House of Commons Hansard #222 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parents.

Topics

Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is quite common that ministers responsible for certain areas have the word “responsible” in their titles. To use that word today as a veiled insult to a minister shows a lack of respect. It shows a lack of respect for the minister, the House and the Speaker.

Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderOral Questions

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I have heard enough on this point. I will look at the blues and come back to the House with a decision on this particular turn of phrase.

The hon. parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health.

Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 19 petitions.

Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 5th report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. In accordance with its order of reference on Monday, February 25, 2013, the committee has considered votes 1(c) and 10(c) under Environment, and the supplementary estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, and reports the same.

I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 6th report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. In accordance with its order of reference on Monday, February 25, 2013, the committee has considered votes 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 under Environment, and the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, and reports the same.

AgricultureCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the order of reference on Friday, February 15, 2013, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 9th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture in relation to the motion adopted on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, regarding the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's user fee proposal for importer licensing for non-federally registered sector products to Parliament.

Veterans AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Mississauga—Brampton South Ontario

Conservative

Eve Adams ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 8th report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, the supplementary estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, and the 9th report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs on the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014.

Corrections and Conditional Release ActRoutine Proceedings

March 8th, 2013 / 12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-483, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (escorted temporary absence).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to introduce my private member's bill, seconded by the hon. member for Northumberland—Quinte West, also a former police officer.

My private member's bill is an enactment that would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act in order to limit the authority of the institutional head to authorize the escorted temporary absence of an offender convicted of first or second degree murder.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Port State Measures Agreement Implementation ActRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill S-13, An Act to amend the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time)

Port State Measures Agreement Implementation ActRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it you will find unanimous consent for the following: that the House reaffirm Canada's commitment to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and unequivocally condemn North Korea's recent nuclear test in violation of its international obligations; that the House express its grave concern regarding the widespread violations of basic rights in North Korea, including torture and other cruel inhumane punishment, arbitrary detentions, absence of due process and the rule of law, collective punishments extending up to three generations and the existence of political prison camps; that the House express its grave concern regarding the government of North Korea's continued pursuit of its nuclear weapons program despite the humanitarian crisis in the country, including mass starvation and prolonged food deprivation, reject North Korean's increasing aggressive actions, including ballistic missile launches and attacks against South Korea, which represents a threat to regional and international peace and security; and urge the regime in Pyongyang to abandon its reckless weapons program and instead focus its resources on meeting its citizens' basic humanitarian needs, respecting its citizens' fundamental freedoms and abiding by the United Nations Security Council resolution.

Port State Measures Agreement Implementation ActRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

Does the hon. parliamentary secretary have unanimous consent to move the motion?

Port State Measures Agreement Implementation ActRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Impaired DrivingPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by thousands of people from British Columbia. The petition highlights the death last year of 22-year-old Kassandra Kaulius who was killed by a drunk driver.

The people who have lost loved ones to impaired drivers, a group called Families For Justice, point out that the current impaired driving laws are too lenient. They are calling for new mandatory minimum sentencing for people who have been convicted of impaired driving causing death. The petitioners also want the Criminal Code of Canada changed to redefine the offence of impaired driving causing death to vehicular manslaughter.

Impaired DrivingPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

NDP

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

Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to remind the House that, normally, the Speaker must ensure that a member is in his or her seat before he recognizes the member.

Impaired DrivingPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

The hon. member for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine is correct. The hon. member for Prince George—Peace River was standing beside his seat, but you are correct that prior to that he was not seated in it.

The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou.

Human TraffickingPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

NDP

Raymond Côté NDP Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in the House a petition signed by a large number of constituents in Beauport—Limoilou. This petition is in support of Bill C-452, which is designed to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Legislative LanguagePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bradley Trost Conservative Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK

Mr. Speaker, I have been asked by residents of Burnaby—New Westminster to table a petition that their member of Parliament refused to table.

The petitioners are concerned about the inclusion of subjective terms like gender identity and gender expression in the laws, and they are concerned that these terms are poorly defined.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons and Parliament to vote against Bill C-279 and to base all future policy decisions and legislative language on objective, measurable criteria.

Development and PeacePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Liberal

Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a petition signed by 551 supporters and members of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

They are concerned about cuts to international aid, a frozen budget and the government's marked withdrawal of help for Africa. They feel that it is an insult to Canadians' sense of generosity.

Human Resources and Skills Development CanadaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to present two petitions on behalf of my constituents.

In the first, petitioners are expressing opposition to the amalgamation of Service Canada and HRSDC work sites, due to resulting environmental stress, expense and disruption to work-life balance for employees.

PovertyPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, petitioners are expressing their support for Bill C-233, an act to eliminate poverty in Canada.

It continues to be a pleasure to represent the voices of the people of Newton—North Delta in this Parliament.

Sex SelectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo B.C.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, I rise to present a petition from constituents in my riding who request that the House condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex-selective pregnancy termination.

Climate ChangePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:15 p.m.

NDP

Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON

Mr. Speaker, it certainly is an honour for me to present a petition from people from Onaping, Levack, Chelmsford, Dowling and Azilda.

The petitioners wish to bring to the attention of the Government of Canada that climate is our most pressing environmental issue, perhaps the defining issue of our generation. They feel it will profoundly affect our economy, health, lifestyle and social well-being.

I wish to add my name to this petition.

Youth CrimePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:20 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of residents of Winnipeg North who want to be able to send a message to the Prime Minister and the government.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to work with other governments on the issue of youth crime and to come up with ideas and activities to steer youth away from gangs.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:20 p.m.

Oshawa Ontario

Conservative

Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1115, 1120, 1124, 1125, 1126, 1128, 1136, 1138, 1146, 1148, 1151 and 1156.

Question No. 1114Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:20 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

With regard to Employment Insurance, since January 1, 2008: (a) has any department conducted (i) any job market study to determine the impact on the availability of skilled workers for seasonally-dependent industries as a result of the changes to the Employment Insurance Act, (ii) any feasibility study on the workload that will be required by each member of the new Tribunal; and (b) if so, what are the titles and file numbers of any such studies?

Question No. 1114Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

12:20 p.m.

Haldimand—Norfolk Ontario

Conservative

Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a)(i), as with any policy change, analysis is prepared as part of the cabinet decision-making process. These records are considered cabinet confidences. This is in addition to consultations conducted by the minister and parliamentary secretary. The overall effectiveness of employment insurance income benefits and active employment measures are assessed in the Canada Employment Insurance Commission’s employment insurance monitoring and assessment report, which is tabled annually in Parliament. As with any other EI measures, HRSDC will evaluate the connecting Canadians with available jobs initiative, introduced as part of Canada’s economic action plan 2012, and results will be reported in the monitoring and assessment report.

With regard to (a)(ii), it is projected that the social security tribunal, general division, employment insurance section, will be required to hear approximately 22,000 appeals each year and that the appeals division will be required to hear approximately 1,800 employment insurance-related appeals.

An approved HRSDC approach for human resources determination was used to arrive at the number of members required. This methodology takes into consideration the projected annual volume, as noted above; current caseloads and outputs by part-time member panels; working days in a year for a full-time member; and a productivity factor that allows for non-productive time for professional development, leave and other activities.

With regard to (b), as per the responses to (a)(i) and (a)(ii), this is not applicable.