Debates of June 21st, 2017

Carbon Tax

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

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

The first petition is signed by almost 11,000 Canadians who oppose the Liberals' plan to impose a federal carbon tax on all of Canada, because this tax would harm the most vulnerable: the working poor, low-income Canadians, seniors, people on fixed incomes, and Canadians in rural, remote, energy- and agriculture-based communities. It would make everything more expensive for everyone. The petitioners are asking the Liberals to stop this reckless tax grab.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition asks the Liberals to reconsider their decision to close the Vegreville case processing centre. That decision was done in secret without any consultation with town officials, workers, businesses, or local representatives. Furthermore, we now know that this decision will cost taxpayers more both in the short term and in the long term. The petitioners hope that the Liberals will listen to their request and reverse the closure of the Vegreville case processing centre.

Algoma Passenger Rail Service

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to table three petitions.

As members know, I have risen in the House on a number of occasions to table petitions with regard to the passenger train along the Algoma Central Railway. The petitioners are from Garden River and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Burnaby, B.C. They would certainly like the government to put that train back on track.

Firearms

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with respect to the UN Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms. A variety of people from northern Ontario have signed this petition.

The petitioners ask that the House of Commons and Parliament assembled request that the Government of Canada revise the firearms marking regulations to recognize that a simple requirement for a serial number on all new firearms imported into Canada will satisfy the United Nations.

Eating Disorders

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

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is on a pan-Canadian strategy for eating disorders. The petitioners call upon the government to support Motion No. 117 and initiate discussions with the provincial and territorial ministers.

This is a very important petition. It impacts on people's lives and survival.

Veterans Affairs

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to table six petitions signed by constituents in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets as well as constituents in the riding of West Nova. This petition is on behalf of Paul Nicholas Nedimovich and is asking for the government's response on the issue of awarding the aforementioned veteran's medals and recognition of honorary rank with respect to his years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Bee Population

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House to present a petition on behalf of the hard-working bees in Canada.

The petitioners are concerned that the mortality rate for bees has been increasing in the past number of years. They recognize the important role that bees play for flowering plants and the huge contributions they make for our agricultural sector. Therefore, the petitioners are asking the Government of Canada to develop an effective strategy to address the multiple factors related to bee colony deaths, such as the destruction and disturbance of habitat, pesticide use, and the side effects of pathogens and parasites.

As a proud farmer myself who has seen first-hand the incredible work that bees do, and the yields of fruit trees on my farm, I am very honoured to present this petition. I hope the government will take some concrete steps.

Nuclear Disarmament

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present three petitions.

The first petition relates to the ongoing negotiations at the United Nations towards a global disarmament treaty to rid the world of the threat of nuclear war.

The petitioners are from my riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands, and they ask that the Government of Canada cease to boycott these proceedings and become engaged in these negotiations.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is also from residents throughout Saanich—Gulf Islands with some from southern Vancouver Island beyond my riding.

The petitioners are calling for a permanent ban on crude-oil tankers not just along the north coast, but along the west coast of Canada to protect British Columbia fisheries, tourism, coastal communities, and natural ecosystems.

Mr. Speaker, the third petition, again from residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands, calls on the government to re-examine a very successful program killed under the previous administration. Petitioners wonder why the current government has not reinstated and extended the eco-energy retrofit program. They point out that energy efficiency is cost-effective and delivers immediate reductions in greenhouse gases.

Marijuana

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

Mr. Speaker, I present petitions on behalf of many people in Nanaimo, B.C. The petitioners argue that the prohibition of cannabis has criminalized millions of Canadians, and that cannabis has the potential to provide medicine, food, and fibre.

The petitioners ask that Parliament remove marijuana possession from the Criminal Code, end police raids against dispensaries, for those with criminal records for personal possession grant full pardon and amnesty, and release prisoners now serving time. I urge the government to so act.

Falun Gong

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first petition is from 60 Yukoners who say that whereas Falun Gong is a spiritual practice, it consists of the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. They outline that for 18 years, practitioners have been victims of violence and illegal persecution, which has been condemned by, among others, the United Nations and Amnesty International.

They go on to say that a Canadian citizen, Ms. Qian Sun, was illegally kidnapped and is being illegally detained in Beijing for practising Falun Gong. They want the immediate and unconditional release of Canadian citizen, Ms. Qian Sun.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by more than 40 Yukoners who say, whereas millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained, including family members of Canadians, there is mass extrajudicial imprisonment, forced labour, torture, rape and killing, along with hate propaganda. The petition states that some of the killing was to produce 60,000 to 100,000 organ transplants, and that the U.S. House of Representatives and the European Parliament passed resolutions in June 2016 and December 2013, respectively, condemning and calling for an immediate end to this systemic organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

The petitioners therefore request that the Canadian government, among other things, take every opportunity to call for an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong, and urge the Chinese government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition arising from the arrest of Qian Sun by the Chinese Communist authorities for no other reason than she is a practitioner of Falun Gong. She is a Canadian citizen, and the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to condemn the illegal arrest of a Canadian citizen and to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Qian Sun. I must say the silence from the government in standing up for her has been deafening.

Commemorative Medals

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal war on history continues to prompt a flood of petitions to my office. In particular, some of them are on the issue of commemorative medals, which governments have traditionally issued on anniversary years such as this to worthy citizens who have contributed to their communities to recognize those contributions.

A medal was issued in 1867 in the year of Confederation, including to the Fathers of Confederation like Sir George-Étienne Cartier and Sir John A. Macdonald, among other worthy Canadians. In the Diamond Jubilee in 1927, there was a similar medal to honour Canadians of distinction in their communities. In 1967, of course, the centennial, there was such a medal, as there was on the 125th anniversary in 1992. However, as part of the Liberal war on history, the government has decided that there will be no medal honouring the country-building contributions of Canadians on the 150th anniversary of Confederation. In fact, the Liberals cancelled plans that were very well advanced for such a medal. Tradition is being ignored and community-leading Canadians are being forgotten.

The petitioners come from many communities: Sheho, Saskatchewan; Bezanson, Alberta; Winfield, Alberta; Theodore, Saskatchewan; Foam Lake, Saskatchewan; Snow Lake, Manitoba; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Huxley, Alberta; Red Deer, Alberta; Sorel-Tracy, Quebec; Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec; and Saint-Roch-De-Richelieu, Quebec. The petitioners ask that the government reverse its unfortunate decision to cancel the medal honouring deserving Canadians on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, if a revised response to Question No. 972, originally tabled on May 29, 2017, and the government's response to Questions Nos. 1039 and 1040 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 972

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

With regard to counterfeit goods discovered by the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or other relevant government entity, since December, 2015: (a) what is the value of the goods discovered, broken down by month; and (b) what is the breakdown of goods by (i) type, (ii) brand, (iii) country of origin, (iv) location or port of entry where the goods were discovered?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1039

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

With regard to agreements for buildings or offices leased by the government: (a) how many buildings or offices are currently leased by the government; and (b) what are the names of the companies or individuals who own the buildings or offices leased by the government, broken down by department?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1040

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

With regard to the government's transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital for the future site of the Civic Campus, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site No. 11: (a) what is the current status of the transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital; (b) on what date does the government anticipate the land transfer will be complete; (c) did the Ottawa Hospital incur any costs as a result of delaying the construction by a year; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what are the costs, and will the government reimburse the Ottawa Hospital; (e) how many trees are there at site No. 11; (f) what buildings are currently located at site No. 11, broken down by (i) name and address, (ii) purpose and current use, (iii) whether the building will be demolished or moved to another location; (g) what will be the total cost of preparing the site for the Civic Campus to be built; (h) what will be the additional costs specific to building the Civic Campus at site No. 11, including (i) the cost of building on a sloped surface, (ii) the cost of being located near a fault line, (iii) the cost of removing or transplanting the trees referred to in (e), (iv) any other costs due to site No. 11’s unique features; (i) which organization or level of government will pay for the land preparation and additional costs noted in (g) and (h); (j) does the government have any estimates on the cost of preparing site No. 11 for a large institutional occupant and, if so, what are the details; (k) what is the market value of the land at site No. 11; (l) what will be the rental rate or sale price of site No. 11 to the Ottawa Hospital; (m) which organization or level of government will pay for the at least $11.1 million in contamination remediation, as estimated by Public Services and Procurement Canada; (n) is there any other contamination that needs to be remediated that is not captured in the $11.1 million figure; (o) if the answer to (n) is affirmative, what is the contamination and what is its expected remediation cost; (p) what design, cultural, esthetic, or architectural elements will the National Capital Commission require the Ottawa Hospital to incorporate into the hospital, and what will be the costs of these elements; (q) will the federal government cover the costs of the elements referred to in (p); (r) has the government estimated the additional costs of constructing any building or structure on site No. 11, due to the nearby fault line and, if so, what are the costs; (s) what would have been the total cost of preparing the Central Experimental Farm site directly across the street from the current Civic Campus, known as either site No. 9 or No. 10; (t) are there any known challenges associated with building on site No. 11 and, if so, what are they; and (u) does the government foresee any other factors specific to the Sir John Carling Site that would increase costs or delay construction of the new hospital and, if so, what are they?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[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?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.