Debates of June 10th, 2013

Navigable Waters Protection Act

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-527, An Act to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act (Lake Joseph and other lakes and rivers).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Drummond for seconding this bill, which is designed to add several rivers, waterways and lakes in four Conservative Quebec ridings to the too-short list of waterways that will continue to be protected. Less than 2% of Canada's waterways are being protected.

Among the waterways this bill would add is the Chaudière River, which runs through a large part of the Quebec region of Beauce. Chutes-de-la-Chaudière park, near Lake Mégantic, is an important spot because numerous outdoor and tourist activities take place there.

Lac des Abénaquis, near Sainte-Aurélie, is known for its fishing. There is a fishing tournament there every summer. The fact that this lake is no longer protected because of Conservative legislation means that the right to fish and the right to navigate are no longer guaranteed.

That is why we, the NDP, have introduced bills such as this one. First of all, we want members of the public to know about the changes, and second, we want them to try and change the Conservatives' minds about Bill C-45, which has resulted in less than 2% of our waterways being protected.

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

Conservation of National Historic Sites Act

[Gord Brown, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-528, An Act to provide funding for the conservation of national historic sites.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the hon. member for Edmonton Centre for seconding my private member's bill.

I am happy to rise today to introduce this bill. It is an act to provide funding for the conservation of national historic sites. This bill would provide the means by which individuals and corporations could donate money to be used for the preservation of national historic sites and receive tax receipts. It also sets out how the money would be used.

Our national historic sites are important cultural places that help link us to our past, but there are costs to repair them, and those costs are increasing all the time. In my time at the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, when it oversaw the operation of Fort Henry in Kingston, I saw this first-hand. People came forward with ideas to contribute and get tax receipts.

There are additional national historic sites that need long-term support, such as the Rideau Canal in my riding of Leeds—Grenville, as well as Fort Wellington and the Delta mill and other national historic sites. This bill would help do that. It would help to see that these sites plan for the major restoration work that always needs to be done.

I look forward to this bill being debated and passed in order to help all of our national historic sites.

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

Navigable Waters Protection Act

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-529, An Act to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act (Slave River).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table my bill, an act to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act for Slave River. I wish to thank my colleague, the member for Western Arctic, for seconding this bill, which is of great significance to his constituents.

The purpose is both simple and necessary. It will add the mighty Slave River, flowing from Alberta to the Northwest Territories, to the substantially diminished list of rivers the government has deemed worthy of protection.

According to David Livingstone, former director of Indian and Northern Affairs' water division:

Life in the North has always revolved around water in an intimate way that many other jurisdictions have lost. The value of water in the North is the same as the value of water to people who live in deserts: central to life.

This bill actually amends the 2012 Budget Implementation Act. Why? The government, absent any advance consultations, including with those directly impacted, used its budget bill to further eviscerate this century-and-a-half-year-old protection law.

The Navigable Waters Protection Act, originally enacted to guarantee navigation rights, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada as an important trigger for federal action to protect rivers and lakes. The law, pre-evisceration, served as key trigger for federation assessment and permitting.

The decision to remove protective measures for the Slave River was made absent any consultations with the aboriginal peoples who have a long-standing connection to the river. In so doing, the government violated its overriding constitutional duty of prior consultation and accommodation of aboriginal rights and title.

According to Cheyeanne Paulette, former chief of Smith's Landing First Nation, located on the banks of the Slave River:

The Slave River has sustained our people since time immemorial. We have a vision for the river that ensures it will continue to be a home for our people for all time, and we know many other Northerners share our vision.

For centuries the river has provided the major transportation route between Fort Fitzgerald in the Northwest Territories and Fort Chipewyan. According to elder François Paulette, who was raised on the river, the Slave River is considered sacred and is to be respected.

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

Search and Rescue

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have hundreds of signatures, mostly from residents of Ontario. They are concerned about the closure of the Thunder Bay Marine Communication and Traffic Services Centre.

The petitioners are worried that the closing of this centre puts at risk and threatens the lives of fishers and all sorts of other people who use these waters. They are calling upon the House to reverse the decision to close the Thunder Bay Marine Communication and Traffic Services Centre in the name of safety for the lives of all mariners and for the safety of the marine environment.

Shark Finning

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions from thousands of Canadians.

The first petition calls on the House to implement a shark fin import ban. The petitioners say that measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to immediately legislate a ban on the importation of shark fin to Canada.

Search and Rescue

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

Mr. Speaker, my second petition calls on the government to save the Kitsilano Coast Guard station.

The petitioners say that the recent decision by the federal government to close the Kitsilano Coast Guard station is a grave mistake that will undoubtedly cost the lives of those in peril on the shores and waters near Vancouver Harbour, which is of course the busiest port in the country.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to rescind this decision and reinstate full funding to maintain the Kitsilano Coast Guard station.

Lyme Disease

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of citizens, all from the province of Ontario.

The petitioners are concerned with Lyme disease. They say a number of things about this disease, including that Canadians will benefit from the establishment of a national standard of care for the treatment of Lyme disease, a coordinated national effort to track the spread of the disease and increased public education and awareness to better prevent and detect instances of Lyme disease in Canada.

The petitioners call on the government to convene a national conference with provincial and territorial health ministers, representatives of the medical community and patient groups for the purpose of developing a national strategy to work towards ensuring the recognition, timely diagnosis and effective treatment of Lyme disease in Canada.

Pan-Canadian Concussion Strategy

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present six petitions regarding concussions. The signatures were collected by two extraordinary young women in my riding, Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula, who spent almost three years working on a bill proposal for a pan-Canadian concussion strategy. Concussion can deeply impact individuals psychologically, neuropsychologically, socially and economically. Those living with this brain injury deserve comprehensive action and support. The petitioners call on the government to enact a pan-Canadian concussion awareness week; a pan-Canadian strategy for prevention, diagnosis and management; and a centre for excellence in concussion research.

Venezuela

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions on behalf of Canadians residing in Ontario, mainly Venezuelan Canadians. They ask the House to turn its attention to the fact that since the last presidential election in Venezuela, electoral human rights and civil rights of the Venezuelan people have been shamefully violated. They ask our government to take a strong position in this regard and plead for a peaceful and democratic resolution to this crisis.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions calling on the Government of Canada to reverse its decision about Bill C-38 and the devastating changes to employment insurance made in the spring of 2012.

Gender Parity

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

Mr. Speaker, my last petition is about Bill C-473, which seeks to achieve gender parity in federal crown corporations where ministers appoint individuals.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to present a petition signed by several thousand people from my riding, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, who oppose the employment insurance reforms in Bill C-38.

The petition condemns the reform and calls on the Conservatives to cancel it and undertake consultations if they ever want to start another employment insurance reform process. They should start by talking to people. Then their reforms should be based on the needs of people in the regions, not faulty reasoning.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by hundreds of people from across Canada, from Vancouver, British Columbia, from Edmonton and Okotoks in Alberta, from Montreal and the Laurentians in Quebec and from Dieppe and Moncton in New Brunswick.

All of these people are calling on the Government of Canada to look into issues related to discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Discrimination against this group of people is currently at the heart of a case involving the Income Tax Act. Canadians would like parliamentarians to support Bill C-246, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (hearing impairment). This bill would enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing to benefit from the disability tax credit.

Impaired Driving

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions. The first highlights the sad fact that last year 22-year-old Kassandra Kaulius was killed by a drunk driver. A group of people, called Families for Justice, who have also lost loved ones to impaired drivers want to see tougher laws in the implementation of new mandatory minimum sentencing for those persons convicted of impaired driving causing death.

Sex Selection

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have from beautiful Langley is with regard to gendercide. The petitioners highlight that 92% of Canadians believe that sex-selective pregnancy termination should be illegal, and that there are over 200 million missing girls in the world right now. They ask for Parliament to condemn this worst form of discrimination against girls.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Bruce Hyer, Independent, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of residents from Thunder Bay and across much of Ontario protesting the closure of the Thunder Bay Marine Communications and Traffic Services centre. It covers an area all the way from Lake Winnipeg down through Lake Superior, all the way to Lake Huron. It ensures the safety of boaters throughout that entire series of watersheds. They ask us to reverse the government's decision to close that centre.

Cluster Munitions

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition from people from St. Albert, Edmonton and Calgary who want greater action to be taken by Parliament on dealing with cluster munitions.

The petitioners want amendments to Bill S-10 to close the loopholes, making it clear no Canadians should ever be involved in the use of cluster munitions, including explicit prohibition on investment in cluster munition production, and to add mention of the positive obligations Canada has assumed in signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

International Co-operation

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions as well that I wish to table for Development and Peace. The petitioners call on Parliament to adopt the following policy goals:

Demonstrate international responsibility by recommitting Canada to contribute 0.7% GDP to official development assistance; prioritize responsive funding to those NGOs that support work with CIDA; and, in the spirit of global solidarity, provide in full the funding of $49.2 million requested by Development and Peace over the next five years.

The Environment

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table petitions about the restoration of the Great Lakes water levels. There are over 400 names on this petition from southern Ontario; western Ontario; northern Ontario, including Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay; B.C.; and Alberta.

As members may be aware, this spring the International Joint Commission tabled its study on the international Great Lakes and it should be noted that the IJC made some pretty strong recommendations to the federal government for actions to investigate the restoration of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron levels. It is not just about the ecological concerns, but also about the economic and safety concerns.

The petitioners are asking that the Canadian federal Ministers of Natural Resources; the Environment; Fisheries and Oceans; and Transport, Infrastructure and Communities increase their efforts significantly to halt and reverse the ongoing loss of water in the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and for Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 1,322 to 1,325 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 1322

[Jean Rousseau, NDP, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

With regard to the 2013-2014 Main Estimates for the Canada Border Services Agency: (a) how many positions were cut, broken down by program; (b) what will the sources of respendable revenue be, broken down by amount; (c) what will the sources of professional and special services expenditures be, broken down by (i) service, (ii) contractor, (iii) amount; and (d) what will the sources of other subsidies and payments expenditures be, broken down by (i) subsidy, (ii) payment, (iii) amount?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1323

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

With regard to the commercial wharves in the province of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces: (a) what commercial wharves are in operation today, broken down by (i) province, (ii) riding, (iii) municipality; (b) of the wharves mentioned in (a), what are the estimated repair costs, broken down by (i) province, (ii) riding, (iii) municipality, (iv) wharf; and (c) of the wharves mentioned in (a), what are the estimated maintenance costs, broken down by (i) province, (ii) riding, (iii) municipality, (iv) wharf?