Debates of May 13th, 2016

Foreign Investment

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there you have it. The minister just gave Lowe's the go-ahead to buy Rona. He alone had the power to turn promises made by Lowe's into legal obligations, but he did not do so. He decided that the American giant's words, which are legally worthless, were good enough.

That is the problem with Quebec being part of Canada. We are entirely dependent on a guy from Toronto to care enough to protect our economy, but he is just not stepping up, and Quebec's economy is suffering as a result.

Why did he not turn the promises that Lowe's made into legal obligations? Is it because he cannot do his job or because he could not care less about Quebec?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my hon. colleague, I will give a simple answer to his question.

Lowe's has made firm commitments in connection with its purchase of Rona. As I have said, the head office will remain in Boucherville. Canadians will continue to play an important role within Rona's senior management. Canadian suppliers will have opportunities to sell not only to Rona, but also to the entire Lowe's chain in the United States and around the world.

Democratic Reform

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions wants to change the rules of democracy without holding a referendum because that democratic instrument apparently is an outdated, 19th century tool. The minister thinks that she has the authority to change the rules without a referendum because she campaigned on this issue.

By that logic, Quebec would have the right to independence without a referendum, making the Clarity Act null and void.

Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs throw out his Clarity Act?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that the member is going to be participating in the all-party process. He is going to have an opportunity to travel with the committee and pose questions.

We have gone further than our normal committee process in ensuring that parties that are not recognized as parties in the House are included, because we feel that the voice of the Bloc and the voice of the Green Party are incredibly important to have at the table. That is why we have taken that measure.

I look forward to that dialogue. I look forward to working on that with the member to modernize our electoral system.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this reform is off to a bad start. The government wants to use its majority to change democracy. However, this should not be a partisan issue. Changing the way we vote cannot be left just to experts and parliamentarians. The people should decide.

How can the government think it has a legitimate right to impose a voting system without a referendum, when it received less than 40% of the vote in the last election?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more with the member that this process should not be partisan and that we need to work across the aisle to find compromise and work together, but the fact of the matter is that more than 60% of the Canadian population said the status quo was not going to work.

I would ask members to start coming up with ideas. It is not enough to just say that they want the system to stay as it is. Canadians have not accepted that. They say they want our institutions to modernize. Be part of that process, give us ideas, make sure we are able to change the system so that Canadians are enfranchised and their voices are heard.

Official Report

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

The Minister of National Revenue on a point of order.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, in my response to a question from the member for New Westminster—Burnaby on May 19, 2016, my remarks may have been inadvertently inaccurate. I would like to correct them.

In my original response I was referring to legal procedures and ongoing civil court actions launched by the Canada Revenue Agency relating to the KPMG case.

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. minister for correcting her remarks.

Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2008-11 biennial “Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement Report of the Implementation Committee”.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting its participation at the bureau meeting and the 41st ordinary session of the APF, held in Bern, Switzerland, from July 6 to 10, 2015.

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions with parties and, if you seek it, I hope that you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: that notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, on Tuesday, May the 17th, 2016, and on Wednesday, May the 18th, 2016, the House continue to sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment for the purposes of considering Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code and make related amendments to other acts.

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

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

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 56.1(1), I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House on Tuesday, May the 17th, 2016, and on Wednesday, May the 18th, 2016, the House continue to sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment for the purposes of considering Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code and make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying).

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Will those members who object to the motion please rise in their places?

And 25 or more members having risen:

Twenty-five or more members having risen, the motion is deemed to have been withdrawn.

(Motion withdrawn)

Physician-Assisted Dying

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is impossible for people to give informed consent to assisted suicide/euthanasia if appropriate palliative care is unavailable to them.

Therefore, I am pleased to present two petitions calling upon Parliament to create a national strategy on palliative care to ensure that every Canadian has access to high-quality palliative care at the end of life.

Democratic Reform

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to table a petition. The petition is signed by hundreds of local residents who are urging the government to undertake public consultations to ensure Canadians have a fair electoral system and to introduce a suitable form of proportional representation following those discussions. I am pleased to table this petition, and I look forward to our government's response.

Firearms

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am honoured today to present this particular petition. It is record setting. It is the highest recorded e-petition that we have had in Canada so far, at 25,249 individuals who signed the petition. I would also like to honour the person who started this petition, Mr. Marc Bennett, who is a firearms advocate.

The petition states, in part:

We, the undersigned, Lawful Firearm Owners of Canada, request (or call upon) the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to Re-classify the Armalite Rifle--15 back to non-restricted status so we can once again use this rifle to lawfully participate in the Canadian cultural practices of hunting.

Justice

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present four petitions to add to the growing voice that is truly across Canada calling on our Parliament to introduce a law that protects pregnant women and their preborn children.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Madam Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Freedom of Conscience

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Madam Speaker, I will be giving a speech on the opposition motion of—