House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 206 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, February 7, 2013 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 13823 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, February 7, 2013 The House met at 10 a.m. COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS Mr. Joe Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC): Mr. Prayers Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 40th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in relation to the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Commission for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Ï (1005) *** [Translation] [Translation] CANADIAN GRAIN COMMISSION BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Mr. Pierre Lemieux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister Ms. Nycole Turmel (Hull—Aylmer, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I would of Agriculture, CPC): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32 like to move the following motion: (2) and section 4 of the User Fees Act, I have the honour to table, in That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the both official languages, a copy of the Canadian Grain Commission's member for Parkdale—High Park, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to Tuesday, proposal to Parliament for user fees and service standards. User fees February 12, 2013, at the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders. will be payable as soon as the proposal comes into force. The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent I look forward to hearing what my colleagues have to say about of the House to propose this motion? this important proposal. Some hon. members: Agreed. *** The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it [English] the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' Some hon. members: Agreed. HEALTH (Motion agreed to) Ms. Eve Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order *** 32(2), I am pleased to table on behalf of the Minister of Veterans [English] Affairs, in both official languages, the report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Veterans' Health. The report is entitled PETITIONS “Depleted Uranium and Canadian Veterans: A Review of Potential SEX SELECTION Exposure and Health Effects”. Mr. Harold Albrecht (Kitchener—Conestoga, CPC): Mr. *** Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by hundreds INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS of constituents from the Waterloo region. Mr. Gordon Brown (Leeds—Grenville, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I The petitioners call upon the government to notice that sex- am pleased to rise this morning pursuant to Standing Order 34(1). I selective abortion has created a global gender imbalance causing have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, girls to be trafficked in prostitution. They call upon Parliament to the reports of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States support Motion No. M-408 and condemn sex-selective abortion. Inter-parliamentary Group respecting its participation in the follow- ing two meetings: first, the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE PNWER, 22nd annual summit held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Mr. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, July 15-19, 2012; second, the 66th annual meeting of the Southern pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to table a petition on Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments held in behalf of Larry Martin and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Charleston, West Virginia, July 28 to August 1, 2012. Development and Peace. 13824 COMMONS DEBATES February 7, 2013 Business of Supply The petition is signed by hundreds of local residents who are have seen their funding cut by CIDA. Finally, in the spirit of global urging the government to demonstrate international responsibility by solidarity, they want to ensure that CIDA restores the full funding recommitting Canada to contribute 0.7% of GDP to overseas amount of $49.2 million requested by Development and Peace over development and to prioritize responsive funding to NGOs that the next five years. Canadians support, which have had their funding cut by CIDA. Ï (1010) I am pleased to table this petition this morning and look forward to [English] the government's response. SEX SELECTION SEX SELECTION Mr. Leon Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Mr. Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener Centre, CPC): Mr. I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of people from Viking, Speaker, I have three petitions to present today on three different in my constituency. subjects. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to condemn The first petition is from a number of Canadians from the London discrimination against females occurring through sex selective and Guelph areas, almost 70 in total. The petitioners point out that pregnancy termination. They note that CBC did a program that Canada is a nation that has long promoted the right to equal exposed this practice in Canada. They note that 92% of Canadians protection and equal benefit of the law. They point out that believe that sex-selective pregnancy termination should be illegal. preventing the birth of baby girls through sex-selective abortion is an The petitioners also pointed out that all parties in the House affront to the dignity and equality of women and girls and has denied supported ending this practice. millions of girls in Canada and throughout the world a chance to be born merely because they are girls. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex selective The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to condemn pregnancy termination. discrimination against girls through sex-selective pregnancy termi- nation. *** ABORTION QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER Mr. Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener Centre, CPC): Mr. Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of Speaker, the second petition is from more than 130 Canadians from the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I the Guelph and London areas, who point out that Canada is the only ask that all questions be allowed to stand. nation in the western world to have no law restricting abortion and is The Speaker: Is that agreed? in the company of China and North Korea in that respect. Some hon. members: Agreed. The petitioners call upon Parliament to speedily enact legislation to deal with that. MIGRANT WORKERS GOVERNMENT ORDERS Mr. Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener Centre, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by 27 of my constituents who [Translation] remind Parliament that temporary foreign and seasonal workers play BUSINESS OF SUPPLY an important role in the economy but are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and substandard working conditions. OPPOSITION MOTION—PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to ratify the Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) moved: International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All That this House: (a) reaffirm the essential role of the Parliamentary Budget Officer Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. in providing independent analysis to Parliamentarians on the state of the nation's finances, trends in the Canadian economy, and the estimates process; and (b) call on [Translation] the government to: (i) extend the mandate of current Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page until his replacement is named; and (ii) support legislation to make the DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE Parliamentary Budget Officer a full, independent officer of Parliament. Mr. André Bellavance (Richmond—Arthabaska, BQ): Mr. Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Speaker, I recently took part in a press conference in Sherbrooke Beauharnois—Salaberry. organized by the diocesan council of the Eastern Townships to protest the funding cuts made to Development and Peace. The I am pleased to rise in the House today to move this opposition Bishop of Sherbrooke, Bishop Luc Cyr, was there, as were many motion in support of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. others. The position of Parliamentary Budget Officer was created in 2006 Basically, the petitioners asked me to present a petition calling on in the wake of the sponsorship scandal. Despite their promise to the government to demonstrate international responsibility by create an independent parliamentary budget office, the Conservatives recommitting Canada to contribute 0.7% of GDP to international refused to grant the PBO the same independence and the same development assistance. They want the government to prioritize authority as other officers of Parliament, such as the Auditor responsive funding to those NGOs that Canadians support and that General. February 7, 2013 COMMONS DEBATES 13825 Business of Supply [English] clear that the Conservatives are in no rush to ensure that the work of the PBO continues unabated during the selection process. Our current PBO, Kevin Page, has himself asked why create a budget office and ask for independent analysis right in the legislation if we do not even want it. Why indeed? In an unfortunate and frustrating pattern, the government has responded to the PBO's efforts for fiscal transparency by refusing to Unfortunately, the legislation governing the Parliamentary Budget release costing estimates on a wide range of its key policy areas, Officer does not extend the mandate of the PBO to his employees. including the F-35 procurement deal, G8 and G20 security costs, the The legislation also fails to provide for an automatic interim process contentious omnibus crime bill and the OAS cuts. Meanwhile, to take effect when a new PBO is sought. Instead, Canadians and following its mandate, the PBO has continued to produce its own their MPs must wait for an order in council appointment for even an independent costing analysis in the face of limited co-operation from interim PBO to be put in place.