House of Commons Hansard #260 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parks.

Topics

Ways and Means Motion No. 22Routine Proceedings

Noon

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Ways and Means Motion No. 22Routine Proceedings

Noon

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

(Motion agreed to)

Yale First Nation Final Agreement ActRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Madawaska—Restigouche New Brunswick

Conservative

Bernard Valcourt ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-62, an act to give effect to the Yale First Nation Final Agreement and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

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

Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

Noon

Newmarket—Aurora Ontario

Conservative

Lois Brown ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, concerning the main estimates 2013-14, votes 1, 5, 10, 15, 25, 30, L35, L40, 45 and 50, under Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

The committee has considered these votes and has agreed to report them without amendment.

Cluster MunitionsPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions today.

The first one is a petition regarding Bill S-10.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to amend Bill S-10 to close loopholes and make it clear that no Canadian should ever be involved in the use of cluster munitions.

Sex SelectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Conservative

Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON

Mr. Speaker, I also have a grouping of four other sets of petitions signed by people from the GTA, Hamilton, northeastern Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to condemn the discrimination against females occurring through sex selective pregnancy termination.

Cluster MunitionsPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of tabling a number of petitions.

The first petition is signed by people who are concerned about cluster munitions. Canada has signed, along with 110 nations, to ban cluster munitions, and Bill S-10 provides significant loopholes and exceptions.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to amend the bill to close the loopholes and specify Canada's international obligations under the convention.

Genetically Modified AlfalfaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents of Edmonton, Leduc, and Sherwood Park.

The petitioners are calling for a moratorium on GM alfalfa.

BurmaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by over 200 residents throughout Montreal and Laval.

The petitioners are calling upon the government to address the ongoing human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims in Burma, including sending clear signals to the authorities in Burma that repression of the Rohingya and other minorities will not be tolerated, renewing sanctions, and helping in pressing the Burmese government to allow the special rapporteur to conduct an independent investigation into abuses and expand support for UN agencies and NGOs providing humanitarian assistance.

As vice-chair of the House Subcommittee on International Human Rights, we have heard appalling testimony regarding the situation of the Rohingya in Burma. I am pleased to stand in solidarity with these petitioners and encourage Parliament and appropriate government agencies to implement these actions with all deliberate speed.

Old Age SecurityPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present.

The first petition calls upon the Parliament of Canada to maintain funding for old age security and make the requisite investments in the guaranteed income supplement to lift every senior out of poverty.

Food and Drugs ActPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls upon the Parliament of Canada to amend the Food and Drugs Act so that mandatory labelling for genetically modified foods is in place.

Genetically Modified AlfalfaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, the third and final petition is signed by hundreds of people from my riding of Nanaimo—Cowichan.

The petitioners call 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.

Genetically Modified AlfalfaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present additional petitions from Canadians across Canada, in Guelph and throughout southwestern Ontario, who wish to add their voices to the many thousands of others calling for a moratorium on the release of Roundup Ready alfalfa.

The petitioners are justifiably worried about cross-contamination, co-existence, transportation and production. They call upon the government to impose an immediate moratorium on its release until such time that a proper analysis of its impact on both organic and non-organic farmers is done.

Employment InsurancePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present several petitions concerning the employment insurance reforms that are buried in Bill C-38. The public is still opposed to these reforms.

Employment InsurancePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present several petitions on the same subject. The petitions come from people in Quebec. They are calling on the government to cancel the changes made to employment insurance by the former Bill C-38, which have to do with the power to define the terms “suitable employment” and “reasonable and customary efforts to obtain suitable employment” and with the creation of a social security tribunal.

41st General ElectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:05 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

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

The first petition is from residents of the Vancouver area, and also from within my riding, Salt Spring Island.

The petitioners call upon this government to call for a full public independent inquiry into the fraud that occurred in the 2011 election. We now know, due to the court ruling, that indeed attempts to defraud voters did occur in widespread areas, but the court did not know who was responsible. Certainly it is time for a responsible government to find that out.

The EnvironmentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from residents of Toronto who are concerned about the attitude of this administration in promoting a project, that being the Enbridge northern gateway project. The petitioners are asking the government to step back and that the Minister of Natural Resources await the evidence.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 1302, 1304, 1305, 1306, 1307, 1308, 1309 and 1310 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

The Acting Speaker Mr. Bruce Stanton

Is that agreed?

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Question No. 1302Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

NDP

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

With regard to funding in the electoral district of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, what is the total amount of federal funding allocated to the electoral district from fiscal year 2011-2012 up to and including the current fiscal year, broken down by year, department, agency, initiative and amount?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1304Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

NDP

Françoise Boivin NDP Gatineau, QC

With regard to the distribution of jobs with federal departments and agencies in the National Capital Region (NCR): (a) how many jobs were located in the Quebec part of the NCR in 2013; (b) how many jobs were located in the Ontario part of the NCR in 2013; (c) how many jobs in the Quebec part of the NCR will be eliminated as a result of the cuts introduced in the last budget; and (d) how many jobs in the Ontario part of the NCR will be eliminated as a result of the cuts introduced in the last budget?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1305Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

12:10 p.m.

Liberal

Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC

With regard to Bill C-10, in the year after it received royal assent: (a) broken down by offence, how many people have been charged for offences created by the bill; (b) broken down by offence, how many people have been convicted of offences created by the bill; (c) broken down by offence, what sentences have been issued to people convicted of offences created by the bill; (d) broken down by offence, how many people have been charged under the provisions of the bill; (e) broken down by offence, how many people have been convicted under the provisions of the bill; (f) broken down by offence, how many people have been sentenced under the provisions of the bill; (g) broken down by offence, what sentences have been issued to people sentenced under the provisions of the bill; (h) in how many of the cases in (d) was a constitutional argument raised by the offender (i) at trial, (ii) on appeal; (i) broken down by geographic jurisdiction and instance, how many cases in (d) are pending (i) at the trial level, (ii) on appeal; (j) how much money has the government spent on prosecutions under the provisions of the bill; (k) how much money has the government spent defending the constitutionality of the bill; (l) in what cases, if any, did the bill provide for punishment where none was provided for under previously-existing provisions of the Criminal Code; (m) broken down by offence and length of sentence, in what cases, if any, did an offender sentenced under the provisions of the bill receive a longer sentence than what was allowed for under previously-existing provisions of the Criminal Code; (n) in what ways has the bill made streets and communities safer; (o) in what ways, if any, has the government reviewed the effectiveness of the bill; (p) what were the results of any such reviews; (q) what reviews of the effectiveness of the bill, if any, are ongoing; (r) when will the results of any such reviews be made available to Parliament; (s) what factors has the government considered when evaluating the effectiveness of the bill; (t) by what standard does the government determine whether repeal of the bill for ineffectiveness is appropriate; (u) what is the prosecution rate for offences created by the bill; (v) what is the prosecution rate for offences with one or more sentencing provisions modified by the bill; (w) what was the prosecution rate for the offences in (v) prior to the coming-into-force of the bill; (x) what is the prosecution rate for offences otherwise modified by the bill; (y) what was the prosecution rate for offences in (x) prior to the coming-into-force of the bill; (z) what is the prosecution rate for all federal offences in Canada; (aa) what is the projected rate of recidivism for offenders convicted under the provisions of the bill; (bb) in what ways has the government worked with provinces and territories to inform prosecutors and police services of the provisions of the bill; (cc) broken down by province or territory, what funding has the government provided to provinces and territories to assist with the implementation of the bill; (dd) what studies, if any, have been undertaken of the impact of the bill on the number of inmates in (i) federal custody, (ii) provincial custody; (ee) what are the results of any such studies; (ff) what is the projected impact of the bill on the number of inmates in (i) federal custody, (ii) provincial custody; (gg) what evidence exists to suggest that the provisions in the bill have deterred criminal activity; (hh) broken down by province and territory, which specific communities, if any, have been made safer by the bill; (ii) in what ways have the communities in (hh) been made safer; (jj) what evidence exists to demonstrate that the communities in (hh) have been made safer; (kk) broken down by province and territory, which specific streets, if any, have been made safer by the bill; (ll) in what ways have the streets in (kk) been made safer; (mm) what evidence exists to demonstrate that the streets in (kk) have been made safer; (nn) which First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, if any, have been made safer by the bill; (oo) in what ways have the communities in (nn) been made safer; (pp) what evidence exists to demonstrate that the communities in (nn) have been made safer; (qq) in what ways have people traditionally marginalized by the criminal justice system, such as women, aboriginal Canadians, and low-income Canadians, been made safer by the bill; and (rr) what evidence exists to demonstrate that the people in (qq) have been made safer?