House of Commons Hansard #390 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-83.
Erin Weir Independent Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, this week, Statistics Canada reported that Saskatchewan was the only province where payroll earnings fell in 2018. That drop was driven by lower construction earnings. The government was elected promising to restore a fair wages policy for federally funded construction projects.
Will the government enact a fair wages policy for construction workers before the House rises this spring?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, as it stands, we are actually holding consultations right now on a fair wages policy for Canada. I have been working closely with labour leaders, others who are interested in a fair wages policy and those whom it would affect.
I look forward to the results of the consultations and charting a path forward for Canada.
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, August 22 of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge. I invite you to come and visit this beautiful city and have a look at the bridge. As you will see, the paint job looks like it is 100 years old.
Stephen Harper had promised to fix this in one year. The current Prime Minister promised to fix it in six months, yet the bridge continues to rust, and it looks like it will be another 100 years before Ottawa finally does anything.
Since the government does not have the courage to force CN to do it, why will it not paint the bridge itself?
InfrastructureOral Questions
François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and for her interest in the Quebec Bridge.
For the past six months, I have been engaged in intense discussions with the various partners involved to come up with a permanent solution for the Quebec Bridge. My message to the people of the greater Quebec City area is that we will always be there for Quebeckers. Of course we will continue to invest in Quebec City. The people of that city who are listening to us today understand that in order to get this done, we need all partners at the negotiating table.
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, we want more than just discussions, we want a coat of paint.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister was proud to announce that Canada is going to the moon. He may be going to the moon, but he cannot get the bridge painted. In the meantime, an engineering marvel is deteriorating. Liberal and Conservative governments are quicker to talk and discuss than to pick up a paint brush.
I will ask my question again: when will the government keep the promise it made to Quebeckers and repaint the Quebec Bridge?
InfrastructureOral Questions
François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague.
She is so enthusiastic that perhaps she could help me paint the bridge. Indeed, it is an important project. It is a heritage structure for the people of Quebec City.
I can assure my colleague and all MPs from the greater Quebec City area that we will continue to make progress on this important file. I have spoken with the mayor of Quebec City and I am speaking to our partners. The people of Quebec City who are watching at home understand that having the will to do something is not enough. All of the partners need to work together to find a permanent solution for the Quebec Bridge.
Simon Marcil Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have been talking about SNC-Lavalin for three weeks, and no one has brought up the 3,600 workers in Quebec. Their jobs are in jeopardy, and all of the parties here are playing politics at their expense. The Bloc Québécois's priorities are workers and our economy. Not partisanship.
This is the last question before we adjourn for two weeks.
Will the government sign a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin to save these jobs before we return?
EmploymentOral Questions
François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that my Bloc Québécois colleague asked us this question because, as the Canadians watching us know, we are the ones who stood up to give the workers, pensioners and suppliers who have nothing to do with this whole situation a voice here.
We will continue to stand up for SNC-Lavalin workers across the country, and we can absolutely do this in keeping with the rule of law and the appropriate ethics rules.
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the action plan to protect the Wood Buffalo National Park world heritage site.
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-93, an act to provide no-cost, expedited record suspensions for simple possession of cannabis.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in relation to Bill S-240, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (trafficking in human organs).
The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 28th report of the Standing Committee on Finance concerning Bill C-82, an act to implement a multilateral convention to implement tax treaty related measures to prevent base erosion and profit shifting. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.
Addressing the Continuing Victimization of Homicide Victims' Families ActRoutine Proceedings
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-437, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Prisons and Reformatories Act.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this House to table my bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code respecting families of victims of homicide.
It is impossible not to be touched by the story of Lyle and Marie McCann, an elderly couple who went missing in 2010. We know they were murdered, and their killer is currently behind bars. However, the McCann family has never been told what happened to their remains.
This bill would give authorities the tools to end the injustice that is the re-victimization of victims' families. This legislation would give discretion to authorities to make the refusal to co-operate an aggravating factor and make the ongoing refusal to tell the location of the victims' remains a consideration for the Parole Board.
I know we are heading into an election and that this bill may not receive the full airing it deserves. However, as a member recently elected in a by-election, I want this legislation to enter the debate now. This bill, or as I like to call it, McCann's law, will give authorities the tools they need to bring justice to families of victims of homicide.
I will never stop fighting for this legislation and for the families of victims.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Motion for TravelCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you would find unanimous consent for the following travel motions:
That, in relation to its study of Priorities of Canadian Stakeholders Having an Interest in Bilateral and Trilateral Trade in North America, Between Canada, United States and Mexico and of the Impact of Tariffs on Canadian Businesses, Companies and Workers, seven members of the Standing Committee on International Trade be authorized to travel to Washington, D.C., United States of America, in the spring of 2019, and that the necessary staff accompany the committee;
That, in relation its study of Impacts of Methamphetamine Abuse in Canada, seven members of the Standing Committee on Health, be authorized to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Montréal, Quebec, in the spring of 2019, and that the necessary staff accompany the committee;
That, in relation to the Annual Conference of the Canadian Council of Public Accounts Committees (CCPAC) and Canadian Council of Legislative Auditors (CCOLA), seven members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts be authorized to travel to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in the summer of 2019, and that the necessary staff accompany the committee.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
(Motion agreed to)
Presenting petitions, the hon. member for Edmonton West.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am sorry, there was a mix-up.
On a point of order, the hon. member for Perth—Wellington.
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would only say that you did call petitions and the member for Edmonton West was recognized. I think we should require unanimous consent to revert to motions.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I have consulted with the Table officers. The hon. member had risen. The Chair did not see her rise and she was not listed. I will recognize her and then we will go to petitions.
The hon. member for Ottawa West—Nepean.
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, following the usual consultations among all parties, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That Bill S-240, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, trafficking in human organs, be deemed concurred in at report stage, deemed read a third time and passed.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?
