House of Commons Debates VOLUME 146 Ï NUMBER 006 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, June 9, 2011 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 163 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, June 9, 2011 The House met at 10 a.m. proposed tobacco regulations that will strengthen package labelling requirements for cigarettes and little cigars. The proposed regulations present 16 new enlarged health warning Prayers messages that would appear on cigarettes and little cigar packages. The proposed regulations would also prohibit the use of the terms Ï (1005) "light" and "mild" on various tobacco products. [English] *** AUDITOR GENERAL OF CANADA The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the spring INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS 2011 report of the Auditor General of Canada with an addendum on Mr. James Lunney (Nanaimo—Alberni, CPC): Mr. Speaker, environmental petitions and the status report of the Auditor General pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the to the House of Commons. House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian [Translation] delegation to the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respect- ing its participation to the meeting of the Standing Committee of Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this document is deemed Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region and the second Northern permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Dimension Parliamentary Forum held in Tromso, Norway, February Accounts. 22 and 23, 2011. *** ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS CANADA LABOUR CODE SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (A), 2011-12 Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP) moved for A message from His Excellency the Governor General transmit- leave to introduce Bill C-205, An Act to amend the Canada Labour ting supplementary estimates (A) for the financial year ending March Code (replacement workers). 31, 2012, was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker to the House She said: Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure today to reintroduce a bill to ban replacement workers or scabs during strikes and *** lockouts. [English] MAIN ESTIMATES, 2011-12 New Democrats have always struggled for the rights of working people and this bill represents a critical piece of that struggle. It is Hon. Tony Clement (President of the Treasury Board and essential for ensuring that the right to free collective bargaining Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for cannot be undermined. Northern Ontario, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, on behalf of my colleagues, part III of the estimates consisting of 95 Some may say that this is the wrong time to introduce this reports on plans and priorities. These documents will be distributed legislation but I would suggest that the opposite is true. As we are to members of the standing committees to assist in their still struggling to come out of the great recession, the need for labour consideration of the spending authorities already sought in part II and management to work together in a spirit of co-operation, of the estimates. involvement and trust is greater than perhaps at any other time in our *** country's history. However, nothing breaks that trust more quickly than a company's ability to hire scabs during a legal strike. TOBACCO REGULATIONS Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of Health and Minister of the I would ask all members to support this bill at all three stages so Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, CPC): Mr. that we can finally bring the Canada Labour Code into the 21st Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, century. 164 COMMONS DEBATES June 9, 2011 The Budget (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) [English] The Speaker: Does the hon. government House leader have the *** unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion? CANADA PENSION PLAN Some hon. members: Agreed. Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-206, An Act to amend the Canada Pension The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it Plan (pension and benefits). the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. She said: Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to re-introduce my bill, which will finally put a legal end to the potential for people who have been (Motion agreed to) convicted of spousal homicide to derive a CPP survivor benefit from *** their heinous crime. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE I had assumed that the long-established principle in law, that no Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House one should be able to benefit from a crime, would also be enshrined of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is a long-standing practice to in the eligibility criteria for government benefit programs. Imagine adjourn the House for political party conventions and, therefore, my surprise when I received the following correspondence which pursuant to Standing Order 56.1, I move: states: That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, when the I have a relative who killed his wife, served very little time for manslaughter, and House adjourns on June 16, it shall stand adjourned until Monday, June 20; and on is (and has been) collecting CPP survivor benefits for over 10 years. Since 1-2 Thursday June 16, the hours of sitting and order of business of the House shall be women per week die at the hands of their partners, how many more men are that of a Friday provided that the time for filing of any notice be no later than 6 p.m. collecting this? How is this legal? [Translation] I researched the file to verify that this could really happen and The Speaker: Will those members who object to the motion learned that there was no legal prohibition that prevents people who please rise in their places. have been convicted of spousal homicide from collecting either the death benefit or the survivor pension. Clearly, that is a loophole that And fewer than 25 members having risen: must be closed. The Speaker: Fewer than 25 members having risen, the motion is My bill would do precisely that. It would amend the Canada adopted. pension plan to prohibit the payment of the survivors pension, (Motion agreed to) orphans benefit or death benefit to a survivor or orphan of a deceased contributor if the survivor or orphan has been convicted of the *** murder or manslaughter of the deceased contributor. [English] The integrity of the Canada pension plan is enormously important QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER to Canadians. I know that I am not alone when I say that the very Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of thought that someone convicted of spousal homicide could derive a the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I monetary benefit from such a heinous crime is an issue of ask that all questions be allowed to stand. fundamental justice. The Speaker: Is that agreed? I trust that all members of the House will feel the same way and I Some hon. members: Agreed. look forward to the speedy passage of my bill. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) *** GOVERNMENT ORDERS Ï (1010) [Translation] [Translation] THE BUDGET WAYS AND MEANS FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF MINISTER OF FINANCE Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House The House resumed from June 8 consideration of the motion that of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to put forward this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the that I believe will receive the unanimous consent of the House. government, and of the amendment. That, notwithstanding the Order of Monday, June 6, 2011, upon adoption of the Ms. Christine Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, NDP): Mr. budget motion the Speaker shall not put the question on Ways and Means Motions Numbers 2 and 3 standing on the Order Paper; and, notwithstanding any Standing Speaker, congratulations on your election as Speaker of the House. Order or usual practice of the House, immediately following the adoption of the budget motion, the Speaker shall forthwith put every question necessary to dispose of I would like to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the Ways and Means motion tabled June 8, 2011. the hon. member for Drummond. June 9, 2011 COMMONS DEBATES 165 The Budget It is an honour for me to rise in the House on behalf of the people them to clearly under-served areas, but it will be at the expense of of Abitibi—Témiscamingue. That is why I would like to thank the many other areas that will not see their situation improve in the least. people in my riding for placing their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to sit here. I would like to tell them that I will defend This measure will not do anything to diminish the number of their interests every day. I would also like to recognize the work health care professionals who leave, completely burnt out, after a done by Marc Lemay, who represented the people of Abitibi— few years of practice. And it will not do anything to reduce the long Témiscamingue for seven years. wait times in Canada's emergency rooms. As we can see from this budget, the government and I have differing views on the type of country that we want to build. Taking action on health care means taking action on the incredible However, since we share the same passion for our community and amount of work facing our health care professionals.