CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 141 Ï NUMBER 174 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 39th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Tuesday, June 19, 2007 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 10785 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, June 19, 2007 The House met at 10:00 a.m. members. It was a very cohesive and hard-working committee and all the peripheral staff worked so hard getting a number of things done. Indeed, this is our 56th report. Prayers The report is regarding the order of reference of Monday, May 28, 2007, Bill C-54, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (accountability with respect to loans). The committee considered the ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS bill in great detail, heard from a number of witnesses and experts and reports the bill with some amendments. Ï (1005) *** [English] ITALIAN-CANADIAN RECOGNITION AND RESTITUTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS ACT Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Mr. Massimo Pacetti (Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, Lib.) Democratic Reform, CPC): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing moved for leave to introduce Bill C-461, An Act to recognize the Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the injustice that was done to persons of Italian origin through their government's response to two petitions. “enemy alien” designation and internment during the Second World War, and to provide for restitution and promote education on Italian- *** Canadian history. PILOTAGE ACT He said: Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a bill entitled “an act to Hon. Lawrence Cannon (Minister of Transport, Infrastruc- recognize the injustice that was done to persons of Italian origin ture and Communities, CPC) moved for leave to introduce Bill through their “enemy alien” designation and internment during the C-64, An Act to amend the Pilotage Act. Second World War, and to provide for restitution and promote (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) education on Italian-Canadian history”. *** The history is too long to explain at this time. It will be done during second reading but during the second world war immigrants INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS and Canadians of Italian origin were incarcerated and designated as Mr. James Bezan (Selkirk—Interlake, CPC): Mr. Speaker, enemy aliens. I would like to highlight that no charges were ever pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the laid. House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian interparliamentary delegation of the Canadian section of the Inter- I tabled the same bill in 2005 prior to the Liberals signing a deal Parliamentary Forum of the Americas, FIPA, respecting its with the Italian community to create the well-known ACE program participation in the 16th meeting of the executive committee of the that would have righted these wrongs. However, in typical Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas held in Brasilia, Brazil, Conservative fashion, the government has denied the existence of from May 31 to June 1, 2007, and to the mission to the 37th regular the program and has decided not to honour the signed deal. session of the general assembly of the Organization of American Therefore, I have no choice but to retable the bill. The bill is not States held in Panama City, Panama, from June 3 to June 5, 2007. unique or unprecedented in comparison to deals made with other *** cultural communities. COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE Why will the government not do the right thing and apologize to PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS the Italian community for past injustices. Why does the government favour one community over another and pit Canadians against each Mr. Gary Goodyear (Cambridge, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it is an other? honour to stand today and present the 56th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. I must say that the I thank the member for Eglinton—Lawrence for supporting the committee worked very hard this year and I want to thank all bill. 10786 COMMONS DEBATES June 19, 2007 Routine Proceedings (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) the last 15 years. They note that the Toronto Port Authority lost $6 million this year in a $10 million business, that operating an airport *** is contrary to the vision of a clean, green and vibrant waterfront, and Ï (1010) that the Toronto Port Authority is an unaccountable and rogue agency that was created against the wishes of Torontonians. PETITIONS YOUNG OFFENDER LEGISLATION Therefore, the petitioners are calling upon the Government of Mr. Leon Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Canada to first, abolish the Toronto Port Authority; second, close the it is my honour, on behalf of Dylan Cole McGillis, an unsuspecting Island Airport; and third, return the waterfront to the people of victim of an unprovoked, violent and fatal attack, and on behalf of Toronto. thousands of other Canadian citizens who were victims of violent crimes, to present this petition. Ï (1015) The petitioners request that the House of Commons introduce legislation whereby violent young offenders would be subject to mandatory minimum sentences regardless of age. A part of this, of CHILD CARE course, we have done and more will be done. This petition has about 20,000 signatures and more are being Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the collected. Many of these signatures are from the constituency of second petition is from a large number of parents across Canada who Battlefords—Lloydminster and many others from Vegreville— say that high quality child care is a benefit to all children, that it Wainwright. Anyone who would like to add their names to this enhances health and school readiness, that it reduces family poverty, petition can do so online at www.dylanmcgillis.ca. that it promotes social inclusion and workforce productivity and that cancelling funding for new child care after a year eliminates the FIREARMS REGISTRY plans of communities to expand affordable child care to rural and Mr. Daryl Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings, CPC): Mr. other high needs communities in developing their child care plans. Speaker, I wish to table today a petition on behalf of the residents of Prince Edward—Hastings and the surrounding area who are calling upon Parliament to end the registration requirement for non- Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to restricted long guns. increase the funding for a national child care program and also protect child care and make it accountable by enshrining it in After continuous delay with clearly no definable results, this legislation with Bill C-303, the national child care act, to be a petition is long overdue. cornerstone of Canada, like the Canada Health Act. INCOME TRUSTS Mr. Paul Szabo (Mississauga South, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am INCOME TAX ACT pleased to present this income trust broken promise petition on behalf of Peter Folkes of Markham, Ontario, who remembers that the Prime Minister was boasting about his apparent commitment to Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the accountability when he said that there was no greater fraud than a third petition is from petitioners also from across the country who promise not kept. say that many tradespeople can be out of work in one area of the country while another region suffers from temporary skilled labour The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never shortages simply because the cost of travelling is too high, and that to tax income trusts but that he recklessly broke that promise by out of work tradespeople currently have to finance their own travel imposing a 31.5% punitive tax which permanently wiped out over and accommodation should they wish to move to another region $25 billion of hard-earned retirement savings of over two million where there are jobs available. Canadians, particularly seniors. The petitioners, therefore, call upon the Conservative minority Therefore, these petitioners are asking us to support Bill C-390, government to, first, admit that the decision to tax income trusts was An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, which would allow based on flawed methodology and incorrect assumptions; second, to tradespeople to deduct travel and accommodation expenses should apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken they need to move to a new region for employment. promise; and finally, to repeal the punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts. INCOME TRUSTS TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce three petitions. The first one is very timely, Hon. Robert Thibault (West Nova, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I present as we are about to debate the Aeronautics Act, Bill C-6. this income trust broken promise petition on behalf of Tracy Whiteside from Clarksburg, Ontario, who remembers the Prime The petitioners state that the Toronto Island Airport is heavily Minister boasting about his apparent commitment to accountability subsidized by taxpayers and has been losing money every year for when he said, “The greatest fraud is a promise not kept”. June 19, 2007 COMMONS DEBATES 10787 Routine Proceedings The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never many more units and dollars will be committed in 2007 and 2008, to tax income trusts but that he recklessly broke that promise by since this will depend on the number of applications approved. imposing a 31.5% punitive tax which permanently wiped out over $25 billion of the hard-earned retirement savings of over two million Canadians, particularly seniors.