Debates of April 30th, 2014

Canadian Heritage

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

Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister for Multiculturalism.

Would the minister be able to provide the House with an update on the government support for and the status of the act to establish April 2 as Pope John Paul II day in honour of a champion of freedom and human dignity?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question, and indeed for his bill.

We all watched with great interest as Pope John Paul II was canonized as Saint John Paul II on Sunday, a man who meant so much to millions of Canadians. That would be recognized by the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville's bill.

Regrettably, it has been sitting dormant on the order paper at the Senate for, I gather, eight months. One particular senator in the opposition in the other place has put a freeze, effectively, on the bill. We would respectfully ask that the freeze be removed and that the bill proceed to a vote so that all Canadians can recognize this champion of human freedom next year.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, five years ago, Peguis First Nation in Manitoba was hit by a major flood.

This year, 136 people have been evacuated. So far the response has been to relocate only 15 out of the agreed 75 homes.

The federal government has done nothing for permanent flood mitigation and rejected a proposal to support the emergency operations centre that would allow Peguis to deal with major flooding.

Why will the government not live up to its obligations for short- and long-term flood protection for first nations in Canada?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, I reiterate that the health and safety of all Canadians, including first nations, is a priority of the government.

The hon. member refers to flooding taking place, and as we speak, officials from my department, of the government in question at the provincial level, and first nations are working together to deal with the flooding situation.

Last November, we announced a new comprehensive single-window approach to emergencies, a financial arrangement that will ensure we can deal with mitigation.

Natural Resources

[Dean Del Mastro, Independent, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement guarantees the U.S. an unfettered supply of Canadian oil in exchange for unfettered access.

In the case of the Keystone XL pipeline, approval is a no-brainer, particularly if one believes that the creation of good-paying jobs and energy security are a priority for the citizens of both countries.

Our Prime Minister has succeeded in securing overwhelming support of the U.S. legislators, business leaders, and everyday American citizens. Now the Prime Minister has the opportunity to do something historic.

A NAFTA challenge in support of Keystone approval will be the very first in the history of the agreement to enjoy majority support from both the U.S. Congress and the Canadian Parliament.

Will the Prime Minister undertake such a challenge?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on responsible resource development that protects the environment and creates safe communities, jobs, and economic growth. It is for this reason that we have been clear in our support for energy sector infrastructure and improving access to markets. The United States in particular would benefit from this project, for obvious key strategic reasons. Canada has the resource in abundance and is geographically well positioned to serve the United States' continued demand for energy products.

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 both official languages, the government's response to 20 petitions.

National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-594, An Act respecting a National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to propose and introduce an act respecting a national metastatic breast cancer day to be designated as October 13. This particular date is recognized by many countries in the world as metastatic breast cancer day. I want to thank the Canadian Breast Cancer Network for its support and encouragement for bringing in this bill.

I want to add that the bill is important, because 24,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Approximately 5,000 of those will die from the disease, 10% will have an initial diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, and 30% of those diagnosed will actually develop it later on.

I am hoping that members will support this bill. It is a very important bill, and it requires that we recognize metastatic breast cancer. In fact, one can be diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning and it would seem that it is okay, and suddenly one has metastatic disease. This is very important for women in Canada.

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

Canada Post

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in my first petition, the undersigned are calling upon the government to reverse the cuts in services announced by Canada Post and to instead look for ways to innovate in areas such as postal banking.

Impaired Driving

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in my second petition, the undersigned acknowledge that the current impaired driving laws are too lenient. In the interest of public safety and as citizens of Canada, they want tougher laws through the implementation of mandatory minimum sentencing.

Blood and Organ Donation

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Third, Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions that call upon the government to review thoroughly and change the policy on blood and organ donation in Canada. They ask that the sexual preference of people not be an instant refusal to the right to donate.

Impaired Driving

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my fourth petition, a large one, is calling upon the Government of Canada to make several changes to the current drinking and driving laws in Canada and to make a change to the Criminal Code of Canada in respect of penalties.

Avro Arrow

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my final and favourite petition is signed by 26 Canadians. The petitioners request that the House of Commons take out of storage the last remaining Avro Arrow and stop the needless spending of our tax dollars to keep it in storage. The Avro Arrow today should be considered a museum piece to pay tribute to Canada's contribution to the advancement of science and technology, of which—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I am going to stop the hon. member there. There are many members rising, and if each member took a full minute, we would not get everybody in.

I am going to ask two things. One, I will ask members to very quickly present their petitions, especially when they have multiple ones, and for those who are not presenting petitions, either remain in their seats or take their conversations outside.

The hon. member for Sudbury.

Canada Post

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the chamber to table a series of petitions signed by a great number of Canadians, most of them from my great riding of Sudbury. They call on the government to reverse the cuts to services announced by Canada Post and to look instead for ways to innovate, for example by establishing postal banking services.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two different petitions on behalf of my constituents.

The first petition has to do with what is happening with Canada Post and its decision to reduce services, particularly in rural communities. I have petitions, particularly from the residents of Harbour Breton and the surrounding area, asking the government to get after Canada Post to stop doing this because of the harm it is doing in communities, in particular in those areas where there is no high-speed Internet. The fact of the matter is that this is the only service in some rural communities where people can get not just postal service but other services as well.

The Environment

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is signed by residents who want a ban on hydraulic fracturing. They are calling on the Government of Canada to impose this ban as soon as possible.

Divorce Act

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition from individuals in my riding in support of private member's Bill C-560 for amendments to the Divorce Act.

Shark Finning

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from Canadians who want the government to take measures to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks. The petitioners call upon the government to immediately legislate a ban on the importation of shark fins to Canada.

The Environment

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, this petition comes from residents living on New World Island, Twillingate Island, Change Islands, and Fogo Island. A paper carrier sank in the area in 1985, and it is now starting to spew oil. In fact, it has been spewing oil for the past year, or perhaps even longer.

The petition is signed by residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who implore the government to come up with a long-term solution, not a short-term solution, to get the oil out of that boat before there is a major environmental catastrophe.

Anaphylaxis

[Brad Butt, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition today on behalf of members of the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative.

The petitioners are asking Parliament to enact a policy to reduce the risk of an anaphylactic reaction for passengers, applicable to all forms of passenger transportation in the federal jurisdiction.

Rail Transportation

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition signed by over 500 people across the country. The petitioners call upon the government to contribute to the funding necessary for the repair and maintenance of the track between Bathurst and Miramichi and to obtain a guarantee that Canadian National will keep the line between Bathurst and Miramichi open in order to maintain VIA Rail service in eastern New Brunswick and Quebec.

I am also pleased to present three petitions signed by 250 people. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to contribute to the funding necessary for the repair and maintenance of the track between Bathurst and Miramichi and to obtain a guarantee that Canadian National will keep the line between Bathurst and Miramichi open in order to maintain VIA Rail service in eastern New Brunswick and Quebec.

Blood and Organ Donation

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition that speaks to the fact that any donation of blood and organs should be based on evidence and testing and not on stereotyping, that denying persons the right to donate blood and organs because of sexual orientation may very well be unconstitutional, and that any person should have the right to donate blood and organs on a universal basis.

Agriculture

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

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition today from a number of petitioners in my riding in the Waterloo region.

The petitioners ask Parliament to refrain from making any changes to the Seeds Act or to the Plant Breeders' Rights Act through Bill C-18.

Blood and Organ Donation

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I stand on behalf of constituents in my riding of Newton--North Delta in support of the iCANdonate campaign.

These petitioners call upon the government to change the policy on blood, organ, and bone marrow donation in Canada. They are asking that sexual preference not be an instant refusal of a person's right to donate.