Debates of March 28th, 2014

Health

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 14 years ago, my 15-year-old daughter Vanessa Young tragically died from a heart attack while on the prescription drug Prepulsid, which was later deemed not safe and was removed from the market.

Today, our government has taken an important step to improving drug safety for all Canadians. Can the Minister of Health inform this House what is being done to strengthen drug and patient safety in Canada to better protect all Canadians from the dangerous consequences of adverse drug reactions?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of our government's historic legislation, the protecting Canadians from unsafe drugs act, or Vanessa's law. This is the first major update to Canada's drug safety laws in decades, and it will help identify potentially dangerous drugs, ensure the quick recall of unsafe drugs, and require reporting of adverse drug reactions.

I thank the opposition members for their support. We will work hard to ensure we have the strongest possible safety systems in place so that we can keep Canadians safe.

We can all agree that the member for Oakville deserves full credit for this.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Forestry Industry

[Claude Patry, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is all very well for the government to introduce another omnibus budget implementation bill. Forestry workers in Quebec know that they will not be getting their share.

While hundreds of millions of dollars will go to the fishers in Newfoundland, while half a billion dollars will go to the auto industry in Ontario, the forestry industry in Quebec will have to settle for crumbs, despite the challenges that remain. One might think that the forestry workers in Quebec are not worth as much to the Conservatives as other workers.

Is there a minister from Quebec who understands the importance of the forestry industry in Quebec and will ensure that it gets its fair share?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. member is referring to the softwood lumber agreement. That agreement continues to enjoy strong support from industry across the country, and from provincial governments, for the predictability and stability that agreement has provided.

I would refer the member to a statement from Tembec, a Quebec-based forestry company. It stated:

Thanks to the Softwood Lumber Agreement, lumber exports are free of export tax or quotas today and for the majority of the past year, resulting in a resurgence of exports from Ontario and notably Quebec.

This is another example of our government standing behind job creation.

[Claude Patry, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have proof that the federal government has abandoned the forestry workers back home. Even though Quebec has changed its approach to allocating stumpage fees, the federal government still refuses to use the provision in the softwood lumber agreement that would exempt Quebec from the surcharges imposed by the Americans. Even though Quebec has a more open system than the maritime provinces, it is still being penalized by the federal government.

When will the minister dispense with the double standard and finally agree to the request from Quebec's forestry industry?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, at current market prices, all Canadian exports of softwood lumber have duty-free and quota-free access to the U.S. market as a result of our agreement. The agreement reflects a negotiated outcome to a complex trade dispute and does not discriminate against any province or region of the country. That member should recognize this. He should listen to voices from Quebec, like Tembec, and get behind this agreement.

Foreign Investment

[Brent Rathgeber, Independent, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Industry Canada has been warned for some time that a lack of clarity in the Investment Canada Act is going to threaten foreign investment in Canada. The net benefit test remains nebulous, and terms added on the fly, in 2012, such as “exceptional circumstances” and “strategic resources”, are wholly undefined. Predictably, foreign investment is declining. For example, Chinese investment fell from $21.5 billion in 2012, to a mere $220 million last year.

As $100 billion of capital is required for Alberta alone for the oil sands by 2019, when will the government provide clarity to the Investment Canada Act to stop repelling foreign investment?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, our government's first priority is creating high-quality jobs for Canadians and driving economic growth. Since 2005, when this government came to power, foreign direct investment is up in the following: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, 46%; construction, 70%; manufacturing, 62%; retail trade, 96%; transportation and warehousing, 206%; finance and insurance, 52%; and, the hon. member might be interested to know, in mining, oil and gas, 86%.

Special Economic Measures Act

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 7 of the Special Economic Measures Act, I have the honour to table in the House, in both official languages, copies of the following regulations and orders made on March 17, March 19, and March 21, 2014.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-31, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures.

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

Rail Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by many people in northern Ontario who are trying to save the Algoma Central Railway. It is a very important part of northern Ontario, particularly around Sault Ste. Marie. It is the sole point of access for many businesses, homes, and communities along the route. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to reinstate the federal funding that allowed for the operation of the Algoma Central Railway.

Impaired Driving

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions today. The first petition represents thousands of Canadians. It highlights that 22-year-old Kassandra Kaulius was killed by a drunk driver. A group of people who have also lost loved ones to impaired drivers, called “Families For Justice”, believes that the current impaired driving laws are too lenient. They are calling for new mandatory minimum sentences for people who have been convicted of impaired driving causing death.

Sex Selection

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition highlights that over 200 million girls have been lost through sex selective pregnancy termination, creating a global gender imbalance and causing girls to be trafficked into prostitution.

Petitioners are calling upon Parliament to condemn this worst form of discrimination against females.

The Environment

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition, representing hundreds of thousands of British Columbians, in the Lower Mainland and beyond, who wish to make it very clear that the Fraser Surrey Docks proposal to ship U.S. thermal coal through B.C. communities poses serious and direct risks to both the residents and the environment along the proposed coal corridor. It includes White Rock, Surrey, Delta, New Westminster, Burnaby, Richmond, and Texada Island.

The petitioners point out that coal dust causes respiratory illness such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and diesel particulates cause respiratory illness and are a carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization. Coal contains toxic heavy metals, and over 100 schools are within a distance that may pose possible health risks from coal dust or diesel particulates. Nine municipalities, representing more than 40% of British Columbia's population, have passed resolutions either opposing the Fraser Surrey Docks coal port or requesting an independent, third-party comprehensive health impact assessment. The chief medical officers of the region are also asking for such an assessment to be made.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

I would remind hon. members to try to keep their summaries very brief so we can get through petitions.

Divorce Act

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

Mr. Speaker, these petitioners mark the fact that children ordinarily thrive the best when raised by both parents. Despite that, courts actually favour mostly sole-custody. Therefore, the petitioners are asking Parliament to amend the Divorce Act to require equal shared parenting to be treated as the rebuttable presumption in custody decisions, except, of course, in cases of proven neglect or abuse.

Public Transit Operators

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting two petitions today. The first petition calls on the House of Commons to amend the Criminal Code to protect bus drivers. My father was a bus driver for 30 years, and I am very familiar with the dangers of this job.

Rail Transportation

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my second petition, petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to reinstate the federal funding allowed for the operation of the Algoma Central Railway.

What is unique about this petition is that not only do I have names from Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce Mines, Sudbury, and Dowling, but I also have names from people from Chicago, Connecticut, and Ohio. Even the Americans are more concerned about our railroad system than the Conservative government is.

Public Transit Operators

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions today on the same topic. The petitioners want to draw the attention of the House of Commons to the high number of attacks every year on bus drivers who serve the public.

They are also calling on the House of Commons to amend the Criminal Code to create an offence for attacks committed against bus drivers while they are working and to set harsher penalties for the attackers. People from across the province are urging the government to act quickly.

Health of Animals and Meat Inspection

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions.

The first petition is in support of the bill I introduced in the House, Bill C-322, which would amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act to prohibit the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption and horse meat products for human consumption.

Pensions

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, petitioners from my community of Nelson are calling on the Government of Canada to work with provincial and territorial governments to increase pension benefits under the Canada and Quebec pension plans, and to implement a fully-funded plan to phase in such an increase without delay.

Canada Post

[Pierre Jacob, NDP, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the second time that I have presented a petition about Canada Post this winter. The petition was signed by many people in Brome—Missisquoi who are unhappy that Canada Post will no longer be offering home mail delivery and will be increasing rates. They condemn the fact that people will lose jobs, and they are concerned that Canada Post could be privatized. Lastly, they are urging the government to seek alternatives that will modernize the services provided by Canada Post and allow home delivery to continue.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the following question will be answered today: No. 301.

Question No. 301

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

With regard to The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Expert Panel on Safety Code 6: (a) which department and persons within the government were responsible for contracting RSC to conduct the expert panel; (b) what were the criteria for selecting an organization to conduct the expert panel; (c) what is the mandate of the expert panel; and (d) why was the sentence “certain members of the general public may be more susceptible to harm from microwave exposure” removed from the 2009 Safety Code 6 update and will it be included in this year’s update of Safety Code 6 following the conclusion of RSC Expert Panel on Safety Code 6?