House of Commons Hansard #131 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was community.
Yves Robillard Liberal Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, last summer 148 young people in my riding of Marc-Aurèle-Fortin took advantage of the Canada summer jobs program.
Could the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour tell the House about the details of the program for 2017?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.
I am pleased to inform the House that employers have until Friday to submit their hiring requests for student employment this summer. This is an excellent opportunity to provide dynamic and enthusiastic students with valuable work experience, and to help grow our economy.
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, I was recently approached in relation to the inadequate level of mental health support for soldiers at Garrison Petawawa. The Liberals have let the number of mental health providers drop so low that the soldiers at Garrison Petawawa are forced into group sessions instead of one-on-one therapy.
What is it going to take for the Prime Minister to restore the levels of mental health support for the soldiers and the people who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces so that they once again have patient-centred treatment?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the care and welfare and especially the mental health of our troops are extremely important given what we ask them to do. We are looking at all of the aspects of lessons from the past and what is happening now. As part of the defence policy review that we undertook last year, this is a very big component. I can assure the member that we are moving forward. Resources have been put in place now, and into the future, we will definitely be making sure that all of our troops have the mental health resources for them.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, “Within 18 months of forming government, we will introduce legislation to enact electoral reform”. That is from the Liberal platform. It is very clear, and it was repeated with clarity in the Speech from the Throne, and the mandate to us as members of the special committee said we were replacing first past the post.
If it was an essential precondition to follow on this promise that there be some sort of nationally proven majority, that there be some consensus discerned through vague surveys, why was that never mentioned in any promise or any mandate?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, anything a prime minister or a government must do must be in the interests of Canada and of all Canadians, particularly when it comes to transforming our electoral system. I understand the passion and intensity with which the member opposite believes in this, and many Canadians mirror that passion and intensity, but there is no consensus. There is no sense of how best to do this and, quite frankly, a divisive referendum at this time, an augmentation of extremist voices in the House, is not what is in the best interests of Canada.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, I got carried away because of my passion and frustration, and I used some unparliamentary language. I apologize and would like to officially withdraw my remarks.
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I would like to table, in both official languages, the charter statement on Bill C-28, an act to amend the Criminal Code (victim surcharge).
Jean Rioux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting the participation of the Canadian parliamentary delegation at the spring meeting of the standing committee and visit of the bureau, Paris, France, and Cairo, Egypt, April 1 to 5, 2016.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on International Trade in relation to Bill C-31, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Ukraine (without amendment).
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-335, An Act to amend the Conflict of Interest Act (gift or other advantage).
Mr. Speaker, I am extremely pleased to rise briefly in the House today to provide an outline of this bill to amend the Conflict of Interest Act.
Posted on the Prime Minister's website is document of which the Liberal Party is quite proud, entitled “Open and Transparent Government”. The document includes rules of conduct for ministerial fundraising and that of the Prime Minister.
Unfortunately, the two main principles behind those rules, namely to not give preferential treatment to political donors and to prohibit the appearance of conflict of interest, do not have the force of law. They do not appear in the Conflict of Interest Act.
As New Democrats, we are going to help the government respect its own rules by amending the Conflict of Interest Act, to ensure that the Liberals' ethical principles have the force of law.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by campers who stayed at Mohawk Bay Park in Deseronto, Ontario, located on the Long Reach of the Bay of Quinte in the riding of Hastings—Lennox and Addington.
The petitioners call on the government to ensure that campgrounds with fewer than five full-time year-round employees will continue to be recognized and taxed as small businesses.
Kim Rudd Liberal Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the signatories in my riding of Northumberland—Peterborough South, I am pleased to present a petition requesting the enabling of a network of community-operated media centres to facilitate access to community television in small communities.
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from visitors and staff members of the Carman House Museum in Iroquois, Ontario. The museum is located in a cottage along the St. Lawrence River and dates back to 1815.
Restored to its original appearance, the Carman House Museum portrays the typical life of the original Loyalist owners, a family who relocated to the region after the American Revolution. The museum recognizes Loyalists and their contribution to the development of eastern Ontario, especially in the years leading up to Confederation. The volunteers there have helped to revitalize the past.
I have heard from hundreds of Canadians across the country with concerns similar to this petition regarding the neglect of history in the celebration of the 150th anniversary, in particular the lack of Confederation or history as themes.
The petitioners are calling on the government to include Confederation as a theme of the 150th anniversary of Confederation, something the government has neglected to do.
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the important work of the workers at the Unifor union, which contributes enormously to our economy. I have a petition here today signed by hundreds of people from Windsor to Ottawa, Ontario, and some from other provinces. These people are concerned by the lack of safety regulations in Canada.
These petitioners, hundreds of them from southern Ontario associated with the Unifor union that contributes enormously to our economy, are calling upon the House of Commons to implement the national comprehensive regulatory framework that creates minimum standards for safety equipment, vehicle specifications, employee training, and crew sizes in the armoured car and secure logistics industry.
Len Webber Conservative Calgary Confederation, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to present a petition in support of my own private member's bill, Bill C-316.
Petitioners are calling on this House to improve the organ donation system in Canada by making the process to register as an organ donor easier. This would be done by adding a simple question to the annual tax return.
I would also like to specifically thank Ms. Casey Amatto from Calgary for collecting all these signatures and showing she cares about the 4,600 Canadians awaiting an organ transplant.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two copies of the same petition from members of my community throughout southern Vancouver Island as well as throughout the Lower Mainland. These petitioners cite the risks to the British Columbia coastline of tanker spills, particularly containing bitumen mixed with diluents, a substance that cannot be cleaned up.
The petitioners call on the House to establish a permanent ban on crude oil tankers on the west coast, not just the north coast but the entire coast.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, if a supplementary response to Question No. 602, originally tabled on January 30, 2017, could be made into an order for return, that return would be tabled immediately.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
With regard to the collection and retention of metadata or associated data by CSIS: (a) on what dates were the present or former Ministers of Public Safety informed of (i) the existence of the Operational Data Analysis Centre, (ii) the retention of metadata or associated data pertaining to third-parties or individuals who were deemed not to pose a threat, (iii) the possibility this practice could be deemed unlawful; (b) how was the information communicated for each instance in (a); (c) on what dates were the present or former Ministers of Justice informed of (i) the existence of the Operational Data Analysis Centre, (ii) the retention of metadata or associated data pertaining to third-parties or individuals who were deemed not to pose a threat, (iii) the possibility this practice could be deemed unlawful, (iv) the fact that the Federal Court had not been properly informed of this practice; (d) how was the information communicated for each instance in (c); and (e) what is the total number of Canadians whose metadata has been stored by CSIS in each year since 2006?
(Return tabled)
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions then be allowed to stand.
