House of Commons Hansard #349 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was affairs.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
November 5th, 2018 / 3:05 p.m.
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, three reports from the delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.
The first is respecting its participation in the Young Parliamentarians Program of the APF's mission in Africa, held in Dakar, Senegal, and Antananarivo, Madagascar, from March 5 to 10, 2018. This fact-finding mission was the last to be held before the official creation of the Young Parliamentarians Network of the APF, in Quebec City, in July 2018.
The second report is respecting the delegation's participation at the meeting of the Political Committee of the APF, held in Yerevan, Armenia, from March 19 to 21, 2018. This meeting was held in the very location of the recent Sommet de la Francophonie, where we proposed reporting on the protection and promotion of the rights of members of the LGBTI community.
The third and final report is respecting the delegation's participation at the meeting of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the APF, held in Brussels, Belgium, from March 21 to 23, 2018. The committee, chaired by the Canadian Branch of the APF, discussed updating the Noria program as well as multilateral francophone parliamentary development programs.
Judy Sgro Liberal Humber River—Black Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 107(3), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the ninth report of the Liaison Committee entitled, “Committee Activities and Expenditures—April 1, 2018-August 31, 2018.” This report highlights the work and accomplishments of each committee, as well as detailing the budgets that fund the activities approved by committee members.
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you were to seek it, I think you would find that there is consent to adopt the following motion:
That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the Member for Courtenay—Alberni, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to Tuesday, November 6, 2018, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table one of many petitions regarding Canadians with vision loss. It is expected that this problem will double in the next 20 years. The petitioners indicate that the emerging crisis in eye health and vision care affects all segments of the Canadian population, especially the vulnerable population. Just one per cent of total expenditures on vision loss is invested in post-vision loss rehabilitation therapy.
Petitioners are asking the government to commit to acknowledging eye health and vision care as a growing public health issue and respond to it, particularly for Canada's vulnerable population, through the development of a national framework for action to promote eye health and vision care.
These petitioners are from Ontario, B.C., Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by Canadians from several ridings, including Oakville, St. Catharines and Niagara Centre. They call on the House of Commons to respect the right of law-abiding firearms owners and reject the Prime Minister's plan to waste taxpayers' money studying a ban on guns that are already banned.
Fin Donnelly NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition in which the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to immediately transition the open net salmon farm industry to safe land-based closed containment technology. They say Canada needs to invest in a safe, sustainable industry that protects Pacific wild salmon, maintains employment, develops new technologies, jobs and export opportunities. The petitioners are from Sooke and Victoria.
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition on behalf of residents from Kildonan—St. Paul and other ridings nearby in relation to infrastructure. Whereas the severe congestion on arterial roads in the riding of Kildonan—St. Paul is negatively impacting the quality of life of the residents and users, especially on the northern perimeter, the petitioners call on Canada to immediately make the extension linking Chief Peguis Trail west of Main Street to Brookside Boulevard an immediate priority.
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, my second petition is in relation to the Canada Health Act. The petitioners are from Kildonan—St. Paul and they ask the House of Commons to amend the Canada Health Act by adding prescription medicines prescribed by licensed practitioners to the definition of covered services and develop a universal, evidence-based, sustainable public drug plan that has the purchasing power to secure the best available pricing, and a list of the essential medicines addressing priority health, to promote the health and well-being of all Canadians.
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and present a petition with signatures from across the greater Toronto area in support of Bill C-350 in the House and urging Parliament to move quickly to amend the Criminal Code to prohibit Canadians from travelling abroad to acquire human organs removed without consent or as a result of a financial transaction, and to render inadmissible to Canada any and all permanent residents or foreign nationals who have participated in this abhorrent trade in human organs.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, I have two different petitions. The first is a set of three with 809 signatures from individuals who are very concerned about and supportive of cottage owners and homeowners located at Crooked Lake, Saskatchewan, on land that is leased from the Government of Canada. They are concerned because these cottage and homeowners have been issued and had imposed on them a 650% to 700% lease increase for the years 2015 to 2019. They say this increase was imposed without jointly agreed negotiations between the Government of Canada and the leaseholders, and included a threat of lease cancellation being imposed. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to negotiate a fair lease agreement with all Crooked Lake cottage owners and homeowners who lease land from the Government of Canada.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents, business owners and cottage owners around Lake Saskatchewan and others concerned about the body of water known as Round Lake, Saskatchewan. They wish to draw attention to the extreme low water level of the lake due to the uncontrolled outflow of water. It is affecting businesses, the environment, families and the future of the lake.
Being that the uncontrolled outflow of water on Round Lake is the result of a disagreement between the Government of Canada and the first nations of Ochapowace and Piapot, and being that controlled structures and compensation agreements were reached a long time ago between first nations and the government on lakes upstream in the Qu'Appelle Valley, and being that the Round Lake issues have been unresolved since 2008, the petitioners call upon the minister responsible to re-establish communications with the Ochapowace and Piapot First Nations to work out a resolution of this matter.
Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table petitions from residents of Nanaimo—Ladysmith who are so concerned about the impact to the environment, the risk of oil spills and marine traffic to the Salish Sea, and the jobs reliant on them.
The petitioners oppose anchorage establishment in the waters off our shores. There is already a lot of anchorage in the Salish Sea. The petitioners point out that while export bulk commodities out of Port Metro Vancouver have increased 40% over the last decade, anchorage use over the same time is up a startling 400%. Sixty percent of bulk carriers stay 10 days or longer, while container ships spend virtually no time at all at anchor.
The petitioners urge the government to look at supply improvements and technical fixes that would prevent this overuse of anchorage in the Salish Sea. We commend the petitioners from Vancouver and Gabriola Island.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table two petitions. The first is a petition calling on the government to protect ocean war graves.
These petitioners add their names to the many citizens urging the Liberal government to recognize the brave Canadians who lost their lives defending our country at sea, yet have no gravestone on land where relatives or friends could visit and honour their memory.
It is a great privilege to present the signatories' request for the government to secure and protect the location of downed ships in our waters or in international waters, and that it designate land monuments to commemorate the sacrifices of our fellow Canadians who have been lost at sea.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Speaker, secondly, it is a great privilege to rise today to table this e-petition, urging the government to protect ocean war graves.
With this e-petition, hundreds of Canadians join their fellow citizens in calling on the Liberal government to recognize the brave Canadians who lost their lives defending our country at sea, yet whose remains currently have no protections under Canadian law.
I am honoured to present these petitioners' request that the government provide immediate protection for Canada's ocean war graves, and that it enact legislation to ensure that the punishment for desecration is in line with that for land-based war graves.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table three petitions today.
The first petition deals with the Liberals' Canada summer jobs values test attestation, and calls on the Prime Minister to defend the freedom of conscience, thought and belief, and withdraw the attestation for applications for the Canada summer jobs program in this coming year.
The petitioners also cite section 2 of the charter, and its guarantees around freedom of conscience.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition that I would like to table deals with the suffering of a minority community, the Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to do what it can to support these vulnerable minorities, both in the area of advocacy, in terms of foreign affairs, and also the Minister of Immigration, using powers that are granted to him to ensure that people can make an application from Afghanistan to come here for asylum, if they face this kind of persecution.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the third petition I would like to table is in support of Bill S-240. This is a bill that I am sponsoring in this place that has come to us recently from the Senate. It seeks to make it a criminal offence for someone to go abroad to receive an organ for which there has not been consent. It also deals with inadmissibility to Canada for those who have been involved in the traffic of illicit organs.
The petitioners note that for trafficking in human organs without consent, there is currently no legal prohibition against that in Canada. It is a terrible practice that we must do what we can to put an end to.
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition in this House that comes from residents, primarily of Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
The petitioners are hoping that this House can take action, because there is a plan to have a new pipe into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to discharge 70 million to 90 million litres of bleached kraft pulp effluent every single day into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This, of course, would have profound impacts on the fishing industry, as well as tourism for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Quebec.
The petitioners call on the House to call upon the government to conduct a full environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency regarding this pipeline of pollution into the gulf.