically need. For instance, on Vancouver Island, there is no remand or correctional facility for women while they wait for trials. This puts a huge burden on families. Therefore, the petitioners are asking the current government for special attention to ensure that correctional facilities are reviewed right across Canada, particularly in light of the additional burden created by mandatory minimum sentences.

Employment

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions. The first petition pertains to support for a national urban workers' strategy. This petition, in particular, is signed by many university students who are concerned about graduating into a job market where jobs that come with a pension, benefits, and job security are scarce for young people. In fact, many young people are working for free for much too long.

The petition urges the government to support my national urban workers' strategy.

Consumer Protection

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition flows from our initiative to get the government to weigh in and stop the extra fees customers are charged when they get a paper bill in the mail. We were pleased to hear in the throne speech that the government would end pay-to-pay fees. This petition demands that this happen, and we look forward to hearing when that happens.

Genetically Modified Alfalfa

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from petitioners calling on Parliament to impose a moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa.

National Research Council

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table two of the many petitions circulating in my riding, which have approximately 1,800 signatures, that call upon the government to reopen the Centre of the Universe at the astrophysical observatory in Saanich. The petitioners cite the many years the Centre of the Universe has provided students, families, and amateur astronomers with opportunities to explore space and the role the facility and staff have played in inspiring the next generation of Vancouver Island scientists.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada, through the National Research Council, to restore the funding for the operations of the Centre of the Universe interpretative centre, which closed in August after 100% of its funding was cut.

Residents in my riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca know that if the Centre of the Universe remains closed, public education, space science, and astrophysical research will be impacted profoundly. They are awaiting a response from the government to this petition.

The Environment

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have here dozens, if not hundreds, of petitions calling on the federal government to play its role, within its powers, concerning shale gas and hydraulic fracturing.

For example, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development indicated that mandatory disclosure of chemicals and chemicals management are clearly the responsibility of the federal government. At this time, the federal government has commissioned a number of studies, but they are still slow in coming and nothing is being done in terms of mandatory disclosure, although the companies themselves are prepared to do it. Therefore, it is time that the federal government play its proper role in regard to subsoil fracturing.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

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

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed from October 21 consideration of the motion that Bill C-3, An Act to enact the Aviation Industry Indemnity Act, to amend the Aeronautics Act, the Canada Marine Act, the Marine Liability Act and the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Safeguarding Canada's Seas and Skies Act

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to finish off my comments on Bill C-3, an act to enact the aviation industry indemnity act, to amend the Aeronautics Act, the Canada Marine Act, the Marine Liability Act and the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

To put the debate in context, the last time I spoke to this bill, I talked about the fact that while the Marine Liability Act amendments are important, they are really not what we are looking for from the government in terms of the protection of marine areas. Liability implies problems; it implies accidents.

We are looking for regulations, enforcement, and investments in coast guards around this country to prevent and alleviate accidents before they happen. We want to ensure that what we are doing in our marine areas is the very safest for Canadians and for the protection of the environment, people, and property. Those are things that come first. Liability is important, but it simply does not give the protections we are looking for.

In its past budgets, the government has cut coast guard stations, including the coast guard station in my riding, in Inuvik. The station that was in place for many years has now been removed. We do not have a coast guard response capability in Inuvik.

There are companies looking at investing hundreds of millions of dollars in offshore oil and gas drilling in this region. The same thing is occurring in the Alaska region. We have no capacity for oil spill remediation. That does not exist for the Arctic to any degree. In fact, the ability of anyone to extract oil from ice covered waters has not yet been proven to the satisfaction of those who look into these matters. We are making the area more hazardous through less investment in infrastructure in that region, and that is a problem, moving forward.

The Conservatives have said over and over again that they are interested in exploiting the resources of the Arctic. They want to move ahead with economic development in the Arctic. They want to see the wealth of the Arctic being exploited.

Let us start with taking care of the Arctic by making sure that the regulations for shipping are in place and that we are conducting ourselves by investing in infrastructure that can deal with the issues that come forward in the future. Surely as we increase the risk for companies working in an area, we should respond with the kind of protection that can reduce the liability from people who may suffer from accidents, because we would have some way of dealing with the accidents. That is not the case now.

There are cruise ships moving through the Arctic. If we have a problem in the Arctic with a cruise ship, we have no way to deal with it. We have increased traffic through the Northwest Passage, a passage that has never been charted properly. We do not know where the rocks are, and we are putting ships through there now. When will the accidents happen? It will be soon enough. What will liability do to protect the environment? What will liability mean to the people of the Arctic?