House of Commons Hansard #205 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pope.
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, held in Inari, Finland, November 13, 2012.
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition wherein the petitioners raise the issue that water levels in Lake Huron have dropped four to five feet since 1999. A potential solution could be building compensating structures along the St. Clair River to offset the increased outflow caused by historic dredging activities.
Here are some of the benefits that pertain to their economy: allowing freighters to increase carrying capacity, saving millions of dollars; preserving biodiversity; maintaining public docks and recreational amenities; and allowing homeowners to efficiently have access to water.
The petition calls on the government to take action on dropping water levels in the Great Lakes, specifically Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.
In the first petition the petitioners request a moratorium on genetically modified alfalfa.
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, the second petition deals with a subject near and dear to my heart, which is the enshrining of property rights for Ontario residents in the Constitution.
The petitioners point out that property rights are a hallmark of a free society, that property rights, property ownership and the use of enjoyment of property, ought not be taken away from individuals without some sort of compensation. The petitioners ask for this to be enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They ask that this be done using the section 43 amending formula in which both the House and the Ontario legislature adopt an amendment. The model for this is section 16.1 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was adopted in New Brunswick about 20 years ago.
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by hundreds of Canadians from my own riding of Guelph, southwest Ontario and across Canada, who wish to register their concerns regarding the impacts of genetically modified organisms. Since we cannot be entirely sure what the impact of licensing and release of certain genetically modified crops will be on other crops, farmers, and our exports, the petitioners request a moratorium on the licensing and release of new GMOs and request an independent review of existing GMOs that are currently in the Canadian marketplace.
Fin Donnelly NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions.
In the first petition the petitioners are calling for an importation ban on shark fin to Canada. The practice of shark finning results in an estimated 73 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. Measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks.
Fin Donnelly NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, I submit a petition concerning saving the ELA, Canada's leading freshwater research station. The petitioners call upon the government to reverse the decision to close the ELA research station and continue to staff and provide financial resources to the ELA at the current or higher levels of commitment.
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of hundreds of my constituents in Kelowna—Lake Country regarding a moratorium on GM alfalfa. The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to impose a moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa in order to allow a proper review of the impact on farmers in Canada.
Glenn Thibeault NDP Sudbury, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to present a petition that is tabled on behalf of hundreds of residents from my riding of Sudbury, from around Sudbury and Nickel Belt, and residents on Manitoulin Island.
The petitioners are calling upon the Minister of Natural Resources, the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to address the declining water levels we are seeing in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. State water levels in Lake Huron have dropped four feet to five feet since 1999. It has also been in the media today that this is a big concern.
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to this House wherein the petitioners state that Canada's 400-year-old definition of human being says that a child does not become a human being until the moment of complete birth, contrary to 21st century medical evidence, and that Parliament has a solemn duty to reject any law that says some human beings are not human. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the House of Commons and Parliament 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.
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, I too wish to table petitions from Ontario residents calling for action by the federal Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to take expedited action to protect the Great Lakes. In the case of Lake Huron, that lake has dropped more than five feet. I have personally witnessed this drop over time while visiting friends in Georgian Bay. It has a major impact on navigation and ecology. We implore the government to take action.
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
Mr. Speaker, to begin, I would like to thank Ms. Thompson for sending me this petition and for getting so many signatures.
The petition calls on the Government of Canada to accept the science of climate change and table a comprehensive climate change plan, to identify the current value of government buildings and infrastructure, to determine the potential effects of climate change and extreme weather conditions on these assets and, finally, to project the costs of protecting these assets from climate change.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions. The first one is from petitioners who are calling on the federal government to build speed bumps along the St. Clair River because they are worried about the drop in Lake Huron's water level. By doing so, it would allow freighters to increase carrying capacity as they move from the shipping channel, saving the industry tens of millions of dollars a year. It will restore and sustain the tourism industry on the Great Lakes. It will work to restore property values, and it would preserve the biodiversity of the Great Lakes.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
The second petition I am submitting is from residents who are very worried that the hours of operation of the Rideau Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway have been reduced. They are calling on Parks Canada to return these two sites to the 2011 operating hours and length of seasons in order for all Canadians to safely enjoy these waterways.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from Canadians who are worried about our environment. They are asking the Government of Canada to legislate a ban on bulk oil tanker traffic on the B.C. north coast. They are worried that the Enbridge northern gateway pipeline would carry oil over 1,000 kilometres, from the Alberta oil sands to the coastline, and would cause problems for the B.C. coastline.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions.
The first is from petitioners in Chilliwack, Vancouver and other locations in British Columbia, supporting my private member's bill, Bill C-442, which calls for the creation of a national Lyme disease strategy. I am hoping for support across all sides of this House.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, second, I am presenting a petition from residents of Vancouver calling for the current administration to respect what had become a moratorium, since 1972, on supertanker oil traffic on the B.C. coastline, and to make this permanent and legislate it.
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have two sets of petitions.
The first has over 2,000 signatures, primarily British Columbians from Vancouver, Revelstoke and Prince George, calling for stronger animal cruelty legislation. They call upon the House of Commons to work with the provinces to ensure federal and provincial laws are constructed and enforced, which will ensure that those responsible for abusing, neglecting, torturing or otherwise harming animals are held appropriately accountable.
The second petition has over 400 names in support of my bill, Bill C-322, which calls upon the government to enact laws to prohibit the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well as horse meat products for human consumption.
Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON
Mr. Speaker, I too have some petitions concerning the water level of the Great Lakes. This particularly affects my communities of Killarney and French River. As my colleagues have said already, there are solutions to this problem.
I would like to inform the House that there has been work planned for almost 100 years. The first work order for compensating structures goes back to 1917, but was never acted on by successive Liberal and Conservative governments. If action was taken as soon as possible, it would have economic considerations, ecological advantages and would help the local communities.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, in the flow of events of routine proceedings, there was some discussion I understand among the parties earlier pertaining to travel motions that might relate to some committees. I wonder if there is anything to report on that matter.
