Debates of June 14th, 2013

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, in all the din and disrespect of the last few sessions of question period, actually going back weeks, Canadians would never see what I see, which is that the vast majority of members of Parliament are decent, hard-working people who, when asked a question, would never, except when they are handed a talking point, turn around and try to cast blame and throw scandals at everybody else.

This tactic of throwing mud around is going to bring all parliamentarians and democracy itself into disrespect and disrepute, essentially saying that everybody does it.

I really would beg the government ministers to answer this question now. Will the Prime Minister please take responsibility and call an inquiry?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, currently there are independent agencies which are reviewing this matter, as they should do. Of course, the government will co-operate fully with such reviews.

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the minister's response. It is true that the RCMP are investigating the Prime Minister's Office, which I think is a first in the history of this country.

My question goes to the partisanship, which of course is endemic to politics, but can we not rise above it in question period and in our talking points to media, and stop trying to make minor molehill incidents into major mountains?

We need to show some respect for the Canadian public and not continue to let this place degenerate.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, today we learned that Leann from the Grace Foundation lost her job. She lost her job because the Liberal leader charged $20,000 in speaking fees for a fundraising event that was a total bomb. It lost money, and donations that were intended to help the elderly who are most in need went into the pocket of the Liberal leader.

That organization is pleading with the Liberal leader, and has been doing so for two months, to pay back that money.

I hope the Green Party will join with us in urging the Liberal leader to do the right thing by our seniors and our elderly and pay back the money.

Oral Questions

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege last night of attending the citizenship and immigration committee while it was studying a private member's bill. Then I came in here today and I heard a backbench Conservative ask the minister a question so that he could answer and misinform the House on what the discussions were, as if somebody was supporting terrorism.

The real issue is the government is hijacking a private member's bill to try and get its way across, and that goes against our very democracy in this institution.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The Chair has heard the point raised by the hon. member for Malpeque. As he will know, the chair in the House does not involve itself directly in the matters of a committee. Also, the chair does not involve itself in terms of what the facts may or may not be.

[An hon. member]

There are ministers providing misinformation.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order.

[An hon. member]

Point of order.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the hon. member for Malpeque just a moment ago, he said that a member asked a question in order to provide an opportunity for the minister to mislead the House.

One is not allowed to accuse someone of deliberately misleading the House. He played a little game there, but one is not allowed to imply by the back door that which you cannot say by the front door. That is problem number one. That is out of order and he should apologize for that.

Also, in his heckle, he just made a further assertion about untruths being said that is also not permissible. I suggest he should have to withdraw that as well and show some decorum for once.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The chair thanks the hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington for that submission and will take it under advisement.

Government Response to Petitions

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to 10 petitions.

Foreign Affairs and International Development

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in relation to Bill S-14, an act to amend the corruption of foreign public officials act.

The committee has studied the bill and has agreed to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

Multiple Sclerosis

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions on CCSVI.

Canadians with MS want to know when Conservative MPs and senators learned of their government's position to kill both the House and Senate bills for CCSVI. The decision was taken by February 6, 2012. Did they know the position going into the Senate hearings, and if so, why did no one have the courage to talk to Canadians living with MS and be honest with them? Canadians with MS should not have been given false hope for eight months.

The petitioners are calling upon the minister to consult experts actively engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of CCSVI to undertake phase III clinical trials on an urgent basis and to require follow-up care.

Sex Selection

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions from constituents from the areas of London, Woodstock, and Ingersoll.

The constituents are asking Parliament to condemn discrimination against females, which is occurring through sex selective pregnancy termination.

Gender Parity

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions today.

The first petition I am presenting in the House of Commons is in support of Bill C-473, introduced by a colleague from Quebec.

The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to pass this legislation, which aims to achieve balanced representation in the number of women and men serving as directors on boards of crown corporations.

This bill reaffirms the NDP's position on gender equality in all aspects of our society.

Pensions

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by the electors and citizens of Elmwood—Transcona. They are drawing the attention of the government to the need to support the Canada pension plan and the Quebec pension plan, underscoring the importance of secure pensions for people in Winnipeg and across the country.

Sex Selection

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present three petitions.

These three petitions come from many constituents in the riding I represent. The petitioners are concerned about discrimination against females that they conclude occurs through sex-selective pregnancy termination. They ask that members of the House express their condemnation of that conduct.

Genetically Modified Alfalfa

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in a completely separate petition, other residents of the riding I represent are petitioning the House to express concern and bring about a moratorium on genetically modified alfalfa.

National Parks

[Rathika Sitsabaiesan, NDP, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present petitions on behalf of constituents who are calling on the Government of Canada to act on Rouge Park. We know that the current Rouge Park is home to endangered Carolinian forest and mixed woodland/plain life zones in Canada, zones with one-third of Canada's endangered species. It is the ancestral home of the Mississauga, Huron-Wendat and Seneca first nations and their sacred burial and village sites.

This is the last chance to create a large national park in southern Ontario, an area with 34% of Canada's population and 77% of its land in agricultural and human settlement use. Only 1/400th of its land is protected in national parks.

The petitioners respectfully urge the Government of Canada to ensure that Rouge national park strengthens and implements the ecological visions, policies and integrity of approved Rouge Park plans, the provincial greenbelt plan, the Rouge natural heritage action plan and the Oak Ridges Moraine conservation plan to ensure that the Rouge national urban park will be the best park. We know, of course, that it will be the largest urban park in North America. To make sure it will be--

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, today I have the pleasure of presenting three petitions.

The first petition is signed by hundreds of people who oppose the employment insurance reform. They are asking the government to scrap all of the changes announced since Bill C-38 was introduced.

Forillon National Park

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

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to present a petition signed by hundreds of people in my riding who are calling for a reversal of the unilateral decision, without any consultation, to eliminate all winter activities at Forillon National Park. They are asking the government to restore funding and to rehire all staff so that the park can fulfill its mandate to provide service to the people of Gaspé and Canada all year round.