Debates of May 29th, 2015

Taxation

[Massimo Pacetti, Independent, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should address my question to the the Minister of Finance. No tariff reductions were announced in budget 2015. However, former finance minister Jim Flaherty was intent on closing the price gap between Canada and the United States with measures such as tariff reductions. While previous tariff reductions made prices considerably lower for consumers, there are still tariff lines of up to 18%.

The testing was conclusive, so why did the Minister of Finance not introduce new tariff reductions in budget 2015?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, our government has cut literally hundreds and hundreds of tariff lines. Partly we have done it, of course, as part of our process of entering into free trade agreements, at an unprecedented level compared with any other government in Canadian history, but we have also done it through the implementation of our new policy of allowing inputs into the manufacturing process in Canada to enter tariff free. This helps reduce costs for manufacturing and helps reduce the cost of our manufacturing products in Canada.

This has been a significant advance for us, which has resulted in massive reductions in tariffs. This is all good news for Canadians, for Canadian consumers, for Canadian businesses, and for creating Canadian jobs.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I know that on a regular basis, the member for Ottawa Centre and other members question the location of the communist monument. I would like, with unanimous consent, to actually enter into the record the map and diagram that shows the exact location of the monument when it will happen. I ask for unanimous consent to do that, for the record.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Does the member have unanimous consent to table the document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Main Estimates 2015-16”.

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

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties. If you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion, that notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, the order for consideration of the Ways and Means Motion No. 23 be deemed read, the motion to concur deemed moved and seconded, the question deemed put, and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to Monday, June 1, 2015, at the expiry of the time provided for government orders.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Does the hon. government House leader have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Agriculture

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise in the House to present a petition sent to me by the organization Development and Peace. The petitioners believe that new rules for the use of seed are detrimental to small farmers because, in some cases, the preservation, use and exchange of seeds are illegal and could be punishable by law. This petition seeks to bring to the attention of the House of Commons and the Government of Canada the importance of respecting farmers' right to preserve, exchange and use seeds.

Firearms

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there are number of constituents in Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo who are licensed handgun owners. The petitioners are looking for a little bit of increased flexibility in terms of their ability to use their handguns for protection, so they are looking for some changes to our firearms legislation.

Taxation

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to present a petition signed by hundreds of people across Canada requesting that the Government of Canada extend a 0% GST rate to menstrual hygiene products.

I think the letter they will get back from the government will show that the NDP pushed this motion and that we were supposed to have unanimous consent on it here today, but the Liberals have derailed that.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite proud to present this petition on behalf of Canadians who are asking the government to remove the federal tax on feminine hygiene products. The NDP is very proud to have convinced the government to remove this unfair tax. We now hope that the vote will be held soon, so that women can stop paying this tax, which makes absolutely no sense.

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I also have the great pleasure of presenting a petition asking the government to eliminate the tax on feminine hygiene products. It is a tax that we consider to be truly discriminatory. The women who signed this petition are very proud that the NDP brought this issue to Parliament and was successful and that this discriminatory tax will disappear on July 1.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present five petitions from my constituents.

The first has to do with the future of CBC/Radio-Canada. My constituents would like CBC/Radio-Canada to receive stable funding.

Natural Resources

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second and third petitions have to do with creating a legislative ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining. My constituents want to see Canada take responsible action in the mining sector around the world.

The Senate

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition I am presenting today has to do with the abolition of the Senate.

Taxation

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the fifth petition I am presenting, like others presented by some members, has to do with the elimination of the tax on feminine hygiene products. We would like to have a vote soon, but unfortunately the Liberals refused to give unanimous consent today.

Prostitution

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

Mr. Speaker, the undersigned citizens of Canada draw our attention to the fact that a high percentage of prostitutes are forced into the sex trade and trafficked. Therefore, they ask us to legislate that it be a criminal offence to purchase sex with a woman, man, or child and that it be a criminal offence for pimps, madams, and others to profit from the proceeds of the nefarious sex trade.

Sex Selection

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition on ultrasounds being used in Canada to tell the sex of unborn children, and if the sex is that of a girl, the pregnancy is terminated. The petitioners draw attention to the fact that this is creating a global gender imbalance, resulting in girls being trafficked into prostitution. Therefore, they call on Parliament to condemn this worst form of discrimination against females.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that Question No. 1156 will be answered today.

Question No. 1156

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

With regard to the proposed changes to the Health of Animals Regulations Part XII – Transportation of Animals: when will the updated Transportation Regulations be released?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, updates regarding the anticipated timing for the regulatory proposal to amend Part XII of the Health of Animals Regulations can be found by consulting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Forward Regulatory Plan. http://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/acts-and-regulations/forward-regulatory-plan/eng/1361986810905/1361986866978.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if Question Nos. 1146 and 1157 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Is that agreed?