Debates of June 3rd, 2019

Criminal Records Act

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it you will find unanimous consent to apply the result of the previous vote to this vote.

Liberal members are voting in favour of the motion.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives agree to apply and will be voting yes.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we agree to apply the result from the previous vote, with the NDP voting no.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the result from the previous vote and is voting in favour of the motion.

[Maxime Bernier, Independent, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the People's Party of Canada agrees to apply the vote and is voting in favour of the motion.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Green Party agrees to apply and will be voting yes.

[Jane Philpott, Independent, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply and will be voting yes.

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Independent, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply and will be voting yes.

[Darshan Singh Kang, Independent, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply and I am voting yes.

[Erin Weir, Independent, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the CCF agrees to apply the vote and is voting in favour of the motion.

[Tony Clement, Independent, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Parry Sound—Muskoka agrees to apply and is voting yes.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #1330

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I declare the motion carried.

When shall the bill be read a third time? Pursuant to an order made on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, later this day.

Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Pursuant to paragraph 90(1)(b) of the Parliament of Canada Act, it is my duty to present to the House the annual report of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019.

Government Response to Petitions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary 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 26 petitions.

Health

[Bill Casey, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 24th report of the Standing Committee on Health, entitled “Tackling the Problem Head-on: Sports-Related Concussions in Canada”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

The subcommittee held 13 meetings, received 20 briefs and heard from 42 witnesses over the course of the study. The subcommittee heard from some very high-profile witnesses, including Mr. Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, and NHL hall of famers Eric Lindros and the Hon. Ken Dryden.

The subcommittee made 13 recommendations, which the standing committee has now approved.

I would like to thank the members of the subcommittee for its hard work over the past few months to make this historic report possible.

Industry, Science and Technology

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, entitled “Statutory Review of the Copyright Act”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

I would also like to thank all committee members, all those who appeared before the committee, those who took the time to meet with us on our five-city tour and those who took the time to submit online documents. The committee consulted a broad range of stakeholders to ensure that many perspectives would be considered. In all, we held 52 meetings, heard 263 witnesses, collected 192 briefs and received more than 6,000 emails and other correspondence.

I also want to thank our committee's clerk, analysts and all the supporting staff for doing such an amazing job keeping us on track to do such a lengthy and complex study.

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

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank everyone who came before the committee and submitted briefs as well as the analysts who supported our work. This was a substantial report and one that I believe is full of largely positive recommendations to ensure that innovation can thrive and that Canadians can have access to the content they want.

Copyright protections cannot be onerous. Creators deserve to be paid for their work, but those works also need to be widely available. That is the balance I hope we struck with this report.

There were two points of disagreement our caucus had within the report. Those are included in our dissenting opinion. The first relates to the artist's resale right. We feel that this refers to real tangible property and that such a measure should not be addressed in the context of copyright. An artist's resale right would be a provincial matter, and we feel that it should not be included in this report.

Second, we believe that Crown copyright should be completely abolished. That view was shared by many witnesses. Unfortunately, the recommendations in this report do not go far enough. Content created with taxpayers' money should belong to all Canadians, and the government should not be able to enforce copyright on those works.

I thank everyone who participated in this review. I encourage the government to review the report and ensure that Canadian copyright law works for our population in the modern world.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, entitled “Main Estimates 2019-2020".

Citizenship and Immigration

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 24th report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, entitled “Main Estimates 2019-20: Votes 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 under Department of Citizenship and Immigration and Votes 1 and 5 under Immigration and Refugee Board”.

Foreign Affairs and International Development

[Michael Levitt, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, entitled “Main Estimates 2019-20: Votes 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, L25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 under Department of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Vote 1 under International Development Research Centre and Vote 1 under International Joint Commission (Canadian Section)”.

Procedure and House Affairs

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 95th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the membership of committees of the House.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 95th report later this day.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the member for Yukon is mistaken. I believe we are talking about the 96th report. This is important because of the motion that follows. Can the member confirm whether it is indeed the 96th report?

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Well spotted, Mr. Speaker, but no, we changed the numbers. The 96th report will be presented soon, but not today.

Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-453, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (property of bankrupt — registered education savings plan).

Mr. Speaker, previously in this Parliament, I submitted a bill, Bill C-410, that would protect registered education savings plans and registered disability savings plans when someone declared bankruptcy. This was a good bill that was supported by many stakeholders. Clearly, the government agreed, because it took my idea of protecting RDSPs and put it into its last budget implementation act. Unfortunately, it did not afford RESPs the same protection, so I am happy today to table a bill to address this significant oversight.

RESPs deserve the same bankruptcy protection now afforded RDSPs. Parents deserve peace of mind that the money they set aside for their children will be protected if they experience financial difficulties. Entrepreneurs are often asked to put up their homes as collateral for a business loan. They should not have to sign up their children's RESPs as well.

As we continue to face a rapidly changing innovative and disruptive economy, we must ensure that laid off workers who have put their hard-earned money into their children's education savings plans are protected. I urge the government to feel free to steal this idea once again, as parents really do need help.

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