CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 141 Ï NUMBER 129 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 39th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, March 27, 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 7937 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, March 27, 2007 The House met at 10 a.m. determine how, why and in what manner accounting officers appear before Parliament, but as everyone in this assembly knows, that is not the case. Prayers I am very pleased and honoured to present what I consider to be an historic report. PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Mr. Gord Brown (Leeds—Grenville, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have Ï (1005) the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. [Translation] In accordance with the order of reference of Friday, May 19, 2006, INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS your committee has undertaken and has completed its review of the The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the report Anti-terrorism Act as required by section 145 of the act. on the Canadian parliamentary delegation to Benin, Burkina Faso I had the honour of chairing this committee and I want to and Mali from January 8-16, 2007. commend members from all parties who took part in this study. The [English] report was first undertaken in the 38th Parliament. It is now complete Mr. Gerald Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret's, CPC): Mr. and is tabled today in the House. All members of the committee Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the pleasure of worked very hard and worked well together, but I do want to pay tabling, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian special tribute to the member for Scarborough Southwest, who really delegation to the 15th annual Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, went above and beyond and did a great job of learning all of this. I which took place in Moscow from January 21 to January 26. am pleased to table this report. *** *** COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE CANADIAN SOLDIERS' AND PEACEKEEPERS' MEMORIAL WALL ACT HEALTH Mr. Inky Mark (Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, CPC) Mr. Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have the moved for leave to introduce Bill C-417, An Act to establish a honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of Memorial Wall for Canada’s fallen soldiers and peacekeepers. the Standing Committee on Health, entitled “Healthy Weights for Healthy Kids”. He said: Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this morning to present a bill to establish a memorial wall for Canada's fallen soldiers Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee requests that the and peacekeepers. government table a comprehensive response to this report. Since 1885, over 115,000 people have shown unconditional PUBLIC ACCOUNTS sacrifice and have died in the service of this country. Before 1970, by Hon. Shawn Murphy (Charlottetown, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I Canadian law, those who had fallen were buried in the country in have the pleasure to table the report from the Standing Committee on which they died. These individuals either were lost at sea or were Public Accounts dealing with the protocol for the appearance of buried outside Canada, in 73 countries around the world. accounting officers as witnesses before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. If I may say so, I consider this a historic report. A memorial wall would be the only national memorial to properly honour all those who have given their lives in war and peacekeeping With the passing of the Federal Accountability Act, deputy duties. It would allow Canadians and visitors the opportunity to ministers are designated accounting officers. This report sets out the understand the magnitude of the sacrifice that was made to ensure protocol as to the accounting officers' appearance before the public we maintain the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. accounts committee. In closing, I want to thank Messrs. Ed and Robert Forsyth, who There was a major dispute. The Privy Council and the Treasury did yeoman service on this issue. Those who have a greater interest Board Secretariat felt that it was their job and their job alone to in this issue can look at their website at www.memorialwall.ca. 7938 COMMONS DEBATES March 27, 2007 Routine Proceedings (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) SUPERINTENDENT OF BANKRUPTCY *** Mr. Dave MacKenzie (Oxford, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I rise today INCOME TAX ACT to present a petition on behalf of a number of petitioners in my riding and across Ontario who feel that a bankruptcy that took place in Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP) moved for September 2001 was poorly reported by the Superintendent of leave to introduce Bill C-418, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act Bankruptcy. They ask that the report of the Office of the (deductibility of remuneration). Superintendent of Bankruptcy be rescinded and the necessary steps taken to cause a corrected report be released. She said: Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Hamilton Mountain, and indeed right across this country, hard-working families are increas- ingly recognizing the existence of a prosperity gap. They do not feel LABELLING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES that they are benefiting from the economic growth they keep hearing about. They are right. The numbers back them up. Not only is there a Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP): Mr. Speak- growing gap between the rich and the poor, there is also an alarming er, it is with deep regret that I present this petition on behalf of many erosion of economic security for middle class families. Canadians, who also regret the fact that I have to continue to present this petition. This has to do with the fact that almost six years ago In 2005 Canada's top 100 CEOs were earning 240 times the salary Parliament passed a motion to put alcohol warning labels on all of the average Canadian worker. By 10 a.m. on New Year's Day, the beverage containers. top CEOs have earned more than most Canadians make in a year. A recent poll showed that 82% of Canadians believe that one of the ways to narrow that prosperity gap is to close the tax loopholes that Here we are, many years later and two or three governments later, allow wealthy Canadians and corporations to pay less than their fair and still there is no action. Canadians are very upset and share of taxes. That is precisely what my bill does. disappointed that parliamentarians say one thing at one moment and show support for dealing with fetal alcohol syndrome and then This legislation will no longer allow companies to write off in the next moment refuse to implement this. That goes for Liberals against their business taxes the salaries of their CEOs and corporate and Conservatives. It is time, the petitioners say, that this motion was officers in excess of $1 million. This is particularly important in passed and action taken. communities like Hamilton, where companies that are seeking CCAA protection from the courts are protecting the multi-million FOREIGN CREDENTIALS RECOGNITION dollar salaries of their key executives through court-supported KERPs while they are exacting wage, pension and benefit concessions from their workers. Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of tabling two petitions today. I want to thank my colleague, the member for Winnipeg North, for her support. I hope the House will recognize the inherent fairness of The first is signed by hard-working families on Hamilton this legislation and pass it quickly. Mountain who are concerned about the recognition of foreign (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) credentials. They state that Canada's failure to recognize the credentials of qualified, skilled and professional foreign-trained *** immigrants is not only hurting the economy and immigrants alike, Ï (1010) but it is also contributing to unacceptable levels of child poverty and is increasing the strain on social services. PETITIONS VISITOR VISAS They are petitioning Parliament to create a foreign credentials Mr. Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre, Lib.): Mr. recognition agency that will ensure foreign-trained immigrants meet Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have the honour of Canadian standards while getting those who are trained and ready to presenting a petition signed by almost 800 citizens and collected by work into the workforce as quickly as possible. the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce. The petitioners strongly urge the government to adopt Motion No. 99 and thereby Ï (1015) follow the lead of the United Kingdom by lifting visitor visa requirements for Croatian nationals. IMMIGRATION Croatia has made huge strides in recent years and today is a democratic free market country on a par with most European states. Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): My second Croatia is also contributing internationally, standing shoulder to petition, Mr. Speaker, is with respect to my colleague's bill, Bill shoulder with Canada in Afghanistan, and is currently the second C-394, the bill that we in the House call the once in a lifetime bill. largest non-NATO troop contributor to the Afghanistan mission. Family reunification must be a key component of a fair immigration policy. The current family class rules, as we well know, are too It is time for Canada to lift visitor visa requirements for Croatia. restrictive and mean that many close relatives are not eligible.