House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 085 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 5543 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, February 28, 2012 The House met at 10 a.m. HEALTH OF ANIMALS ACT Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the other three petitions I have are in support of Prayers my Bill C-322. They come from Ontario, with over 140 names from Quebec, Alberta, Calgary, for example Airdrie, Winnipeg and Regina. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS The petitioners state that horses are ordinarily kept and treated as sport and companion animals and are not raised primarily as food SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (C), 2012-13 processing animals; that they are commonly administered drugs that are strictly prohibited from being used at any time in other food A message from His Excellency the Governor General transmit- processing animals destined for the human food supply; and that ting supplementary estimates (C) for the financial year ending March Canadian horsemeat products that are currently being sold for human 31, 2013 was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and consumption in domestic and international markets are likely to read by the Speaker to the House. contain prohibited substances. *** The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to adopt into legislation Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act MAIN ESTIMATES, 2012-13 and the Meat Inspection Act , thus prohibiting the importation or A message from His Excellency the Governor General transmit- exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well ting estimates for the financial year ending March 31, 2013 was as horsemeat products for human consumption. presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the SUICIDE PREVENTION Speaker to the House. Mr. Harold Albrecht (Kitchener—Conestoga, CPC): Mr. *** Speaker, I have the honour to table a number of petitions signed Ï (1005) by over 200 residents from the Waterloo region, Toronto, Manitoba, northern Ontario and British Columbia. [English] The petitioners are calling on the government to meet the public PETITIONS health challenges posed by suicide by adopting legislation that NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT would recognize suicide as a public health issue, provide guidelines for suicide prevention, promote collaboration and knowledge Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, exchange regarding suicide and promote evidence-based solutions NDP): Mr. Speaker, I have four sets of petitions. to prevent suicide and its aftermath. The first petition deals with foreign affairs. The petitioners from HEALTH OF ANIMALS ACT my area of Castlegar and Nelson and from Victoria in British Columbia state that the International Physicians for the Prevention of Ms. Rathika Sitsabaiesan (Scarborough—Rouge River, NDP): Nuclear War states that there is no medical response to nuclear war. Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present petitions signed by The UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has proposed a members from southern Ontario supporting Bill C-322. summit on nuclear disarmament. In 2010, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a motion that encouraged the The petitioners state that horses are ordinarily kept and treated as Government of Canada to deploy a major worldwide Canadian sport and companion animals and are not raised primarily as food- diplomatic initiative in support of preventing nuclear proliferation producing animals here in Canada; that they are commonly and increasing the rate of nuclear disarmament. administered drugs that are strictly prohibited from being used at any time in all other food-producing animals destined for the human Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to food supply; and that Canadian horsemeat products that are currently issue an invitation for all states to gather in Canada to begin being sold for human consumption in domestic and international discussions needed for a global legal ban on nuclear weapons. markets are likely to contain these prohibited substances. 5544 COMMONS DEBATES February 28, 2012 Business of Supply The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to bring forward QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER and adopt into legislation Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act, thus prohibiting the Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I consumption, as well as horsemeat products for human consumption. ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand. THE ENVIRONMENT The Speaker: Is that agreed? Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, Some hon. members: Agreed. I rise this morning to present three petitions. The first is signed by residents of my constituency, particularly from Salt Spring Island, Galiano Island and Pender Island. The petitioners call on this House to review and enact the targets GOVERNMENT ORDERS that were set forth in the legislation passed by the previous Parliament that climate change action is required now, that [English] reductions in greenhouse gases must be met to the level of 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. BUSINESS OF SUPPLY Ï (1010) OPPOSITION MOTION—CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NATIONAL PARKS Hon. Bob Rae (Toronto Centre, Lib.) moved: Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, That the House recognize: (a) the fundamental right of all Canadians to the the second petition I wish to present is from residents of Edmonton, freedoms of speech, communication and privacy, and that there must be a clear Alberta, and the Jasper area. affirmation on the need for these rights to be respected in all forms of communication; (b) that the collection by government of personal information and data from Canadians relating to their online activities without limits, rules, and The petitioners call on this House to protect the ecological judicial oversight constitutes a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and integrity of national parks. Given that these petitions speak to Freedoms’ protections against unreasonable search and seizure; (c) that Canadians rejecting the request for a private sector development in Jasper, who have expressed deep concerns about Bill C-30 should not be described as being which the minister has now approved, I think the petitioners would friends of child pornography or advocates of criminal activity; (d) that the Charter is the guarantor of the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians; and (e) that the appreciate it if I were to ask this House to urge the Minister of the Charter is paramount to any provision of the Criminal Code of Canada; and Environment to review and alter the decision that has been made. It accordingly the House calls on the Prime Minister to ensure that any legislation put is not in the interest of protecting our national parks. forward by his government respects the provisions of the Charter and its commitment to the principles of due process, respect for privacy and the presumption of THE ENVIRONMENT innocence. Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, He said: I appreciate the chance to discuss this important question the last petition is signed by residents from throughout southern in the House. I think we would all agree that the introduction of Bill Ontario. C-30 has caused a powerful reaction around the country. It is important for members, in discussing this issue, to engage not only The petitioners call on the government to cease and desist from each other but also the public in a serious discussion of what the acting as a public relations arm of the oil industry, to treat the issues in this legislation really are and why it is important that we in Enbridge supertanker scheme as one that requires study and not the House indicate our understanding and support for the principles lobbying, and to allow the process to take place before taking a in the charter, for the role of the courts in asserting the role of the position on the issue. Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in our understanding that there may well be objections to the legislation as it is currently drafted. HIGH-SPEED INTERNET Those objections need to be treated with respect and civility and not Mr. Scott Andrews (Avalon, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure with simply a curt dismissal that somehow they represent a lobby on to rise in this House today and present a petition on behalf of my behalf of criminal activity in the country. constituents of Admirals Beach, O'Donnells and St. Joseph's. I will begin by reading into the record the words of Chief Justice The petitioners would like to see high-speed Internet in their Beverley McLachlin in a recent case, the Gomboc decision. That community. It is essential for rural areas of Canada and, in particular, case dealt with the question of the access by police to information in my area of St. Mary's Bay. They do not have access to high-speed with respect to the use of electricity in a particular place because of Internet and they feel this is a necessity and a way of life that we now the suspicion that the house was being used as a grow op. The reason need to provide to them. for reading this into the record is not that it says anything about that particular case but that it is a reminder to all of us as to the The petitioners are calling upon the government to take the importance of the issues that we are discussing. necessary actions to have communities linked up to the high-speed Internet.