Debates of May 30th, 2013

Government Response to Petitions

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

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

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, entitled Bill S-8, An Act respecting the safety of drinking water on First Nation lands.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Finance

[James Rajotte, Conservative, Edmonton—Leduc, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 20th report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-462, An Act restricting the fees charged by promoters of the disability tax credit and making consequential amendments to the Tax Court of Canada Act.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Millennium Goals

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting a petition reminding the government of its duty to meet the millennium goals, which it committed to in 2008. What makes this petition even more impressive is that a young constituent in my riding, Charlotte Côté, collected more than 5,000 signatures from across Canada. I am so pleased to see that kind of drive from youth in my riding, and I am honoured to present her work here in the House. I want to congratulate her, and I hope that she will always be this engaged.

Health

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I too am fiercely proud of my constituents' activism, particularly regarding my campaign promise to improve our health care system and ensure that the federal government is more proactive so that health care remains public and universal.

That is what this petition is about. It has been signed by many people in my riding who, each week, share with me their concerns on this subject.

Canada Post

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present from a number of individuals regarding post offices.

The petitioners are concerned that as post offices are closed, that the community is made aware and that they consult with the public and their elected representatives, postal unions and other major stakeholders before that happens.

The Environment

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and bring forth this petition to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in regard to the situation of declining water levels in the Great Lakes Basin, particularly in the Lake Michigan, Georgian Bay, North Channel region.

Since 1999, water levels in Lake Huron have dropped pretty much five feet with no sign of rebounding 13 years later.

The petitioners are asking the government to examine this and to find ways to reverse the declining water levels in the Great Lakes.

Chief Firearms Officers

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from people in British Columbia who wish to have the chief firearms officers replaced across the country with a single civilian agency that would administer the law equally across the country.

Privacy

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting a petition from people in my riding who support my bill, Bill C-475, which is designed to better protect the personal information that Canadians put online.

Those who signed the petition lament the fact that the laws protecting our personal information online have not been updated since the first-generation iPod was released. They would like to see my bill passed in the House.

National Capital Commission

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present another petition signed by Ottawans who are opposed to the interprovincial bridge proposed by consultants hired by the National Capital Commission. They believe that the best option is to invest in public transit, not fund this bridge.

I have the honour of informing the House that similar petitions will follow.

Sex Selection

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise this morning to table a series of petitions from Canadians across this great country who are calling on the House to condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex-selective pregnancy termination.

Employment Insurance

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and the other members from eastern Quebec, I am pleased to table a petition with over 11,000 signatures. The petition is an initiative of Carrefour 50 + du Québec, an association of 154 affiliated groups. Its mission is to recognize and support those aged 50 and over and to focus on intergenerational networking to help redefine society's collective relationships with a view to intergenerational equality.

The people of eastern Quebec are extremely concerned about the changes made to employment insurance and call on the government to cancel its EI reform, since it is devastating for eastern Quebec.

In addition, Carrefour 50 + is specifically concerned that caregivers will be driven out of the area by EI reform. Caregivers are essential to the lives of people aged 50 and over in the region. I am therefore pleased to table this 11,000-name petition.

Conflict Minerals

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I table today a petition from students who go to school in Winnipeg's north end and they are dismayed to learn of the harsh and degrading conditions under which many people work in extracting resources in other parts of the world. They are asking that minerals being imported into Canada must be certified as being from conflict-free areas.

41st General Election

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

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

The first petition relates to the ongoing public demand for an inquiry into what occurred during the election, namely specific events that took place over at least one day. I am talking about calls that were made to voters to deliberately direct them to the wrong polling places. These are the facts, according to a court decision.

The petitioners are now demanding that the Prime Minister establish an independent inquiry to find out the truth, determine who did what during the last election, and find the person or persons responsible.

Foreign Investment

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is primarily from residents of my own riding, from Salt Spring Island, from Mayne Island, from the Saanich Peninsula and from Victoria, calling on the government to refuse to ratify the Canada-China investment treaty as it threatens the sovereignty of Canada and the passage of laws municipally, provincially and federally.

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 question will be answered today: No. 1319.

Question No. 1319

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

With regard to the Canadian International Development Agency, what is the total amount of funding lapsed for the 2012-2013 fiscal year?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, the final expenditure amount for the 2012-13 fiscal year for the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, has not yet been finalized. Pursuant to the Public Accounts process, all financial information is subject to audit and validation. Once these processes are concluded, the final financial results for CIDA will be reported in the 2013 Public Accounts.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if Questions Nos. 1301 and 1303 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 1301

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

With regard to funding for national parks: (a) how much did the government allocate to national parks between 2000 and 2012, inclusive, broken down by year and by park; and (b) how much does the government expect to allocate to national parks between 2013 and 2017, inclusive, broken down by year and by park?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1303

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

With regard to the libraries at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute and the St. Andrews Biological Station: (a) what were the operating costs for these two libraries over the last 10 years, broken down by year and library; (b) what were the projected operating costs for these two libraries over the next five years, broken down by year and library; (c) what are the costs, including the actual and projected costs, associated with closing these two libraries, broken down by year and library; (d) what studies show that closing these two libraries will allow the government to save money, and what are the results of these studies; and (e) how is the government planning to replace the French-language services offered by the Maurice Lamontagne Institute library?

(Return tabled)