House of Commons Debates VOLUME 148 Ï NUMBER 137 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 42nd PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, February 9, 2017 Speaker: The Honourable Geoff Regan CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 8695 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, February 9, 2017 The House met at 10 a.m. Ï (1005) [English] Prayer JUSTICE Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I would like to table, in ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS both official languages, the charter statement on Bill C-38, An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (exploitation and Ï (1000) trafficking in persons). [English] *** CRIMINAL CODE Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould (Minister of Justice and Attorney BUSINESS OF SUPPLY General of Canada, Lib.) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-38, Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP): Mr. Speak- An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (exploitation er, there have been discussions among the parties and if you were to and trafficking in persons). seek it, I think you would find that there is consent to adopt the (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) following motion. I move: *** That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, all questions necessary to dispose of the STRENGTHENING MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY FOR motion be deemed put and a recorded division requested and deferred to Tuesday, CANADIANS ACT February 14, 2017, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions. Hon. Lawrence MacAulay (for the Minister of Transport) The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent moved that Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of the House to move the motion? and to make a consequential amendment to another Act, be read the first time. Some hon. members: Agreed. (Motion agreed to and bill read the first time) The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it *** the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Translation] Some hon. members: Agreed. CRIMINAL CODE (Motion agreed to) Mr. Alain Rayes (Richmond—Arthabaska, CPC) moved for leave to introduce Bill S-230, An Act to amend the Criminal Code *** (drug-impaired driving). PETITIONS He said: Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to rise in the House today to introduce my first bill as the member for Richmond— ANIMAL WELFARE Arthabaska, Bill S-230, an act to amend the Criminal Code (drug- impaired driving), which was first introduced by Senator Claude Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, Carignan. I rise this morning to present four petitions and I will do so expeditiously. This bill authorizing police officers to use a screening device to detect drug-impaired driving will save many lives. I am asking all of I have one petition from residents in my riding who call on the my colleagues to set partisanship aside and support this bill as it House of Commons to recognize animals as not mere property, but moves through the legislative process in the House of Commons. to move animal cruelty crimes out of the property section of the (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) Criminal Code, as other attempts have been made in this place. 8696 COMMONS DEBATES February 9, 2017 Business of Supply FALUN GONG GOVERNMENT ORDERS Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from hundreds and hundreds of residents [Translation] primarily in the GTA, who call on the Government of Canada to make it clear to the People's Republic of China that the persecution BUSINESS OF SUPPLY of practitioners of Falun Dafa and Falun Gong must end. OPPOSITION MOTION—COMMITMENTS REGARDING ELECTORAL REFORM SHARK FINNING Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP) Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, moved: the third petition is to the issue of the transport and export and import That, in the opinion of the House, the government misled Canadians on its of shark fins, endangering many species of sharks globally. This is platform and Throne Speech commitment “that 2015 will be the last federal election another issue that has come up before the House and we need to conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system”, and that the House call on the revisit it. government to apologize to Canadians for breaking its promise. THE ENVIRONMENT He said: Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, and friend from Skeena—Bulkley Valley, which is great because I lastly, from residents in the Vancouver area, there is a call for a know he has some very interesting things to tell us. tanker ban to prevent the movement of tankers loaded with a substance that cannot be cleaned up, namely bitumen mixed with Today is an important day because we are here to discuss diluent, for the entire west coast of British Columbia. campaign promises the Liberal Party made less than a year and a half ago. ABORTION In their election platform, on their website, during press Mrs. Celina Caesar-Chavannes (Whitby, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I conferences, in press releases, and during the debates, the Liberals am pleased to present a petition on behalf of the citizens of my riding made several commitments. They promised many things to many of Whitby and of the greater Durham region, in response to recent people. They promised a lot of money, they promised many reforms, anti-choice protests that many residents have found distressing. and they promised a great deal of renewal. One of the fundamental aspects of this democratic renewal, this political renewal, was a firm *** and solemn commitment to change our electoral system, to change QUESTIONS PASSED AS ORDERS FOR RETURNS our voting system. The Liberals repeated dozens of times that the 2015 election would be the last election using the current voting Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the system, that is, the first past the post system. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, if a supplementary response to Question No. 674, Why? Because it is an unfair and unjust system that creates major originally tabled on January 30, could be made into an order for distortions between the will of the people, what people choose to return, the return would be tabled immediately. vote for when they put their ballot in the ballot box, and the result we end up with here, in the House, with 338 MPs. These distortions are The Speaker: Is that agreed? so severe that they are putting people off voting altogether, because Some hon. members: Agreed. they feel as though their vote does not count, their voice is not being represented, and their vote is wasted. [Text] The Liberals campaigned on making every vote count. Actually, Question No. 674—Mr. Matt Jeneroux: the Liberals, the NDP, and the Greens all campaigned to change our With regard to relocation costs for exempt staff moving to a location outside of voting system, to make it reflect what people really want. The results the National Capital Region, since January 1, 2016: (a) what is the total cost paid by of the 2015 election revealed that 18 million ballots were cast. Nine the government for relocation services and hotel stays related to moving these staff to million of those votes actually elected a member, and the other nine a location outside of the National Capital Region; and (b) for each individual million did not elect anyone. People sense that, even if they do not reimbursement, what is the (i) total payout, (ii) cost for moving services, (iii) cost for hotel stays? necessarily know the exact figures. Sometimes when a riding is won ahead of time by a Liberal or Conservative candidate, people wonder (Return tabled) why they should even bother voting, since their vote will not count or change anything. [English] Under a new electoral system, we could ensure that a party that Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining receives roughly 10% of the votes would have roughly 10% of the questions be allowed to stand. seats in the House, and a party that receives 20% of the votes would The Speaker: Is that agreed? have 20% of the seats. That is how it works in most of the democracies similar to ours. That is how it works in 85% of the Some hon. members: Agreed. OECD countries. February 9, 2017 COMMONS DEBATES 8697 Business of Supply Canada is one of the last and few countries to use the archaic first I do not, I apologize. That is what the NDP motion is asking the past the post voting system. Under this system, in a race of three or government to do. four candidates, the winner can be elected to the House with 28%, 30%, or 32% of the votes. In other words, 70% of the people who If the Liberals said they were going to do something, repeated it, voted in that riding did not vote for the member who got elected. and made people believe it, if they were looking for voters and That is where the distortion is most evident. convinced them to put their trust in the Liberals, and then they just scrap the plan, they have to apologize. Every Liberal member here The last Conservative government won a majority with 39% of the should apologize to the House and to all Canadians for misleading votes, which means that 61% of Canadians and Quebeckers did not them.