House of Commons Hansard #123 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ceta.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary 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 15 petitions.
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Statistics Act.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the Bilateral Mission to the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Mauritius held from March 16 to 20, 2015.
If I could have a moment, I want to mention that the hon. member for Ottawa—Vanier, the late Mauril Bélanger, led that delegation and, hence, there has been a delay in submitting this report.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The first concerns to the bilateral visit to London, United Kingdom, and Valletta, Malta, from March 12 to 19.
The second concerns the CPA election seminar for the Parliament of Guyana and the capacity building programme workshop for committee chairs and clerks, held in Georgetown, Guyana from March 31 to April 6.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Finance, entitled “Creating the Conditions for Economic Growth: Tools for People, Businesses and Communities”. Perhaps better known as pre-budget consultations, this report is the result of the efforts of many presentations from over 300 groups and individuals, and more than 400 submissions.
Special thanks must go to Clerk Suzie Cadieux, and assistants William Stephenson and Jean-Denis Kusion, analysts with the Library of Parliament, Dylan Gowans, Florian Richard, Michaël Lambert-Racine, and Claire Annett, who was a research assistant. Also, a special thanks to the chief of the analyst team, June Dewetering, who tried to get everything just perfect.
Finally, a special thanks to members of all parties who worked on this report, and worked endless hours in travel and meetings in this town to get the information in the report being tabled in Parliament today.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the dissenting report of Canada's official opposition regarding the prebudget consultations. Given the poor results achieved by the Liberals' first budget, we were pleased that the committee decided to choose economic growth as the theme of this year's prebudget consultations. Unfortunately, the committee chose to ignore criticism of the government's current approach and any new idea that could make a difference for Canadian workers, asking in its report that the federal government double down and move forward with a plan that is not working and that will involve more reckless spending, weaker economic growth, fewer jobs, and a heavier tax burden. For all of these reasons, the official opposition is presenting this dissenting report.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-328, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (oil transportation).
Mr. Speaker, thanks to my British Columbia colleagues, in particular my friend from Nanaimo—Ladysmith, I am proud to introduce a bill that would finally and forever protect B.C.'s north and central coasts from the threat of oil tankers and spills.
After more than a decade fighting the 1,100 kilometre diluted bitumen pipeline of the Enbridge northern gateway, communities across the sea united to finally end this nightmare of a project. It threatened our economy, our environment, and our very way of life. First nations and non-first nations, hunters, fishermen, environmentalists, rural and urban, all united together, standing shoulder to shoulder, for more than a decade to defeat that pipeline. The bill would finally finish the job and protect our coasts for generations to come.
The Prime Minister himself, and many in his cabinet, voted for this legislation in previous Parliaments. In order to restore some faith with British Columbians, it would be nice to see the Prime Minister follow through on some of those commitments. The Liberals cannot continue to portray our good province without consequence. Supporting this clear, permanent protection for our coast would be a true and worthy legacy of this Parliament for generations to come.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I would remind all members that presenting private members' bills is not the time for debate.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal Winnipeg Centre, MB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-329, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (asbestos).
Mr. Speaker, I am excited, with the support of the member for Newmarket—Aurora, to introduce a bill to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, modifying section 94. This would place asbestos on the prohibited materials list, meaning no person shall manufacture, use, sell, offer for sale, or import asbestos.
Asbestos has destroyed the lives of far too many workers. While short-term gain may be good, the long-term consequences for society are expensive. Let us ensure that people around the world do not suffer needlessly for our inactions. Let us do the right thing, and ban this toxic substance, once and for all.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
moved that Bill S-4, An Act to implement a Convention and an Arrangement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and to amend an Act in respect of a similar Agreement, be now read the first time and printed.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Salaberry—Suroît, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have here a petition regarding community television and media signed by dozens of people from my riding. It reads:
We, the undersigned Canadian residents, acknowledge:
That the Broadcasting Act stipulates that the community, private and public elements of the Canadian broadcasting system should complement one another to ensure that a range of local, regional and national programming is available to Canadians.
...we ask the government to enable a network of community-operated media centres to ensure i) the survival of community TV ii) the availability of local media in towns and neighbourhoods not served by public or private media iii) all Canadian residents have access to multi-platform media skills training and content distribution in the digital economy.
Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise in the House today to present a petition on a rebate for people with disabilities on behalf of a constituent of mine in Cambridge, Ontario. Over 1,900 Canadians have supported this petition.
Louis Plamondon Bloc Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition signed by more than 500 people who are calling on the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and hon. member for Saint-Laurent, as well as the hon. Minister of International Development and La Francophonie and hon. member for Compton—Stanstead, to add Tunisia to the list developing countries in Canada's international development program.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present two petitions. The first is from residents of the Vancouver area.
The petitioners call on the government to be mindful of the threat to the coastlines, that spills from oil tankers are inevitable, even if they are double-hulled. They ask the House of Commons to establish a permanent ban on crude oil tankers on the west coast of Canada to protect British Columbia's economy, fisheries, and tourism, as well as its coastal ecosystems.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents primarily of the Victoria area, as well as from some of the Gulf Islands.
The petitioners call on the House of Commons to discontinue the purchase of bottled water for use in federal government institutions, other than in cases where potable water is unavailable.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions.
The first is e-petition 458. It points out that access to health care is a right for all Canadians, and that hepatitis C is the single-most burdensome infectious disease Canada, affecting 250,000 Canadians, but fortunately it has a cure.
The petitioners call on the government to develop a national strategy, to work with the provinces and territories, to develop an effective action plan to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, as members of the House know, affordable housing in British Columbia is a very large and serious challenge for many people.
Petitioners from my riding of Vancouver Kingsway and elsewhere request that the Government of Canada, working with the provinces, invest in social housing, renew funding of long-term social housing operating agreements, and preserve rent subsidies and funds for necessary renovations to preserve the 620,000 social housing units that were built in our country between 1970 and 1994.
Lloyd Longfield Liberal Guelph, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present e-petition 190 on behalf of the medical cannabis patients in Canada. This petition has received over 10,000 signatures from Canadians in every province and territory.
The petitioners call upon the Minister of Finance to make medical cannabis, a physician-authorized substance, to be tax exempt as are all other prescription medications. The Excise Tax Act outlines that drugs authorized by a health care practitioner that are not available over the counter are zero rated. These Canadians are simply asking for equality under the law.
As we begin the process of taking cannabis out of the hands of criminals and into the controlled, regulated system, it is imperative that we protect the well-being of tens of thousands of Canadian patients who legally use this substance as a part of their medical treatment regime.
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of citizens of Longueuil—Saint-Hubert who have come together to fight for community television. They point out that the Broadcasting Act stipulates that the Canadian broadcasting system comprises private, public, and community elements, each of which has a role to play. The petitioners enjoy the services provided by TVRS, and they have come together to sign the document I am tabling in the House today.
Judy Sgro Liberal Humber River—Black Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, I present a petition signed by the citizens and residents of Canada.
The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to offer an unequivocal, sincere, and public apology to those home children, or child migrants, who died while being ashamed of their history and deprived of their family, to the living yet elderly home children who continue to bear the weight of that path, and to the descendants of home children who continue to feel the void passed down through generations, while continuing to search out relatives lost as a result of a system that victimized them under the guise of protection.
William Amos Liberal Pontiac, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise to submit a petition in relation to community television and media.
Dozens of residents of Pontiac have signed a petition which asks the government to enable community operated media centres that would ensure not only the survival of community television, but also the availability of local media in small towns and neighbourhoods that are not served by private or public media. The petitioners also call upon the government to ensure that Canada residents have access to multi-media platforms, media skills training, and content distribution capacity in the digital economy.
I am quite proud of one of my constituents, Catherine Edwards, who is the head of the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations. She has worked very hard on this, so it is an honour to stand and deliver this.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Questions Nos. 569 to 571.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
With regard to the attendance by the Finance Minister on October 13, 2016, at an event hosted by the Laurier Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia: (a) what are all the details of all expenses related to travel and hospitality incurred by the Finance Minister and his exempt staff related to his trip to Halifax on or around October 13, 2016, including the amount spent on (i) air transportation, (ii) other transportation, (iii) hotels, (iv) per diems, (v) other expenses; (b) was government-owned aircraft used for any portion of the trip; (c) what are the details of any official government meetings or announcement the Finance Minister had on October 13, 2016, including (i) time, (ii) location, (iii) list of attendees; and (d) did the Finance Minister receive approval from the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner prior to attending the Laurier Club event, and if so, when was approval received?
Question No. 569Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Saint-Maurice—Champlain Québec
Liberal
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the expenses related to travel and hospitality incurred by the minister and his exempt staff related to his trip to Halifax on or around October 13, 2016 were $5,020.73 in total, of which (i) air transportation was $3,231.04; (ii) other transportation, $573.11; (iii) hotels, $757.77; (iv) per diems, $458.81; and (v) other expenses, $0.00.
With regard to (b), government-owned aircraft were not used for any portion of the trip.
With regard to (c), on Friday, October 14, Minister Morneau held an open town hall in Halifax as part of the pre-budget consultations for budget 2017. A photo opportunity and media availability took place at a local business in Dartmouth prior to the pre-budget consultation.
In particular, with regard to (c)(i) and (ii), the photo opportunity and media availability were held at 10:00 a.m. local time, at the Bodega Boutique, 104 Portland Street, Dartmouth, NS; and the pre-budget consultation was held from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. local time, at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, 1209 Marginal Road Halifax, NS.
With regard to (c)(iii), representatives from the following organizations attended: Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, Laing House, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Community College’s Truro Campus, Efficiencyone, Canadian Medical Association, Leave Out Violence, Maritime Lumber Bureau, Metroworks, City of Halifax, Clean Foundation, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Easter Seals Nova Scotia, Municipality of the District of Digby, Nova Scotia Home Builders Association, the mortgage sector, CMBA Altlantic, National Bank, Common Goods Solutions, and Remax Nova.
With regard to (d), the Department of Finance does not have information regarding the minister’s private engagements.
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
With regard to the national debt of Canada: (a) what was the national debt on November 4, 2015; (b) what is the current national debt; and (c) what is the projected amount of national debt for the end of each of the following fiscal years (i) 2016-2017, (ii) 2017-2018, (iii) 2018-2019?