Debates of Feb. 24th, 2016

Telecommunications

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. Let us settle down, folks. We want to hear the answer to that question. I know members are anxious to hear the answer.

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage has the floor. We will have order.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Clearly, Mr. Speaker, there is no issue with free speech in this House.

We will launch a public consultation on the digital shift in order to really see the opportunity, but not only that, to really understand the impact the internet may have on users and creators in general.

Air Canada

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, “It is such a shame that we have to demonstrate to ask the law and order government to obey the law. It is ridiculous. We are losing the types of jobs that we need in this country.” That is exactly what the current Prime Minister said in 2012, when he was standing side by side with the Aveos workers. I could not have put it better myself. The law is clear and it guarantees jobs at home in Quebec, in Canada. The two rulings against Air Canada are clear, and it is just as clear that Air Canada has complied with neither one.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to enforce law and order in Canada?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, naturally I am very pleased to learn that Air Canada is going to invest in Bombardier's C Series aircraft. That is good news. It is also going to support the implementation of a centre of excellence for the next 20 years. That too is good news. When I was answering the question from the hon. member for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, I heard the hon. member for Beauce say that no one wants to buy the C Series. I would like him to explain what he means.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Yesterday the House refused its consent to table the November “Fiscal Monitor”, which showed the Conservatives left the Liberals with a surplus. Of course, the December “Fiscal Monitor” shows that we left them with an even bigger surplus than the November one. I seek unanimous consent to table the December document.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

It sounded like debate there for a while, but the member did ask for unanimous consent to table the December document. Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Foreign Affairs

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled, Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Air Transport, done at Port of Spain on June 29, 2015; and Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments Between Canada and the Republic of Guinea, done at Conakry on May 27, 2015. An explanatory memorandum is included with each treaty.

Department of Public Works and Government Services Act

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-227, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (community benefit).

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce my first private member's bill, with support of the member for Scarborough—Rouge Park, on community benefit agreements (CBAs) and federal spending on infrastructure.

CBAs are a new approach to development and growth in neighbourhoods all across Canada. CBAs create community wealth, quality jobs, training, responsible growth, and a healthier environment. CBAs empower communities to make development work for them. CBAs are about fairness and broad community participation in the development process, resulting in everyone getting a slice of the development pie.

My riding of York South—Weston has a section of the Eglinton crosstown LRT project, a project that has embraced a community benefits approach and is a great example of a community that would benefit from CBAs being a component of federal spending on infrastructure projects.

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

Fisheries Act

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-228, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (closed containment aquaculture).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill, seconded by my good friend, the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, which would strengthen the Fisheries Act by requiring British Columbia fish farms to move from harmful open-net pens to safe, closed containment systems. My bill would direct the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to develop, table, and implement a transition plan to move to closed containment, while ensuring protection for those who are currently working in the industry.

The science is clear: B.C.'s wild salmon is in a vulnerable state. Transitioning to closed containment will help protect our wild salmon from sea lice, pollutants, and other harmful substances that come from open net farms. Canada has the potential to be leaders in closed containment technology.

This important legislation is a step toward ensuring our wild salmon will remain healthy for generations to come. I hope all members of the House will support it.

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

Life Means Life Act

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-229, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts (life sentences).

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the bill today. The bill would ensure that judges and juries would have the option in sentencing to ensure that those who were convicted of heinous crimes would not walk the streets of our country again.

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

Criminal Code

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-230, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (firearm—definition of variant).

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to table this important legislation today in the House for first reading.

The term “variant” is used 99 times in the regulations in the Firearms Act to classify firearms. However, it is not actually defined anywhere in the legislation. This vagueness has resulted in a number of inconsistent and confusing classifications over the years that were based on an interpretation of what variant was meant to mean.

This legislation would provide a definition for “variant” to ensure that we would have a very clear, consistent, and fair firearms' classification system. It is not a controversial bill.

I look forward to working with all my colleagues in the House on both sides, including the government, on this very important legislation.

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

Fight Against Food Waste Act

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-231, an act to establish National Food Waste Awareness Day and to provide for the development of a national strategy to reduce food waste in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to introduce this bill today, seconded by my colleague and friend from Victoria. It is a very important bill. I am not sure if members are aware, but we waste a great deal of food in Canada, which is a very rich country. According to a report published in 2014, we waste roughly 31 billion dollars' worth of food in Canada alone. In the current context of ever-increasing food insecurity, and considering the rising cost of food, it is extremely important that Canada show some leadership on this matter.

This bill calls for a national strategy. It also calls on the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to work with his provincial and territorial counterparts, and for the designation of October 16 as national food waste awareness day.

I hope that I will have the support of all my colleagues in the House and that we will work together to ensure that we do better in this area and eliminate food waste in Canada.

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

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Premier of Saskatchewan made some extremely disparaging remarks about Quebec. Some people even described it as Quebec bashing. That is why I am seeking the consent of the House to move the following motion: That the House of Commons condemn the disrespectful remarks made by the Premier of Saskatchewan regarding Quebec.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Electoral Reform

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from some 50 of my constituents who call upon the House of Commons to undertake public consultations to amend the Canada Elections Act in respect of electoral reform.

Convention Against Torture

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise in the House to present three petitions.

The first petition is on an extreme form of bullying and is perhaps appropriate on Pink Shirt Day for anti-bullying.

The petitioners call on the House to help stop torture. They are calling on Canada to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which has been ratified by many countries, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Denmark. Canada has yet to ratify it.

Pharmacare

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition from constituents in my own riding calls on Parliament to work toward a national pharmacare plan to reduce drug costs through bulk buying of pharmaceuticals and to reduce the cost through evidence-based research to ensure that drugs are also effective.

Genetically Modified Foods

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

The third petition, Mr. Speaker, is also from constituents of my riding as well as the Edmonton area.

The petitioners call for the labelling of genetically modified foods.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Motions for Papers

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is that agreed?