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CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 144 Ï NUMBER 068 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, June 4, 2009 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 4163 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, June 4, 2009 The House met at 10 a.m. ELIMINATION OF RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS PROFILING ACT Mr. Bill Siksay (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-407, An Act to eliminate racial and religious Prayers profiling. He said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table again a private Ï (1005) member's bill entitled, “An Act to eliminate racial and religious [English] profiling”. This bill seeks to ban racial and religious profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and officials. INFORMATION COMMISSIONER The Speaker: I have the honour, pursuant to section 38 of the I and my NDP colleagues have been very moved and often Access to Information Act, to lay upon the table the report of the angered by the experiences of racial and religious profiling shared Information Commissioner for the fiscal year ending March 31, with us by constituents and other Canadians. The impact of this 2009. practice has been very serious and costly to those who have been its victims and to our society. Such actions by law enforcement officers [Translation] and agencies are based solely on false stereotypes. It is bad public policy and bad law enforcement practice, plain and simple. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h), this report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Access to This is an updated version of a bill introduced by the member for Information, Privacy and Ethics. Vancouver East in the 38th Parliament. It defines racial and religious profiling as actions undertaken for reasons of safety, security, or *** public protection that rely on stereotypes about race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion or place of origin rather than on PUBLIC SECTOR INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER reasonable suspicion to single out an individual for greater scrutiny The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the annual or different treatment. reports on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner for the year The bill would require the RCMP, customs, immigration, airport 2008-09. screening officers and CSIS agents to eliminate racial and religious profiling. Those agencies would report to Parliament on their [English] progress. They would also be required to have a working analysis of how racism functions in their law enforcement context. These documents are deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) *** ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS STATE IMMUNITY ACT Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.) moved for leave to [English] introduce Bill C-408, An Act to amend the State Immunity Act and the Criminal Code (deterring terrorism by providing a civil right of GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS action against perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism). Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, He said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this bill which is pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both an act to amend the State Immunity Act and the Criminal Code, co- official languages, the government's response to six petitions. sponsored by my hon. colleague from Toronto Centre. 4164 COMMONS DEBATES June 4, 2009 Routine Proceedings Canadian law presently shields state sponsors of terrorism from PETITIONS justice for Canadian victims. Canadian law presently offers immunity to those countries that expressly seek to harm Canadians. LIBRARY MATERIALS Canadian law regrettably denies a remedy to victims of terror. This bill will right this injustice. Mr. Merv Tweed (Brandon—Souris, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions from people in Ontario and Alberta. The bill provides justice to victims immediately. It comports with These petitions add to the many petitions that I have presented our obligations under international law to both prohibit and combat before in support of Bill C-322, An Act to amend the Canada Post international terrorism and to provide such a remedy. It does not Corporation Act (library materials) that would protect and support shield itself behind an escape clause that renders it completely the library book rate and extend it to include audiovisual materials. ineffective until foreign states are named on a case-by-case basis. Such an approach politicizes justice. FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS As Victor Comras, formerly of the U.S. state department, testified Mr. Bill Siksay (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am here before a Senate committee, let us please learn from the pleased to table a petition signed by over 80 people from greater American mistake. Vancouver, including some from my riding of Burnaby—Douglas, who are very concerned about the arrest of thousands of Falun Gong We need to value Canadian rights over foreign state sponsors of practitioners by security agencies of the People's Republic of China. terrorism, value action over acquiescence, and value justice over politics. They are particularly concerned about the detention of Shuming (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) Gao and Qinming Gao, whose sister, Xiaoming Gao, lives in Vancouver. *** Ï (1010) The petitioners call on the Canadian government to make a clear COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE statement on the human rights violations and persecution perpetrated against Falun Gong practitioners in China. PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS COMPENSATION FUND Mr. Joe Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC): Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 18th report Mr. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as the of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, House knows, each year firefighters from across Canada come to presented to the House yesterday, be concurred in. Parliament Hill to advise us on some of their priorities. The first The report concerns gifts under the Conflict of Interest Code for priority for the last number of years has been the issue of Members of the House of Commons. compensation for families where one firefighter or other public safety officer has lost his or her life in the line of duty. The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion? This petition has been forwarded to me by Captain Mark Train Some hon. members: Agreed. from the Mississauga fire services. He and the petitioners would like to draw to the attention of the House that police officers and The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it firefighters are required to place their lives at risk in the execution of the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? their duties on a daily basis and that the employment benefits of public safety officers often provide insufficient compensation to the Some hon. members: Agreed. families of those who are killed on duty. (Motion agreed to) Mr. Joe Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC): Mr. The petitioners point out that the public also mourns the loss of a Speaker, if the House give its consent, I move that the 12th report police officers, firefighters or other public safety officers killed in the of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, line of duty and wish to support in a tangible way their surviving presented to the House on May 15, be concurred in. families in their time of need. The petitioners therefore call upon Parliament to establish a fund known as the public safety officers The report concerns changes to the Standing Orders. compensation fund for the benefit of families of public safety The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent officers killed in the line of duty. of the House to propose this motion? *** Some hon. members: Agreed. QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it 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. the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 121, 134 and (Motion agreed to) 140. June 4, 2009 COMMONS DEBATES 4165 Routine Proceedings [Text] In regard to a) Since 2006, no formal steps have been taken to resolve this issue as it is well managed and neither Canada nor the Question No. 121—Hon. Dan McTeague: United States have found formal discussions to be warranted. With regard to projects funded in whole or in part by Treasury Board Vote 35 in the Main Estimates 2009-2010: (a) what appropriations have been created or supplemented with funds from Vote 35; (b) what is the name of each project which has received funding from Vote 35; (c) what is the amount of total federal funding, In regard to b) Since 2006, no formal discussions between the including funds other than money from Vote 35, for each project; (d) how much of governments of the United States and Canada have been held the federal funding was provided directly by Vote 35 for each project; (e) which regarding resolution of the Beaufort Sea maritime boundary, as federal department and program is the funding being provided to; and (f) what was the rationale for using Vote 35 to fund this project as opposed to other funds available neither Canada nor the US have found it warranted.