House of Commons Debates VOLUME 147 Ï NUMBER 002 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, October 17, 2013 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 17 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, October 17, 2013 The House met at 10 a.m. their time with another Member; the Speaker shall not receive any amendments; and when no Member rises to speak or after 40 minutes of debate, whichever is earlier, the motion shall be deemed adopted on division. The Speaker: Does the hon. government House leader have the Prayers unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS (Motion agreed to) Ï (1005) Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House [English] of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have another couple of motions. INFORMATION COMMISSIONER OF CANADA [Translation] The Speaker: I have the honour, pursuant to Section 38 of the Once again, there have been discussions among the parties and I Access to Information Act, to lay upon the table the report of the believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: Information Commissioner of Canada for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, Statements by Ministers shall be taken up following Question Period today. [Translation] [English] Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h), this report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Access to The Speaker: Does the hon. government House leader have the Information, Privacy and Ethics. unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion? *** Some hon. members: Agreed. [English] The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Some hon. members: Agreed. pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both (Motion agreed to) official languages, the government's response to 255 petitions. *** *** RESPECT FOR COMMUNITIES ACT COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC) moved for Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House leave to introduce Bill C-2, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, finally, there have been and Substances Act. discussions, and I expect unanimous consent to the following: (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) That the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs be the committee designated for the purposes of section 20.1 of the Enhanced New Veterans Charter Act. *** The Speaker: Does the hon. government House leader have the BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion? Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I will try this again. There have Some hon. members: Agreed. been discussions among the parties, and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, when the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Government Motion No. 1 is called, no Member shall speak for more than 10 minutes, with no question and comment period, provided that Members may divide Some hon. members: Agreed. 18 COMMONS DEBATES October 17, 2013 Points of Order (Motion agreed to) if he might have been reading the petition, which we are not supposed to do. Mr. Craig Scott: Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of the previous unanimous consents, I rise to seek the unanimous consent of the I will move on now to the hon. member for Burlington. House for a motion related to the Prime Minister's tabling yesterday of pro forma Bill C-1, which symbolically asserts the supremacy of CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION Parliament and the authority of the House to deliberate and take Mr. Mike Wallace (Burlington, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have a decisions. petition here signed by a large number of constituents of mine from the Roman Catholic faith who were upset and appalled by the CBC The government is accountable to the House for its actions, as Bill program This Hour Has 22 Minutes when it made fun of the C-1 signalled. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister may need more sacrament of Holy Communion, which they found to be a very than Bill C-1 to remind him of this. objectionable and disrespectful attack on their faith. I would like to Accordingly, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the put that on the table. House to move the following motion, which reaffirms what the THE ENVIRONMENT House previously adopted in 2010, and which I had also placed on the Order Paper before prorogation ironically killed the motion. Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP): Mr. Speak- er, I have a petition signed by many Londoners regarding the I move that the House reaffirm its expressed will and support of protection of Canada's oceans. As we all know, our oceans are in a the motion moved by Jack Layton on March 17, 2010, that in the rather poor state of health, which affects our climate, our ecosystems opinion of the House, the Prime Minister shall not advise the and our economy. Canada, unlike other countries, has only protected Governor General to prorogue any session of any Parliament for 1% of our oceans. The Americans have protected 8% of theirs, and longer than seven calendar days without a specific resolution of the the Australians, 40%. House of Commons to support such prorogation. Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to protect our Let there be no mistake that the government and the Prime oceans by establishing enough marine protected areas to protect at Minister have not honoured the will of the House as expressed in least 10% of our oceans, which is the international target to which March 2010. Canadians deserve better than democracy with Canada has already committed, and thereby ensure the future health dishonour. of our oceans, our economy, our environment and this important The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent asset for decades to come. of the House to propose the motion? The Speaker: The Chair has notice of a question of privilege from the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay. Some hon. members: Agreed. Does the hon. government House leader seek the floor? Some hon. members: No. Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House *** of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on the point of order that was raised yesterday, with a response. PETITIONS The Speaker: I will hear the hon. government House leader first GENETICALLY MODIFIED ALFALFA because the point of order was raised first. I will hear the hon. Hon. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have the member for Timmins—James Bay after the response to the point of honour to present a petition from Nova Scotian citizens on the issue order. of genetically modified alfalfa. *** The petition says that the undersigned citizens of Canada draw to the attention of the House the following: That Monsanto's Roundup POINTS OF ORDER Ready genetically modified alfalfa requires variety registration MOTION NO. 2 before it can be legally sold as seed in Canada, but it has already been approved for human consumption and environmental release in Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House Canada. It also says that genetically modified alfalfa has been and is of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I rise with a more detailed currently planted in test plots in Canada, that unwanted contamina- response to the official opposition House leader's point of order of tion from GM alfalfa is inevitable, that organic farming prohibits the last night on government Motion No. 2. Quite simply, the entire use of genetic modification and that the organic sector in Canada motion has a unifying purpose: the arrangement of business here and depends on alfalfa as a high-protein feed for dairy cattle and other in our committees for the autumn. livestock, and also as an important soil builder. As I said yesterday, it is a fair, balanced and principle-based Therefore, the petitioners call upon Parliament to impose a proposal for restoring everyone's business without prejudice moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa— resulting from the prorogation and enabling the government to bring forward a Speech from the Throne. The “chapeau” of the Ï (1010) motion, the words before paragraph (a), say just as much: “...for the The Speaker: Order. I will stop the hon. member there, as he has purposes of facilitating and organizing the business of the House and had the floor for a little over a minute and it sounded suspiciously as its committees in the autumn of 2013...”. October 17, 2013 COMMONS DEBATES 19 Points of Order Of course the main thrust of the motion provides for us to pick up More recently, Mr. Speaker Milliken said on October 4, 2002, at where we left off in June with business where it was, whether it be page 299 of the Debates that: government legislation, studies by the procedure and House affairs committee arranged by unanimous consent, a special committee that was set up unanimously in February or a finance committee study Research into Canadian practice reveals few instances where a Speaker has flowing from a private member's motion.