House of Commons Hansard #213 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.

Topics

Business of SupplyRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Arms Trade TreatyPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today from Calgarians.

The first petition calls upon Canada to ratify the arms trade treaty. The petitioners advise us that half a million people die a year in arms conflict, that the trade in arms traps civilians in crime conflict, poverty, and disrupts the delivery of humanitarian aid. They are concerned that the Government of Canada continues to approve exports of weapons to places such as Brazil, Colombia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and so forth.

The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada, which voted for the text of the arms trade treaty in 2013, to sign, ratify and implement the arms trade treaty.

Nuclear DisarmamentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, the second petition from Calgarians calls upon Canada to take steps, finally, toward nuclear disarmament.

The petitioners are concerned that over 16,000 nuclear weapons are in existence, 2,000 on alert. Canada joined 190 states almost 50 years ago saying that it would pursue an arms treaty.

The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to urgently request the U.S. and Russia to reduce the alert status of their nuclear weapons and publicly affirm its willingness to engage in negotiations in a nuclear weapons convention or an equivalent framework of agreements.

JusticePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition which calls upon the Government of Canada to make changes to the current drinking and driving laws in Canada, and to make a change to the Criminal Code of Canada.

AgriculturePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present several petitions with hundreds of signatures from people in and around Guelph who feel that multinational seed companies are replacing the immense diversity of farmers' seeds with industrial varieties through an increasing number of patented seeds and that UPOV'91 will deter or outlaw the saving and exchanging of seeds between farmers, all of which affects both Canadian farmers and peasant farmers in third world countries.

The petitioners ask Canada to adopt policies, internationally and here at home, that support small farmers, especially women, and to ensure the exchange and preservation of seeds.

Child CarePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from members of my constituency of Victoria calling on the Government of Canada to work with the provinces and territories to implement the NDP plan for affordable child care in Canada.

It notes that 900,000 children of working parents have no affordable regulated child care space and asks that $15-a-day maximum child care be available to Canadians.

JusticePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions signed by thousands of Canadians. The first proposes to update Canada's impaired driving laws.

Firearms LegislationPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by hundreds of Canadians from coast to coast to coast who call on Parliament to enact common sense firearms laws by passing Bill C-42, the common sense firearms licensing act.

Hunting and TrappingPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB

Mr. Speaker, the third petition from Canadians calls on Parliament to support the environment committee's current study on hunting and trapping, and asks that the Liberals and New Democrats stop playing their partisan games at that committee.

Human RightsPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. The first is from residents of the Vancouver area calling on the government and the House to take whatever steps we can to pressure the People's Republic of China to respect the human rights of the practitioners of Falun Dafa and Falun Gong.

CBC/Radio-CanadaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents of the Victoria area calling on the House to create stable, predictable and sustainable funding to the nation's public broadcaster, the CBC.

AgriculturePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by dozens and dozens of residents of Kitimat, British Columbia in northwestern B.C.

The petition is entitled “The respect for the right of small scale family farmers to preserve, exchange and use seeds”.

The petitioners note that Canada has not adopted international policies that aid family farms, particularly small farms, and particularly those run by women, and that we must recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty. They also note that all Canadian policies, both here and abroad, should support programs that consult with family farmers and that protect the rights of small family farms in the global south to preserve, use and freely exchange seeds.

JusticePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition that sadly informs the House that Duane Pearson was tragically killed by a drunk driver. The Pearson family has been left devastated.

Families for Justice is a group of Canadians who have also lost loved ones killed by an impaired driver. They believe that Canada's impaired driving laws are much too lenient. They want the crime called what it is: vehicular homicide. They call on the government to introduce legislation that will provide mandatory sentencing for vehicular homicide.

Sex SelectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am presenting highlights that there is discrimination against girls and it is brutal. It is called sex selection. There are over 200 million girls missing internationally because of the use of sex selection. The petitioners call upon Parliament to condemn the practice of discriminating against girls through the use of sex selection.

HealthPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. The first one is from my constituents in Surrey, Newton and North Delta.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to create a ministry for people with disabilities and mental health issues. Of those with mental health issues, only one-third who need services in Canada actually receive them.

The petitioners feel that creating a ministry for those people would build a healthier harm reduction solution that is much needed. New Democrats recognize the importance of ensuring that Canadians who are living with mental illness have access to the supports they need.

ImmigrationPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is also from my constituents in Surrey, Newton and North Delta.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to make reuniting families a central priority in Canada's immigration system. They feel the government's two-year freeze on reunification applications for parents and grandparents was a misguided response to growing backlogs and that it weakened Canadian communities.

New Democrats agree that we should focus on family reunification to strengthen our communities and our economy by making Canada a more welcoming place for immigrants from around the world.

ImmigrationPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I would just point out that normally, during presentation of petitions, we avoid any commentary in respect to supporting one way or the other the petition being presented.

The hon. member for Nickel Belt.

Health CarePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON

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

The first one is from many communities in Nickel Belt, including Warren, St. Charles, Field, Val Caron, and Hanmer, and it calls on Canadians to support their public health care system. The petitioners want to ensure that every Canadian has access to the same high-quality health care services wherever they live.

DementiaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

NDP

Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on the government to support a national strategy on dementia.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 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. 1135 and 1136 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Is that agreed?

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Question No. 1135Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Conservative

Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON

With regard to government funding in the riding of Kitchener Centre, for each fiscal year since 2007-2008 inclusive: (a) what are the details of all grants, contributions, and loans to any organization, body, or group, broken down by (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department or agency providing the funding, (vi) program under which the grant, contribution, or loan was made, (vii) nature or purpose; and (b) for each grant, contribution and loan identified in (a), was a press release issued to announce it and, if so, what is the (i) date, (ii) headline, (iii) file number of the press release?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1136Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

With respect to Canada’s submission to the 20-year review on progress and challenges in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: (a) what specific consultations with provinces and territories did Status of Women Canada (SWC) undertake regarding Canada’s National Review, (i) on what dates did each consultation occur and with whom, (ii) what review process was put in place to ensure provinces and territories’ perspectives were adequately reflected; (b) who specifically drafted Canada’s National Review, (i) what departments gave specific input and on what dates, (ii) how many drafts of the submission were produced and on what dates, (iii) what departments and specific people reviewed each draft; (c) what Canadian NGOs were present at the NGO Forum before the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe Regional Review, and was there an opportunity to give feedback to SWC on the National Review, and, if so, what was the specific feedback; (d) what are the specific outstanding challenges the government acknowledges regarding the (i) pay gap, (ii) occupational segregation, (iii) violence against women and girls, (iv) participation of women in key leadership positions in Canadian business; (e) what specific annual investments has the government made between 2006 and the present to address each of the outstanding challenges identified in (d), and what legislative changes has the government passed to address these specified challenges; (f) what specific annual investments has the government made to reduce poverty since 2006 among (i) Aboriginal women, (ii) immigrant women, (iii) senior women, (iv) women with disabilities; (g) what legislative changes has the government passed to reduce poverty among (i) Aboriginal women, (ii) immigrant women, (iii) senior women, (iv) women with disabilities; (h) how is Canada a “leader in promoting gender equality”, including international rankings of Canada’s gender gap; (i) how did Canada “take seriously” its domestic commitments to achieve the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and what are the specific annual investments made for each of the 12 priority themes for the years 2006 to the present; (j) how did Canada “take seriously” its international commitments to achieve the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; (k) what specific annual investment has the government made between 2006 and the present in (i) strengthening national systems to protect children and youth, especially girls, from violence, exploitation, and abuse, (ii) supporting safe and secure schools, (iii) providing opportunities for youth at-risk to find alternatives to crime and violence; (l) what information does the government possess concerning violence against women, specifically (i) what are the economic costs of spousal abuse in Canada, (ii) what percentage of survivors of spousal abuse are women, (iii) what specific annual investments has the government made to end violence against women and girls since 2006; (m) what specific annual investment has the government made in child advocacy centres across Canada since 2006; (n) what was the specific cost to create the new online resource centre “Stop Family Violence,” (i) how many hits has the resource had, (ii) how many times has it been used to create new programming or improve programming across the country; (o) what specific projects to assist women and girls fleeing domestic violence have been funded through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, and what has been the investment in each project; (p) what specific projects has the government funded regarding emerging issues, specifically “violence committed in the name of honor”, and what was the amount invested; (q) what specific projects has the government funded regarding emerging issues, specifically “engagement of men and boys in violence prevention”, and what was the amount invested; (r) what was the specific cost to produce the “Stop Hating Online” resource, and how many hits has the site had; (s) what is the SWC’s annual investment in projects to end violence against women and girls between 2006 and the present; (t) what specific annual investments has the government made to prevent sexual violence between the years 2006 and the present; (u) how is Canada recognized as a leader in the protection of women’s rights with respect to (i) reproductive, (ii) maternal, (iii) newborn, (iv) child health; (v) what investment has the government made in the protection of women’s rights identified in (u) for the years 2006 to the present; (w) what are the specific target and indicators Canada is advocating for with respect to child marriage, earlymarriage, and forced marriage in the post-2015 development agenda; (x) what specific annual investments has Canada made with respect to First Nations and Inuit to improve health outcomes between 2006 and the present; and (y) how much money is set aside annually to ensure compliance with the “Health Portfolio Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Policy”?