CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 141 Ï NUMBER 149 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 39th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, May 8, 2007 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 9169 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, May 8, 2007 The House met at 10 a.m. Act to allow mail to be sent free of postage to and from a member of the Canadian Forces serving outside of Canada. This bill was inspired by Saint John resident Mrs. June Dobson, Prayers whose nephew, Master Corporal Stephen Maher, is serving in Afghanistan. Mrs. Dobson's brother has passed away and she holds Master Corporal Maher close to her heart and writes to him two or ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS three times a week. Recently one of those letters was returned because it was 6¢ short of postage. Ï (1005) [English] It is for that reason I am introducing this bill. It is free to send mail GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS to one's member of Parliament. It would make sense that it should be free to send mail to our brave men and women who are putting their Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of lives in danger for all of us. the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, CPC): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing I would hope all hon. members would support June's bill. Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to five petitions. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) *** *** CANADA ELECTIONS ACT Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House PETITIONS of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, CPC) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-54, An Act to amend the Canada PROPOSED NATIONAL PARK Elections Act (accountability with respect to loans). Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) NDP): Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present. The first is a *** petition put forward by the Grassland Park Review Coalition in Oliver, Osoyoos and Keremeos in my area. The petitioners are INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS opposed to the formation of the national park in the south Okanagan Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, and lower Similkameen. They urge the Government of Canada to pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the cooperate with the Government of British Columbia to support a House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian land resource management plan instead. Parliamentary Delegation of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the sixth ordinary session This is part of over 6,000 signatures collected by this group of the Pan-African Parliament held in Midrand, South Africa on provincially. November 13 and 14, 2006. TERMINATOR SEED TECHNOLOGY *** CANADA POST CORPORATION ACT Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, Mr. Paul Zed (Saint John, Lib.) moved for leave to introduce NDP): Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on terminator seed Bill C-440, An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (mail technology. I have received over 1,000 letters in my office, which I free of postage to members of the Canadian Forces). have personally answered, from people who are opposed to terminator seed technology. The petitioners urge Parliament to He said: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a very important enshrine in legislation a permanent national ban on terminator piece of legislation entitled, an Act to amend the Canada Post technology, in other words, genetic use restriction technologies, to Corporation Act (mail free of postage to members of the Canadian ensure that these are never planted, field tested, or patented for Forces). This legislation would amend the Canada Post Corporation commercialization in Canada. 9170 COMMONS DEBATES May 8, 2007 S. O. 52 ELECTORAL REFORM stop atrocities against Falun Gong practitioners in China. They ask Ms. Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island North, NDP): Mr. that the Canadian government make a public statement and pass a Speaker, I have one petition to present this morning regarding motion in the House to condemn the communist regime for electoral reform. It is from hundreds of members of my riding of committing these crimes against humanity, urge again that the Vancouver Island North who still want to see full consultation across Chinese regime end the persecution of Falun Gong and release all this country on the issue of electoral reform. They will not give up Falun Gong practitioners immediately. and neither will I until there is a full discussion and debate across this country on the issue of electoral reform. They also ask that the government take active measures to help stop the killing and organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners and [Translation] discourage Canadians from travelling to China for organ transplants. SUMMER CAREER PLACEMENT PROGRAM *** Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I am tabling today two petitions signed by a total of 1,848 people. These QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER petitioners are denouncing the $55 million in cuts to Summer Career Placement projects. As we know, wage subsidies used to be provided Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of to businesses that employed young people over the summer. This the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for way, various cultural and social organizations could hire young Democratic Reform, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be people and provide them with work experience. allowed to stand. We know that Summer Career Placement has also changed how it The Speaker: Is it agreed? manages its budgets, with catastrophic results for a riding like that of Québec, because we have many students attending Laval University Some hon. members: Agreed. and many cultural and community organizations in the riding of Québec. *** Ï (1010) MARRIAGE REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY DEBATE Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I would FOREIGN TAKEOVER OF CANADIAN INDUSTRIES like to table another petition. It concerns the definition of marriage and was signed by 541 people. These petitioners call upon The Speaker: The Chair has received an application for an Parliament to reopen the issue of marriage and to repeal or amend emergency debate from the hon. member for Toronto—Danforth. I the Marriage for Civil Purposes Act. will be pleased to hear his submissions on this point now. IMMIGRATION Hon. Jack Layton (Toronto—Danforth, NDP): Mr. Speaker, as Ms. Christiane Gagnon (Québec, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I have per Standing Order 52, the New Democratic Party requests that the another petition to present, the theme of which is “Welcome the House of Commons hold an emergency debate today on the foreign Stranger: Becoming Neighbours”. This is an initiative of Citizens for takeover of Canadian industries. The issue is of immediate Public Justice. These petitioners ask, among other things, that the importance to the national economy and the well-being of working barriers preventing refugees from reaching Canada be lifted, that the people across Canada. We hope that you will look favourably on this number of refugees that Canada accepts be significantly increased request. and that the immigration process for reuniting refugees and their [Translation] families be sped up. [English] Canada is losing its economic gems. Canadian interests, whether small, medium or large, are being taken over by foreign interests. MARRIAGE Alcan seems to be next on the list, going for $33 billion. Yesterday, Mr. Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, CPC): Mr. Van Houtte was sold to American interests for $600 million. Such Speaker, I have the privilege to table a petition in the French transactions may please shareholders, but all this does not bode well language from Quebec petitioners on the matter of marriage. The for Canada's economy, and thus for the families of Canadian petitioners ask Parliament to reopen the question of marriage in workers. It is urgent that we have a debate here, in this House, to Parliament. They ask that Parliament abrogate or amend the law on take up this issue of the utmost importance, I would even say of vital civil marriage and defend and promote marriage as the union strategic importance, as the livelihoods of families are at stake. between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all other persons. It is an honour to represent these good French speaking Quebec [English] petitioners on this important issue of marriage. We do not have in place the kinds of protections, the kinds of FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS regulations and the kind of decision making that would allow us to Ms. Denise Savoie (Victoria, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to ensure that whenever there is a foreign takeover of a Canadian table a petition signed by hundreds of my constituents. The business, Canadian jobs are put as a priority, that investment in the petitioners urge the Canadian government and Parliament to help country is put as a priority. May 8, 2007 COMMONS DEBATES 9171 Business of Supply In fact, it is to the contrary. I have visited plants where foreign turn are affected by international economic factors more than takeovers have simply resulted in contracts that would otherwise anything else. have been performed by the workers in those plants who, in some cases, have been there for many years being shipped elsewhere to This is a simplistic argument. Everyone knows that international other companies that the multinational owns, either in the United events play a role in determining gas prices at the pump, but other States or far beyond across the seas where the jobs get created.