Debates of Oct. 23rd, 2017

Procedure and House Affairs

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 41st report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in relation to Bill C-50, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act with regard to political financing. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Government Operations and Estimates

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates in relation to Bill C-24, an act to amend the Salaries Act and to make a consequential amendment to the Financial Administration Act.

Department of Veterans Affairs Act

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-378, An Act to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (fairness principles).

Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to introduce an act to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. This legislation would introduce fairness principles to the duties of the Minister of Veterans Affairs. These principles come from veterans across Canada, veterans I had the pleasure to serve with in my role as opposition critic for veterans affairs.

The principles that I hope we will adopt by passing this bill will ensure greater respect, dignity, and fairness for our Canadian Armed Forces veterans and their families. They deserve our respect, our support, and fair treatment.

These principles form the basis of the Armed Forces Covenant passed in 2011 by the U.K. Parliament. The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, the economy, and the society they serve with their lives.

With this legislation, I hope to have these principles added to the Department of Veterans Affairs Act to guide the current and future governments in the treatment of Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, and their families. I hope that with this legislation, all veterans will receive the obligation owed to them by the Government of Canada and all Canadians.

I look forward to speaking further on the bill.

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

Bank Act

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-379, An Act to amend the Bank Act (use of word “bank”, “banker” or “banking”).

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in this place on behalf of the constituents of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola to table a private member's bill based on consultations I have done with my own constituents and have heard right across this great country.

Credit unions and caisse populaires are key drivers of our economy, particularly in rural areas, where there is not a lot of access to other financial institutions. There have been a lot of questions raised by a compliance order placed by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions that basically are contrary to the traditional use of the words banking, banker, or whatnot. This legislation seeks to address that and to make it completely certain so that when people walk into a credit union, they can ask if it does online banking, and the institution would be able to say yes.

This private member's legislation would work on trying to build that certainty that would allow our credit unions the traditional usage of those terms, making sure that they were following clearly, according to law, the long-standing practice.

I hope I can gather all-party support. I certainly have received a lot of positive feedback from members in this place and also from the all-party parliamentary credit union caucus.

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

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I request the unanimous consent of the House to adopt the following motion: That the House calls upon the Speaker, as one of those responsible for the Parliamentary Protective Service, to ask the director of the PPS to immediately cancel all planned disciplinary actions against guards who have been staging a reasonable and measured protest against their difficult working conditions; and furthermore, that the House wishes to thank all our security staff for the honourable and professional way they have been doing their job under such circumstances.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Petitions

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would remind all members that the time provided for presenting petitions is not to be used for debate. It is for presenting petitions only.

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.

Nuclear Weapons

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition from the residents of Ottawa, London, Scarborough, St. Catharines, Sault Ste. Marie, and Halifax.

The petitioners call on the government, which is obliged under international law, to work for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. They therefore call on the government to sign and ratify the agreement to ban nuclear weapons.

Clean Water

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of one of my constituents with respect of access to clean water. I know my constituents care very deeply about ensuring that all Canadians have access to clean water.

I would like to thank Stephanie Mills for her advocacy and work on this petition.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions today.

The first petition is to the issue of the importance of educators, particularly in pursuing environmental education toward healthy, sustainable, and flourishing communities.

Killer Whales

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is to an issue that is increasingly urgent, which is the plight of the southern resident killer whale population of the Salish Sea.

The petitioners ask that the government take action to protect critical habitat, increase vessel distances away from the whales, and to create other safety measures, including reduced speeds.

Falun Gong

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition from my constituents about Falun Gong.

Algoma Passenger Rail Service

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have tabled many petitions on behalf of the Algoma passenger train and residents of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing. The petitioners are from Debra and Walla. Other MPs will be happy to know that there are members from their communities as well, from Richmond, Manotick, Elgin, Nepean, Kanata, Ottawa, Stittsville, Sault Ste. Marie and Goulais River.

The Algoma passenger train subsidy was removed in 2014. The residents, businesses, and other passengers have had substantial hardships since the train has not been running.

The petitioners ask the Minister of Transport to ensure the mission of Transport Canada “To serve the public interest through the promotion of a safe and secure, efficient and environmentally responsible transportation system in Canada” is fulfilled.

I want to thank the petitioners for their ongoing commitment on their efforts.

The Environment

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from residents across southwestern Ontario in support of protection for our river systems and lakes.

As the House will recall, under the Conservative government, the Navigable Waters Protection Act was stripped of its strength and regulation, making rivers, including the Thames River in my city of London, at risk.

The petitioners therefore ask the Liberal government, which promised to reinstate the environmental protections and those protections that look out for rivers and lakes, to support my bill, Bill C-355, that commits to prioritizing protection of all rivers and lakes, including the Thames, by amending the Navigation Protection Act.

Canada Post

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present petitions from citizens in my riding of Ladysmith—Nanaimo and Duncan. This is a petition brought forward by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Because there is increased closure of banking services in rural areas and nearly two million people in Canada who are exploited by payday lenders, the petitioners urge Canada Post to add postal banking, with a mandate for financial inclusion. It would be a way to keep branches open and viable throughout the country.

The petitioners also urge the government to release the study not yet released on the benefits of postal banking.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1114, 1118 and 1138.

Question No. 1114

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

With regard to Employment Insurance (EI) parental benefits: (a) does the 12 months (and eventually increasing to 18 months) of parental leave as defined in Budget 2017 refer to (i) 12 months of parental leave in addition to 15 weeks of maternity leave for biological mothers, (ii) 12 months of parental leave which includes 15 weeks of maternity leave for biological mothers, thus equalling approximately eight months of parental leave for non-biological mothers; (b) are adoptive parents entitled to the full 12 months of EI parental leave; and (c) if the answer to (b) is negative, (i) what is the total annual estimated cost of implementing 18 months of parental leave for birth parents, (ii) what would be the additional annual estimated cost to extend 18 months of EI parental leave to adoptive parents?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, as announced in budget 2017, the combined 12 months of maternity and parental leave refers to the combination of 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits and the 35 weeks of EI parental benefits and corresponding leaves of 17 maternity weeks and 37 parental weeks, up to a total maximum of 52 weeks, under the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated sectors.

Once budget 2017 measures are implemented, the 18 months of parental leave will include the 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits and 61 weeks of extended parental benefits, and corresponding leaves of 17 maternity weeks and 63 parental weeks, up to a total maximum of 78 weeks of combined leave under the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated sectors.

The EI parental benefits and leaves are available to birth and adoptive parents, and can be shared by both parents at the same time or consecutively. Parents may choose between either the current standard parental benefits of up to 35 weeks with 37 weeks of leave under the Canada Labour Code, or the new extended parental benefit of up to 61 weeks with 63 weeks of leave under the Canada Labour Code.

A key distinction between EI maternity and parental benefits is that parental benefits can be shared by both parents and are available to biological and adoptive parents, while the maternity benefit is only available to the biological mother, including a birth mother who places her child for adoption. Adoptive parents are not eligible for EI maternity benefits.

The cost of the budget 2017 announcement regarding EI parental benefits is $152 million over five years, starting in 2017–18, and $27.5 million per year thereafter for birth and adoptive parents combined. Please consult the federal budget at www.budget.gc.ca/2017/home-accueil-en.html.

The budget 2017 estimated cost to extend parental leave to 18 months includes benefits for both birth and adoptive parents.

Question No. 1118

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

With regard to the office of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship since January 11, 2017: (a) what are the details, including costs and specific work done, of any renovations which have taken place at the Minister’s office at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Department headquarters at 365 Laurier Avenue West in Ottawa; (b) what are the details of any moving or similar expenses allowed for staff transfers following the appointment of the current Minister; (c) what are the details, including costs and dates, of any private car services used by the Minister or on his behalf by exempt staff; (d) how much was spent on contracts for (i) temporary employment, (ii) consultants, (iii) advice; (e) what are the names of the individuals and companies that correspond to each of the amounts in (d); and (f) for each person and company in (e), what were their billing periods and what type of work did they provide?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, insofar as Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada is concerned, there have been no renovations performed within the minister’s office at IRCC headquarters at 365 Laurier Avenue West in Ottawa since January 11, 2017.

Question No. 1138

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

With regard to meetings between Environment and Climate Change Canada, including the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and her office, and the Council of Canadian Innovators or its member companies, since November 5, 2015: what are the details of any such meetings, including for each meeting the (i) date, (ii) attendees, (iii) purpose of meeting, (iv) agenda items, (v) location, (vi) titles and file numbers of any related briefing notes?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated its clear commitment to openness and transparency. We believe in evidence-based policy-making and meaningful consultation with Canadians.

Meetings with key stakeholders and experts help to inform the policy development process. For a listing of lobbyist interactions, please visit the Registry of Lobbyists, which is the central source of information about individuals, not-for-profit organizations, and for-profit corporations that lobby the federal government. It can be found at https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/clntSmmrySrch?lang=eng.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is that agreed?