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CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 144 Ï NUMBER 024 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, March 5, 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 1317 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, March 5, 2009 The House met at 10 a.m. and ensuring freedom from torture for all Canadians at home and abroad and making consequential amendments to other Acts. Prayers She said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to reintroduce this important piece of legislation which unfortunately, although it came very close, did not make it to a vote in the last Parliament before the election was called. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS I appreciate the help and support of the B.C. Civil Liberties Ï (1000) Association which gave me a great deal of help in drafting the bill. [English] NATIONAL CEMETERY OF CANADA ACT The bill is a comprehensive attempt to address the issue of torture. It makes it a criminal offence to use information known to be Hon. Jim Prentice (Minister of the Environment, CPC) moved obtained using torture. It stops any officials from Canada from for leave to introduce Bill C-17, An Act to recognize Beechwood transferring prisoners into the hands of those who are suspected or Cemetery as the national cemetery of Canada. known to use torture. It creates a government watch list of countries He said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill entitled, that are known to engage in torture. It prevents the use of national “An Act to recognize Beechwood Cemetery as the national cemetery security provisions as a measure to withhold information about of Canada”, also known as the National Cemetery of Canada Act. It torture, which happened for months during the Afghan detainees is a historic piece of legislation for our country. scandal last year. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) I urge all members of the House to join together to reject torture in *** all its forms and to support this very important bill. COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS Mr. Joe Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC): Mr. *** Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(a)(v), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Ï (1005) Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding matters related to webcasting of the House and its committees. CANADA LABOUR CODE If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in this Mr. John Rafferty (Thunder Bay—Rainy River, NDP) moved report later today. for leave to introduce Bill C-335, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (illness or injury). FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Mr. Kevin Sorenson (Crowfoot, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have the He said: Mr. Speaker, this bill will extend the allowable period of honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the absence for illness and ensure that a worker cannot be dismissed, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Develop- suspended, laid off, demoted or disciplined by an employer if the ment entitled, “Report on the Baha'i Community in Iran”. worker misses work due to serious illness for a period of up to 52 *** weeks. I believe this bill is fair and will protect seriously ill workers while ensuring that businesses remain viable. PREVENTION OF TORTURE ACT Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP) This bill, if passed, will make a tremendous difference in the lives moved for leave to introduce Bill C-334, An Act prohibiting the of many families right across Canada. I hope it receives the support commission, abetting or exploitation of torture by Canadian officials of all the members. 1318 COMMONS DEBATES March 5, 2009 Routine Proceedings (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise, and to repeal the 31.5% tax on income trusts. *** Members will recall that the Prime Minister and the Minister of COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Finance indicated that this was not a problem because the markets PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS have recovered. I wonder what they would say today. Mr. Joe Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC): Mr. Ï (1010) Speaker, if the House gives it consent, I move that the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs INCOME TAX ACT presented to the House earlier this day be concurred in. This report Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I concerns a change to the Speaker's permission regarding the am pleased to present two more petitions, both of which were reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its circulated by members and supporters of the building trades. The committees. petitioners come from all over Ontario, but many of them are from my riding of Hamilton Mountain. The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion? Building trades across the country have lobbied successive Some hon. members: Agreed. governments for over 30 years to achieve some basic fairness for their members. They want tradespeople and indentured apprentices (Motion agreed to) to be able to deduct travel and accommodation expenses from their *** taxable incomes so that they can secure and maintain employment at construction sites that are more than 80 kilometres from their homes. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I It makes no sense, especially during this economic crisis, for move: tradespeople to be out of work in one area of the country while That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders or usual practices of the House, at the another region suffers from temporary shortages of skilled trades- conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the member for people simply because the cost of travelling is too high. To that end, Hamilton Mountain, all questions necessary to dispose of this motion be deemed put, they have gathered hundreds of signatures in support of my bill, a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to the end of government orders which would allow for precisely the kinds of deductions their on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. members have been asking for. The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion? I am pleased to table these petitions on their behalf and share their disappointment that this item was not addressed in the last federal Some hon. members: Agreed. budget. (Motion agreed to) ADULT TELEVISION CHANNEL *** Mr. Randy Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, PETITIONS CPC): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present a petition from my constituents, largely those from the INCOME TRUSTS district of Mission in British Columbia. They draw the attention of Mr. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am the House of Commons to the fact that the CRTC has approved pleased to present what I believe is the 100th petition presented in another Canadian pay television pornographic channel called the House in the last two Parliaments on the subject matter of the Northern Peaks, which they believe will lead to the creation of a income trust broken promise. It comes to me from Mr. Robert Cherry pornography industry in Canada. in my riding of Mississauga South. Of course, this petition is being presented pursuant to Standing Order 36 and it is certified by the They point out that pornography is not a victimless activity. It is clerk of petitions. addictive, leads to changes in behaviour and causes harmful acts that hurt and undermine women, children and society as a whole. Mr. Cherry and the other petitioners remember the Prime Therefore, they call upon Parliament to review the approval of this Minister's commitment to accountability when the Prime Minister type of channel and the approval policies of the CRTC. said, “The greatest fraud is a promise not kept”. The petitioners want to remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income *** trusts, that he recklessly broke that promise, and that he imposed a 31.5% punitive tax which permanently wiped out $25 billion of the QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER hard-earned retirement savings of over two million Canadians, Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of particularly seniors. the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. The petitioners call upon the Conservative minority government to admit that the decision to tax income trusts was based on flawed The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): Is that agreed? methodology and incorrect assumptions, as was demonstrated in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, to apologize to Some hon. members: Agreed. March 5, 2009 COMMONS DEBATES 1319 Business of Supply GOVERNMENT ORDERS on the record stating, “We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it—”. This is from the minister in [English] charge of EI. It is absolutely shameful. BUSINESS OF SUPPLY OPPOSITION MOTION — EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Darcy Rezak, managing director of the Vancouver Board of Trade, Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP) moved: expressed the same sentiment about EI's purported erosion of Canadians' work ethic even more bluntly: That, in the opinion of this House, the government must address the alarming growth in the number of unemployed Canadians and the increasing number of Employment Insurance claimants; confirm its commitment to a social safety net to help regular Improved insurance always carries with it a moral hazard.