CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 145 Ï NUMBER 092 Ï 3rd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, November 2, 2010 (Part A) Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 5639 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, November 2, 2010 The House met at 10 a.m. In accordance with the order of reference of Monday, September 27, your committee has considered Bill C-8, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Agreement on the Environment between Prayers Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and agreed on Monday, November 1, to report ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS it without amendment. Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I rise Ï (1000) today to seek unanimous consent for the following motion, seconded [English] by my colleague from Timmins—James Bay: That Bill C-565, An COMMISSIONER OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGES Act to amend the Criminal Code (arrest without warrant by owner), better known as the lucky moose bill, be deemed read a second time, The Speaker: I have the honour, pursuant to section 66 of the deemed referred to a committee of the whole, deemed reported back Official Languages Act, to lay upon the table Volume II of the annual from the committee of the whole without amendment, deemed report of the Commissioner of Official Languages covering the concurred in at report stage and deemed read a third time and passed. period from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. [Translation] The Speaker: Does the hon. member for Trinity—Spadina have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion? Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), this report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Official Some hon. members: Agreed. Languages. Some hon. members: No. *** [English] *** GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS PETITIONS Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 23 petitions. Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from several dozen *** residents of Toronto, Mississauga and Oakville in southern Ontario. FAIR AND EFFICIENT CRIMINAL TRIALS ACT The petitioners are concerned about the plight of North Korean Hon. Rob Merrifield (for the Minister of Justice and Attorney refugees. Many people have escaped the despotic regime in North General of Canada) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-53, An Korea. Despite the widespread human rights violations, they Act to amend the Criminal Code (mega-trials). managed to make their way to the People's Republic of China but, (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) unfortunately, the Chinese government returned some to North Korea to certain torture and often death. *** COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE These many residents of southern Ontario call upon the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to support a number of STANDING COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE motions that deal with the plight of North Korean refugees, including Mr. Lee Richardson (Calgary Centre, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I my Motion No. 383 that requests the Canadian government to have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third intervene very strongly with the Chinese government to ensure that report of the Standing Committee on International Trade. North Korean refugees are treated as refugees. 5640 COMMONS DEBATES November 2, 2010 Routine Proceedings Ï (1005) To be a fair process, passport fees must be reduced on both sides CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY of the border. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the government to work with the American government to examine a mutual reduction Mr. Stephen Woodworth (Kitchener Centre, CPC): Mr. in passport fees to facilitate tourism and, finally, to promote a limited Speaker, I wish to present a petition from about 50 residents of time two-for-one passport renewal or new application fee on a the Kitchener—Waterloo area who wish to draw the attention of the mutual basis with the United States Government of Canada to alleged abuses of human rights and environmental degradation and who would have wanted the Government of Canada to consent to the expeditious passage of EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Bill C-300 and also create effective laws regarding corporate responsibility. Mr. Scott Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Wind- [Translation] sor, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this is a petition among several petitions I AEROSPACE INDUSTRY have presented for the last month and will continue to do so over the Mr. Michel Guimond (Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute- course of the winter which asks for continued measures to improve Côte-Nord, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to the House employment insurance. Throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, a petition signed by 260 people on behalf of the workers of the and certainly throughout my riding, these petitions have been International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and coming in fast and furious, to say the least. the unionized workers of Air Canada. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to ensure full compliance with the 1988 This petition comes from areas such as Seldom and Joe Batt's Arm Air Canada Public Participation Act, which requires that Air Canada on Fogo Island, and Bonavista, primarily around fish plants, maintain operational centres in Mississauga, Winnipeg and Mon- including OCI in Bonavista, as well as the Fogo Island Co-op. treal. More than 23,000 direct and indirect jobs are at stake. [English] HARMONIZED SALES TAX The petitioners are calling for particular measures. A very important one is the fact that we have a pilot project that is still in Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, place which allows the best 14 weeks as a way of formulating winter is coming and our heating bills are starting to go up in benefits. I would implore the government to reconsider this option. It northern Ontario. In fact, just this week we have had a number of has extended it by only eight months, which tells me that there is not people in our office who are concerned. Not surprisingly, they have a lot of sincerity about keeping these programs. The best 14 weeks is brought forward petitions about the regressive HST and how it is great for employees but it is also very good for employers who are affecting people, particularly people on fixed incomes and people in able to hire people, otherwise they would turn down work in a case rural areas who need to heat with older heating units. The where they would only receive less benefits. government, of course, has cancelled the energy retrofit program that would have helped many of these families. The petitioners are calling upon the government to stop punishing *** northern and rural residents with this regressive tax, the HST. PASSPORT FEES Ï (1010) Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood—Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my petition is a call on the Canadian government to negotiate with QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER the United States government to reduce the United States and Canadian passport fees. The number of American tourists visiting Canada is at its lowest level since 1972. It has fallen by five million Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of visits in the last seven years, from 16 million in 2002 to only 11 the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, million in 2009. the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 365, 368, 371 and 372. Passport fees for an American family of four could be over $500 U.S. While 50% of Canadians have passports, only 25% of Americans do. [Text] At the recent Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, attended by myself and over 500 elected Question No. 365—Ms. Olivia Chow: representatives from 11 border states and 3 provinces, the following resolution was passed unanimously: With regard to immigration applications or sponsorship files, from 2006 to RESOLVED, that [the] Conference calls on President Barack Obama and [the present: (a) how many immigration applications or sponsorship files are lost each Canadian] Prime Minister...to immediately examine a reduced fee for passports to year, listing for each file the class (economic, family, protected persons, and others), facilitate cross-border tourism; and be it further visa office involved, rationale for the missing file and wait times resulting from the RESOLVED, that [the Conference] encourage the governments to examine the loss of the file; and (b) what actions are being taken to reduce the number of lost idea of a limited time two-for-one passport renewal or new application; files? November 2, 2010 COMMONS DEBATES 5641 Routine Proceedings Mr. Rick Dykstra (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Question No. 371—Hon. John McCallum: Citizenship and Immigration, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not keep statistics on lost files. With regard to the Canadian Secured Credit Facility: (a) how much of the $12 However, the following procedures, implemented at various offices billion was allocated by Business Development Canada (BDC); (b) how much of the and missions, mitigate the chances of a file being misdirected: Files $12 billion was actually utilized by BDC; (c) how many people did BDC hire to are kept in a secure registry. Access to the mail room and file storage work for the program; and (d) how much money has BDC spent setting up and administering the program? registry is restricted to staff who require access.