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Core 1..164 Hansard (PRISM::Advent3b2 10.50) CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 144 Ï NUMBER 007 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, February 3, 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 255 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, February 3, 2009 The House met at 10 a.m. EXCISE TAX ACT Hon. Shawn Murphy (Charlottetown, Lib.) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on carbon offsets). Prayers He said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to introduce a private member's bill for the consideration of this House. Ï (1000) At a time when Canadians are trying to lower the negative impact [English] they have on the environment, it is the role of the House and, I would suggest, the obligation for the government to incentivize people to HOUSE OF COMMONS encourage good behaviour. That is why I, seconded by the member The Speaker: I invite the House to take note of today's use of the for Random—Burin—St. George's, are calling for an amendment to wooden mace. the Excise Tax Act that would offer an exemption to the goods and services tax on carbon offsets. [Translation] I believe this would be a good way of encouraging Canadians to The wooden mace is traditionally used when the House sits on reduce their environmental impact and I hope the House will support February 3, to mark the anniversary of the fire that destroyed the the bill. original Parliament Buildings on this day in 1916. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) *** ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS EXCISE TAX ACT Hon. Shawn Murphy (Charlottetown, Lib.) moved for leave to [English] introduce Bill C-283, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on bicycles). CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER He said: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House to table The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the report of my private member's bill which, I should point out, was tabled in the the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on the 40th general election previous Parliament but died on the order paper. I believe the federal held on October 14, 2008. This report is deemed permanently government can encourage people to make these good transportation referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. choices by supporting my bill which calls for an amendment to the Excise Tax Act to eliminate the goods and services tax on the sale of *** bicycles. INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS By giving people the incentive to choose environmentally friendly Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Parliamentary Secretary to the modes of transportation, we will be doing the right thing for Minister of Canadian Heritage, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is my Canadians and for the environment. I hope the House will support honour to table, in both official languages, reports of the Canada- this initiative when it comes before it for debate. United States interparliamentary group on the following meetings (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) that were held last year: the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation to the Council of State Governments-WEST: 2008 annual *** meetings; report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation to the PETITIONS Western Governors Association, 2008 annual meeting; the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation to the 49th annual general MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS meeting; the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation to the Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am National Conference of State Legislatures, 2008 legislative summit; pleased to rise in the House today to present about 50 pages of and the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation to the petitions that were collected by members of the Animal Defence and Southern Governors Association, 2008 general meeting. Anti-Vivisection Society of B C. 256 COMMONS DEBATES February 3, 2009 The Budget The petitioners feel very strongly about the issue that they [English] collected the petition on. They urge the Canadian government to end funding of medical experiments on animals in favour of nonviolent, This co-operative sentiment, this invitation to work together and more appropriate, ethical and reliable research methods that are stand solidly with each other is a welcomed and changed attitude in increasingly becoming available. They also call for greater marked contrast to the government's stewardship of the last three accountability from publicly funded researchers and higher standards years. of animal treatment more in line with those of European Union During those three years, the government ignored the warnings of members. I am pleased to introduce these petitions today in the economists against its tax policies and the admonitions of this party House. about the largest spending spree in history. It managed to drive a $15 Ï (1005) billion budgetary surplus into the ground even before the recession [Translation] began. INTERPROVINCIAL BRIDGE In September, when the recession began and every other G8 Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it country was in fact addressing it, the government continued to insist is my pleasure to present a petition signed by Ottawa citizens. It there was no recession. deals with the construction of a bridge and the eventual elimination In October, when G8 governments began to plan around a of heavy-truck traffic in the downtown core of the nation's capital. necessary budgetary deficit, the government continued to insist that These petitioners call upon the government to instruct the National it would never run a deficit. Capital Commission to proceed with a detailed assessment of a bridge linking the Canotek industrial park to the Gatineau airport, In November, when the global economic meltdown began, the which is known as option 7 in the second phase of an environmental government's economic update astonishingly promised a surplus in assessment regarding an interprovincial crossing in the national 2009. capital region. When that co-operative leadership, which the government now *** speaks of was so needed, the government, in its economic update, [English] chose to mock Parliament and the people with a series of divisive and adversarial measures. Those measures were more about partisan QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER politics than they were about the economic well-being of Canadians, Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of such that we lurched from an economic crisis to a political crisis to a the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I national unity crisis. Then there was the proroguing of Parliament, ask that all questions be allowed to stand. during which period we lost more jobs than in any other comparable period in the last 20 years. The Speaker: Is that agreed? We are pleased not only with the new and necessary co-operative Some hon. members: Agreed. and consultative approach, but that the approach has also included initiatives suggested by, among others, our own party, including the expanding of the working income tax benefit and the child tax GOVERNMENT ORDERS benefit, affordable housing initiatives, infrastructure investment, investment in regional development bodies, credit access, investment [English] with respect to the infrastructure for aboriginal peoples and the like. THE BUDGET The budget regrettably remains a flawed document, one in which FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF MINISTER OF FINANCE there is an absence of an overarching vision and strategy, one bereft of the great national projects that not only benefit the economy but The House resumed from January 30 consideration of the motion help to inspire the nation. that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government. For example, while the budget invests in the physical infra- Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I will be structure of universities and laboratories, which is clearly welcome splitting my time with the member for Random—Burin—St. and needed, it nonetheless ignores the investment in the sciences, in George's. the research, in the ideas that underpin and inspire the work in those universities and laboratories. At the same time, there is an absence in [Translation] the budget of any reference to the Genome Canada budget, to the I am very happy to be participating in this debate on behalf of my diminution of funding for research granting councils and its lack of constituents in Mount Royal, a dynamic, committed, rainbow-like support for equitable access to higher education. riding. What we note in particular is what has been called a manifest The Speech from the Throne began as follows: disregard for science, as the distinguished science journal, Nature, lamented a year ago. Another distinguished journal, Science, now In these uncertain times, when the world is threatened by a struggling economy, it is imperative that we work together, that we stand beside one another and that we counsels us, warning about the possible outflow of scientists, strive for greater solidarity. researchers and educators from Canada to the United States. February 3, 2009 COMMONS DEBATES 257 The Budget Second, while the budget speaks of a green infrastructure fund, domestically but internationally? What about what is happening in again there is no grand vision of a triple-E initiative of the protection Africa, in Zimbabwe, in the Congo, in Darfur and in Somali? of the economy, of investment in energy technologies and, in particular, with regard to environmental protection. In effect, what We have to turn our attention as well to those less privileged than we have here, in contrast that of the United States, is a piecemeal we are and ensure that do what we can to combat and redress those approach to environmental protection.
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