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41st PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals No. 115 Wednesday, May 2, 2012 2:00 p.m.

Prayers

National Anthem

Statements By Members

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, Members made statements.

Oral Questions

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Rickford (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario) laid upon the Table, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— No. 411-0725 concerning post-secondary education. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-76-02;

— Nos. 411-0728, 411-0743 to 411-0747, 411-0776 and 411-0815 to 411-0817 concerning Old Age Security benefits. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-74-05;

— No. 411-0731 concerning climate change. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-34-12;

— Nos. 411-0738 and 411-0739 concerning horse meat. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-38-05;

— No. 411-0741 concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-6-09;

— No. 411-0748 concerning the issuing of visas. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-9-07;

— Nos. 411-0751 and 411-0801 concerning alcoholic beverages. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-58-04;

— No. 411-0771 concerning genetic engineering. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-26-04;

— Nos. 411-0784 and 411-0804 concerning telecommunications. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-69-04;

— Nos. 411-0808 and 411-0826 concerning poverty. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-46-08.

Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 51st Annual Meeting and Regional Policy Forum of the Eastern Regional Conference, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from August 7 to 10, 2011. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-411-59-20.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, from July 17 to 20, 2011. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-411-59-21.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright), from the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, presented the Third Report of the Committee, "Current and Future State of Oil and Gas Pipelines and Refining Capacity in Canada". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-89.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 22 to 25, 28 to 31, 33 and 34) was tabled.

Mr. Preston (Elgin—Middlesex—London), from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented the 21st Report of the Committee, (question of privilege relating to threats to the Member for Provencher). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-90.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 28, 29, 31, 33 and 34) was tabled.

Presenting Petitions

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, petitions certified correct by the Clerk of Petitions were presented as follows:

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 411-0936);

— by , one concerning cruelty to animals (No. 411-0937) and one concerning telecommunications (No. 411-0938);

— by , one concerning Old Age Security benefits (No. 411-0939);

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 411-0940);

— by , one concerning immigration (No. 411-0941), one concerning the situation in Israel (No. 411-0942) and one concerning Old Age Security benefits (No. 411-0943);

— by , one concerning childhood development programs (No. 411-0944);

— by , two concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (Nos. 411-0945 and 411-0946);

— by , one concerning poverty (No. 411-0947), one concerning Canada's railways (No. 411-0948) and one concerning the Canadian Coast Guard (No. 411-0949);

— by , one concerning climate change (No. 411-0950);

— by , one concerning Old Age Security benefits (No. 411-0951);

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 411-0952);

— by , one concerning transportation (No. 411-0953);

— by , one concerning transportation (No. 411-0954);

— by , one concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (No. 411-0955) and one concerning environmental assessment and review (No. 411-0956);

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 411-0957), one concerning abortion (No. 411-0958) and one concerning the labelling of food products (No. 411-0959);

— by , one concerning abortion (No. 411-0960);

— by , one concerning Old Age Security benefits (No. 411-0961);

— by , two concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (Nos. 411-0962 and 411-0963);

— by , one concerning Old Age Security benefits (No. 411-0964).

Government Orders

The Order was read for the second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Finance of Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures.

Mr. Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) for Mr. Flaherty (Minister of Finance), seconded by Mr. Oliver (Minister of Natural Resources), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.

Debate arose thereon.

Ms. Nash (Parkdale—High Park), seconded by Mr. Caron (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques), moved the following amendment, — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following:

“this House decline to give second reading to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, because it:

(a) weakens Canadians’ confidence in the work of Parliament, decreases transparency and erodes fundamental democratic institutions by systematically over-concentrating power in the hands of government ministers;

(b) shields the government from criticism on extremely controversial non-budgetary issues by bundling them into one enormous piece of legislation masquerading as a budgetary bill;

(c) undermines the critical role played by such trusted oversight bodies as the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, the CSIS Inspector General and the National Energy Board, amongst many others, thereby silencing institutional checks and balances to the government’s ideological agenda;

(d) raises the age of eligibility for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement from 65 to 67 years in a reckless effort to balance the government’s misguided spending on prisons, incompetent military procurement and inappropriate Ministerial expenses;

(e) includes provisions to gut the federal environmental assessment regime and to overhaul fish habitat protection that will adversely affect fragile ecosystems and Canada’s environmental sustainability for generations to come;

(f) calls into question Canada’s food inspection and public health regime by removing critical oversight powers of the Auditor General in relation to the Canada Food Inspection Agency all while providing an avenue and paving the way for opportunities to privatize a number of essential inspection functions; and

(g) does nothing to provide a solution for the growing number of Canadians looking for employment in Canada’s challenging job market and instead fuels further job loss, which according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer will amount to a total loss of 43,000 jobs in 2014.”.

Debate arose thereon.

Notice of Motion

Mr. Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) gave notice of the intention to move a motion at the next sitting of the House, pursuant to Standing Order 78(3), for the purpose of allotting a specified number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of the second reading of Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures.

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Flaherty (Minister of Finance), seconded by Mr. Oliver (Minister of Natural Resources), — That Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance;

And of the amendment of , seconded by , — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following:

“this House decline to give second reading to Bill C-38, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, because it:

(b) shields the government from criticism on extremely controversial non-budgetary issues by bundling them into one enormous piece of legislation masquerading as a budgetary bill;

The debate continued.

Private Members' Business

At 5:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 30(6), the House proceeded to the consideration of Private Members' Business.

The Order was read for the consideration at report stage of Bill C-304, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting freedom), as reported by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights with amendments.

Mr. Storseth (Westlock—St. Paul), seconded by Mr. Sweet (Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale), moved, — That the Bill, as amended, be concurred in at report stage.

The question was put on the motion and, pursuant to Standing Order 98(4), the recorded division was deferred until Wednesday, May 9, 2012, immediately before the time provided for Private Members' Business.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(1), papers deposited with the Clerk of the House were laid upon the Table as follows:

— by — Statutes of the Northwest Territories for the First Session of the Seventeenth Legislative Assembly, pursuant to the Northwest Territories Act, R.S. 1985, c. N-27, sbs. 21(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-411-388-05. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development)

— by — Report on Northern oil and gas for the year ended December 31, 2011, pursuant to the Canada Petroleum Resources Act, R.S. 1985, c. 36 (2nd Supp.), s. 109. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-411-455-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development)

Adjournment Proceedings

At 5:33 p.m., by unanimous consent, the question “That this House do now adjourn” was deemed to have been proposed.

After debate, the question was deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, at 6:05 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).