House of Commons Hansard #233 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was s-4.
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today with a petition from hundreds of people from my community demanding respect for the right of small-scale family farmers to preserve, exchange, and use seeds.
Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition today from my constituents regarding women who work in dangerous jobs who become pregnant and whose employers cannot accommodate them. Presently the EI benefits and maternity benefits do not cover the full term.
In Quebec, the programme for a risk-free pregnancy provides for what is known as a preventive withdrawal.
Petitioners are asking that a federal early maternity leave program be created to reflect the change in our workforce and that the government update our policies in the area of maternal and infant care.
Marc-André Morin NDP Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from my constituents, who are calling on the government to demonstrate international responsibility by recommitting Canada to contributing 0.7% of GDP to overseas development assistance.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from constituents in my riding of Wellington—Halton Hills who are calling on Parliament to pass legislation that would remove all flavours from all tobacco products.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions from people in my riding.
One petition deals with the requirement to have a climate strategy. The petitioners refer back to the targets and timelines that were included in the bill that was passed in this place, Bill C-31, sponsored by the hon. member for Thunder Bay—Superior North.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls for the Government of Canada to collaborate with the provinces to put in place a national strategy for extended producer responsibility.
Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am quite proud to present dozens of petitions from northerners asking the Government of Canada to work collaboratively with the provinces to defend and strengthen public health care for northerners, including investing in better home care, long-term care, and palliative care in northern Ontario, and to implement a strategy for mental health and suicide prevention.
Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions about the same issue. The petitioners are asking the Government of Canada to improve the wait times at Service Canada. They are asking that the processing time to deal with many Service Canada programs be reduced. The petitioners are saying that things like guaranteed income supplements and other applications are backlogged, and sometimes the wait time can be up to six months. They are asking for that to be changed.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, I want to present petitions on behalf of my constituents on three different topics.
The first one is against Bill C-51, the dangerous, vague, and likely ineffective proposed law by the Conservatives. The petitioners want to stop this attack on our civil liberties.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is a housing crisis for so many people in my city of Toronto. Petitioners are calling on this House to develop a national housing strategy to ensure safe, accessible, and affordable housing for all Canadians.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, too many Canadian cyclists are injured and killed. Petitioners are calling on this House to work with communities across Canada to promote and create cycling infrastructure.
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by my constituents in Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, who are calling on the government to stop making cuts to our postal services. My constituents are calling on the Government of Canada to not proceed with these devastating cuts to our postal services.
Maria Mourani Independent Ahuntsic, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to present a petition signed by a number of co-operative members in my riding, who are simply calling on the government to maintain federal funding for low-income households, to maintain the $1.7 billion set out in the operating agreements and to reinvest in new or recent housing co-operatives.
Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, we collected thousands of signatures. The petitioners are opposed to the elimination of home delivery and the increase in fees. In particular, seniors, people with reduced mobility and small businesses are calling for this service to be restored as an essential public service.
Sylvain Chicoine NDP Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant to present a petition signed by dozens of my constituents who oppose the cuts to postal services.
This is not the first time I have presented a petition like this, since this issue is very important to my constituents. The petitioners want the government to maintain home delivery and put an end to the cuts to our postal services.
Matthew Kellway NDP Beaches—East York, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table hundreds of signatures, adding to the many thousands already tabled, protesting the end of door-to-door delivery by Canada Post. The signatories wish to point out that the elimination of door-to-door delivery will have a particularly hard impact on seniors and the disabled, and they call upon the government to reject Canada Post's plan to cut mail services and increase prices and to instead explore other options for modernizing our postal delivery system.
Tyrone Benskin NDP Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present.
The first is another petition opposing the cuts to Canada Post. People want home delivery service to be restored because it affects seniors and people with disabilities.
Tyrone Benskin NDP Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition, which has quite a few signatories, is to ensure the dignity of Canada's veterans.
The petitioners feel that the families of veterans and veterans themselves do not have proper access to the services they were promised.
Tyrone Benskin NDP Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is signed by hundreds of individuals across the country. They are calling for better support for public health. The petitioners feel that the government is failing in that regard.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present three separate petitions.
The first petition is from petitioners who say that multinational seed companies are gradually replacing the immense diversity of farmers' seeds by industrial varieties. They are obtaining an increased number of patents on different seeds and are threatening the ability of small family farms to produce the food that is required to feed their families and their communities.
The petitioners are asking the government to adopt international aid policies that support small family farmers, especially women, and recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty, and that these policies be developed in consultation with small family farms.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
The second petition, Mr. Speaker, is signed by youth and adults alike across the country and talks about the flavouring of tobacco products that are marketed to youth by the tobacco industry. The petitioners are requesting that all flavours be removed from all tobacco products.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the third petition contains thousands of signatures of petitioners who are calling for the removal of the gender-specific discriminatory tax on feminine hygiene products.
I am happy to report while I table this petition that the NDP motion to do the same thing has now been adopted by this House, and as of July 1 this year, this gender-specific discriminatory tax on women and feminine hygiene products will no longer be in effect.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the following question will be answered today: No. 1273.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan NDP Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
With regard to the government’s role in promoting consensual, healthy sexual relationships, as well as sound reproductive health: (a) what steps is the government undertaking in this regard; (b) what budget allocations has the government made in this regard; (c) what steps is the government taking to ensure that quality sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion services, are accessible and available for all; (d) will the government impose penalties on provinces failing to ensure the availability of individuals’ right to access safe abortion services without discrimination; (e) what steps is the government taking to ensure that all individuals are able to access sexual and reproductive health services and information, free from all barriers, including timely and systematic referral in the event of conscientious objection on moral or religious grounds; (f) what steps is the government taking to ensure that conscientious objection exemptions are well-defined in scope and well-regulated in use; and (g) how is the government working with provinces to improve the accessibility and availability of abortion services in Canadian hospitals and in rural or remote areas?
Question No. 1273Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Edmonton—Spruce Grove Alberta
Conservative
Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, in response to parts (a) and (b), the Public Health Agency of Canada supports a wide range of actions related to the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections, which can be considered to be one element of healthy sexual relationships. Further information is available at: http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/healthy-living-vie-saine/sexual-sexuelle/index-eng.php.
The agency works collaboratively with provinces and territories to monitor data through its national surveillance network and update guidance and recommendations on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of sexually transmitted diseases. More details can be found at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/index-eng.php. In addition, the Government of Canada's family violence initiative and the children's programs administered through funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada contribute to resilience, positive parenting and healthy relationships.
The level of precision to answer (b) is not available from agency financial systems.
Parts (c) to (h), the primary responsibility to organize and ensure the delivery of health services to Canadians, including sexual and reproductive health services, belongs to the provinces and territories. The provinces and territories are also responsible to ensure that these services are reasonably accessible to their residents.