;

House Publications

The Debates are the report—transcribed, edited, and corrected—of what is said in the House. The Journals are the official record of the decisions and other transactions of the House. The Order Paper and Notice Paper contains the listing of all items that may be brought forward on a particular sitting day, and notices for upcoming items.

For an advanced search, use Publication Search tool.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.

Previous day publication Next day publication

Bilingual view PDF


Thursday, March 7, 2013 (No. 221)

Orders of the Day

Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne

Address Debate — maximum of 6 appointed days, pursuant to Standing Order 50(1).

Days to be appointed — 6 days.

June 3, 2011 — Resuming the adjourned debate on the motion of , seconded by , — That the following Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General:

To His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:

We, Her Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Commons of Canada, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

Government Orders

Business of Supply

June 3, 2011 — The President of the Treasury Board — Consideration of the Business of Supply.

Supply period ending March 26, 2013 — maximum of 7 allotted days, pursuant to Standing Order 81(10)(a).

Days to be allotted — 1 day remaining in current period.

Opposition Motions

February 23, 2012 — — That the House recognize that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada is a vital national resource, which connects all Canadians to our culture, politics, and Canadian identity in both official languages, while showcasing and celebrating the great diversity that exists within our borders, and this House calls on the government to: (a) pledge continued support for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada now and in the future; and (b) provide all the resources the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada requires to fully implement its strategic plan.

February 23, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to restart the process to replace the CF-18 to ensure that Canada selects the best fighter aircraft for its needs, at the lowest price and with the most advantageous guaranteed industrial and regional benefits, and specifically to: (a) define and publish its specific national and international mission requirements based on Canadian national defence and foreign policy objectives; (b) define the performance requirements of the replacement fighter jet; (c) proceed with an open and transparent competition; and (d) select the best aircraft based on mission performance, acquisition and lifecycle costs, and guaranteed industrial and regional benefits.

February 23, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to immediately adopt legislation to block the bulk export of Canada's water to the United States, and elsewhere, by prohibiting the bulk transfer of water between major drainage basins within Canada.

February 23, 2012 — — That, given Canada is a signatory to the 1992 World Declaration on Nutrition, which states that access to nutritionally adequate and safe food is a right of each individual, the House call on the government to: (a) accept the principle that Canada’s children and adolescents are entitled to nutritious food regardless of where they live or their family’s income; (b) initiate discussions with provincial and territorial governments to a develop pan-Canadian school nutrition initiative; and (c) fully fund on-reserve aboriginal student meals.

February 23, 2012 — — That, the House accepts the findings of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who, along with several other leading economists, have concluded that the current Old Age Security (OAS) program is already sustainable in the long-term, and accordingly the House calls on the government to abandon its misguided plans to raise the age of eligibility for OAS from 65-67.

April 27, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to: (a) restart the process to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 fighter aircraft under a secretariat named the “New Canadian Fighter Aircraft Secretariat”; (b) proceed with an open and transparent Canadian competition based on the publicly disclosed needs of Canada’s future national and international mission requirements, formulated on Canadian interests, international obligations and foreign policy objectives; (c) provide all necessary information such as the total life-cycle cost of this future fighter to Parliament; (d) ask that the Parliamentary Budget Officer review the estimated cost and be provided with the appropriate resources to do so; (e) fully disclose the related cost of this replacement aircraft and that it be tabled in Parliament, along with updates every 6 months; and (f) ask that the Auditor General of Canada review the process before the publication of the request for proposal (RFP) is issued.

April 27, 2012 — — That the House recognize that income inequality is rising in Canada, and that this presents a serious challenge which threatens equality of opportunity and sustained prosperity for all Canadians.

April 27, 2012 — — That the House recognize the challenge of Internet access for many Canadians and the even greater challenge of access to computers for low income Canadians; and therefore call on the government to: (a) ensure the highest possible level of computer and Internet literacy for Canadians, and in particular for low-income Canadians who would otherwise be left out; (b) achieve these goals by committing to the continuation of the Community Access Program (CAP), particularly in the rural regions of the country; and (c) commit to implementing a program similar to the U.S. Connect-to-Compete program which promises to bring low-cost computers and Broadband Internet access to low-income households by working with Canadian Internet and computer providers.

April 27, 2012 — — That the House condemn the government for weakening the federation and reducing the role of the federal government by: (a) cutting federal programs, services and staff; (b) unilaterally imposing a reduction of health care funding on the provinces; and (c) abdicating the role of the federal government in environmental assessment, key fisheries policies and employment insurance.

May 28, 2012 — — That the House reject the government’s continuing mismanagement of the replacement of the CF-18 fighter aircraft, including: (a) the government’s presentation of information to Parliament which was dramatically different from information presented to the Cabinet; and (b) the Prime Minister’s claim that a contract existed which protected the public purse from rising costs, when no such contract exists; that the House agrees with both the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Budgetary Officer that the lack of due diligence by the Departments of National Defence and Public Works and Government Services has left Parliament and Canadians without the information necessary to make a reasoned judgment with respect to this procurement; that the government is ignoring the finding of contempt of Parliament of March 25, 2011, and continuing its failure to provide Parliament with full and accurate information; that a Special Committee be appointed and directed to review the replacement of Canada’s fighter aircraft; that the committee commence its study by undertaking a Foreign and Defence Policy review in order to better define the mission requirements of the aircraft; that the membership of the special committee consist of 12 members which shall include seven members from the government party, four members from the Official Opposition and one member from the Liberal Party, provided that the Chair shall be from the government party; that the members to serve on the said committee be appointed by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and the report containing the membership of the special committee be presented to the House no later than 20 sitting days after the adoption of this motion; that substitutions to the membership of the special committee be allowed, if required, in the manner provided by Standing Order 114(2); that the special committee have all the powers of a Standing Committee as provided in the Standing Orders.

May 28, 2012 — — That the House recognize the alleged systematic, organized attempt to deny Canadian voters across the country their fundamental right to vote and have their voices heard during the 2011 federal election campaign, through the use of phone calls designed to deter supporters of particular parties from casting their ballot by misdirecting them to the wrong polling site, or harassing them so they would not vote at all; and because these actions have called the integrity of the electoral process and the election results in at least 16 ridings in question, the House call on the government to convene a Royal Commission to fully investigate these alleged election irregularities.

May 28, 2012 — — That the House recognize that access to sufficient, safe, healthy, adequate food is a fundamental human right to which many Canadians are denied; that access to food is fundamental to the fulfillment of other human rights; that the absence of this basic right is an affront to human dignity, which offends our sense of justice and fairness as Canadians; and that the House call on the government to immediately address this disparity through the creation of a National Food Policy, in consultation with all stakeholders, Aboriginal organizations, and provincial and territorial governments.

May 28, 2012 — — That the House recognize the tremendous sacrifice that our veterans have made on behalf of Canada, and call on the government to do the honourable thing and not appeal the May 1, 2012 Federal Court of Canada decision that found that the government was in breach of the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) policy by clawing back disability benefits from Canada’s disabled veterans.

May 28, 2012 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the Indian Act is the embodiment of failed colonial and paternalistic policies which have denied First Nations their rights, fair share in resources; fostered mistrust and created systemic barriers to the self-determination and success of First Nations; that the House call on the government to eliminate these barriers by initiating a formal process of direct engagement with First Nations, on a nation-to-nation basis, which focuses on replacing the Indian Act with new agreements based on: (a) the Constitutional, Treaty, and inherent rights of all First Nations; (b) the historical and fiduciary responsibilities of the Crown to First Nations; (c) the standards established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principle of free, prior, and informed consent; (d) respect, recognition, reconciliation and support for First Nations; (e) partnership and mutual accountability between the Crown and First Nations; and (f) stability and safety of First Nations; that this process begin within three months and be completed within two years; and that the process conclude with a final report which details a series of concrete deliverables for the government to act upon.

May 28, 2012 — — That the House recognize the failure of Bill C-37, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act, which received Royal Assent on April 17, 2008, to provide a full resolution for all lost Canadians and call on the government to immediately introduce new legislation to provide a quick and compassionate resolution to our country’s remaining lost Canadians.

September 21, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to immediately end the punitive new claw back of Employment Insurance benefits, which begins with the very first dollar earned, disadvantages EI claimants with low-earnings, discourages many Canadians on EI from working, and does serious harm to Canadian families and the economy.

September 27, 2012 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) recognize the important role played by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada in developing unique Canadian content in both official languages, sustaining the arts and culture industry in Canada, and bringing together Canadians from east to west while also supporting regional identities with content that is both local and national; (b) reverse the cuts to CBC’s budget; and (c) provide CBC with adequate and stable funding.

September 27, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to respond to the premiers’ call for a partnership on health care and meet them to: (a) assess the successes and failures of the 2003-2004 health accords; (b) establish new health accords to address the much-needed reforms to ensure better health outcomes for all Canadians by (i) making sure prescription medications are more affordable, (ii) providing better access to home care and long-term care and support to informal caregivers, (iii) improving access to family physicians, nurses and other health professionals, (iv) addressing the social determinants of health; and (c) provide long-term stable and adequate funding to provinces and territories to achieve these reforms.

October 11, 2012 — — That the House recognize the serious and ongoing mental health crisis in Canada which costs the Canadian economy more than $50 billion each year, as well as incalculable costs to families and society in terms of loss of human potential; that an immediate, meaningful and sustained response from all levels of government is required; and therefore call on the government to fully implement and fund the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s “Mental Health Strategy for Canada” which includes: (a) working collaboratively with the provinces and territories to develop a sustainable mental health infrastructure across the country; (b) improving timely access to all necessary services and supports; and (c) improving the federal government’s own capacity to develop and deliver the highest quality, appropriate mental health services and supports in areas for which it has direct responsibility.

October 11, 2012 — — That the House call on the government to: (a) launch an immediate and comprehensive third-party audit of all Government of Canada resources and procedures that support food safety in Canada; (b) provide recommendations for changes and enhancements to the current food safety regime; and (c) release the full findings and recommendations of the audit.

December 6, 2012 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the new Social Security Tribunal: (a) does not benefit the majority of employment insurance claimants; (b) restricts access to employment insurance programs; (c) violates the rights of unemployed workers by giving itself the right to summarily dismiss appeals; (d) denies unemployed workers their right to defend themselves; and that this House call on the government to take the necessary steps to immediately improve the operation of the Social Security Tribunal so that it may effectively fulfill its mandate.

December 6, 2012 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) reverse its decision to change the Navigable Waters Act in a way that would leave 99.9% of Canada’s rivers and 99.7% of its lakes unprotected; (b) commit to adequately protect all lakes with heritage significance; and (c) immediately undertake transparent and accessible public hearings into the issue of the protection of navigable waters.

December 6, 2012 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government has mismanaged the Temporary Foreign Worker Program while neglecting the development of the Canadian labour force, and the government should take immediate steps to fix the Temporary Foreign Worker Program by: (a) improving Labour Market Information; (b) improving and better funding skills training for Canadians; (c) providing better support for labour mobility; (d) ensuring adequate assessment of requests for Labour Market Opinions; and (e) ensuring adequate monitoring and compliance.

March 1, 2013 — — That, in the opinion of the House, given that the Auditor General has found that Senate “expense claim files do not always contain sufficient documentation” and that “it is difficult for the Administration to clearly conclude that expenses are appropriate”, an independent authority should be appointed to conduct an in-depth review of matters related to Senate residency requirements, housing allowances and travel expenses since January 2008, including access to all relevant documentation and authority to interview all relevant persons, and that this authority report to the House on the following questions: (a) whether any Senators have failed to comply with the constitutional residency requirements for the Senate of Canada as outlined in Sections 23 and 31 of the Constitution Act of 1982; (b) whether any Senators have claimed housing allowances to which they were not properly entitled under Senate rules; and (c) whether any Senators have incurred travel or transportation expenses not relating to parliamentary functions including travel to any personal residence not within either the province or territory they were appointed to represent or the National Capital Region.

March 1, 2013 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should not further increase Senate spending or reduce spending for the Senate Ethics Officer for fiscal year 2013-2014 and that it be an instruction to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates that it conduct a study of other means by which the Senate's budget could be reduced.

Ways and Means

No. 2 — June 6, 2011 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion to amend the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-411-2, tabled on Monday, June 6, 2011.

No. 3 — June 6, 2011 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion to amend the Excise Act, 2001 and the Excise Tax Act. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-411-3, tabled on Monday, June 6, 2011.

No. 8 — March 29, 2012 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion to amend the Income Tax Act. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-411-9, tabled on Thursday, March 29, 2012.

No. 9 — March 29, 2012 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion to amend the Excise Tax Act. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-411-10, tabled on Thursday, March 29, 2012.

No. 10 — March 29, 2012 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion to amend the Customs Tariff. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-411-11, tabled on Thursday, March 29, 2012.

Government Bills (Commons)

C-4 — October 3, 2011 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act and the Marine Transportation Security Act, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security;

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-4, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act and the Marine Transportation Security Act, since the bill fails to achieve its stated principle of cracking down on human smugglers and instead targets legitimate refugee claimants and refugees, and because it expands the Minister’s discretion in a manner that is overly broad and not limited to the mass arrival situation that supposedly inspired the introduction of this legislation, and because it presents an imprisonment scheme that violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protections against arbitrary detention and prompt review of detention, and because its provisions also violate international obligations relating to refugees and respecting the treatment of persons seeking protection.”.

C-5^R — June 16, 2011 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities of Bill C-5, An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of air service operations.

C-7 — February 27, 2012 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-7, An Act respecting the selection of senators and amending the Constitution Act, 1867 in respect of Senate term limits, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

C-12 — September 29, 2011 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology of Bill C-12, An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

C-14^R — November 24, 2011 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Agreement on Internal Trade Implementation Act and the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology.

C-17 — October 17, 2011 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Official Languages of Bill C-17, An Act to amend the Air Canada Public Participation Act.

C-30^R — February 14, 2012 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security of Bill C-30, An Act to enact the Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts.

Application of Standing Order 73(1) — House informed of intention to refer the Bill to Committee before second reading.

Voting — not later than the expiry of the 5 hours provided for debate.

C-32 — February 17, 2012 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights of Bill C-32, An Act to amend the Civil Marriage Act.

C-48^R — February 27, 2013 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, the Excise Tax Act, the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, the First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act and related legislation, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.

Time allocation motion — notice given Wednesday, March 6, 2013, pursuant to Standing Order 78(3).

C-49^R — November 27, 2012 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage of Bill C-49, An Act to amend the Museums Act in order to establish the Canadian Museum of History and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

C-54 — March 1, 2013 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-54, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the National Defence Act (mental disorder), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

C-56 — March 1, 2013 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology of Bill C-56, An Act to amend the Copyright Act and the Trade-marks Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

Government Bills (Senate)

S-2 — November 22, 2012 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill S-2, An Act respecting family homes situated on First Nation reserves and matrimonial interests or rights in or to structures and lands situated on those reserves, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women;

And of the motion of , seconded by , — That this question be now put.

S-6 — May 4, 2012 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development of Bill S-6, An Act respecting the election and term of office of chiefs and councillors of certain First Nations and the composition of council of those First Nations.

S-7 — February 13, 2013 — — Third reading of Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Security of Information Act.

S-8 — November 26, 2012 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill S-8, An Act respecting the safety of drinking water on First Nation lands, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development;

And of the motion of , seconded by , — That this question be now put.

S-9 — February 25, 2013 — — Consideration at report stage of Bill S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, as reported by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights without amendment.

Committee Report — presented on Monday, February 25, 2013, Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-182.

S-10 — December 6, 2012 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of Bill S-10, An Act to implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

S-12 — February 13, 2013 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill S-12, An Act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act and to make consequential amendments to the Statutory Instruments Regulations, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Government Business

No. 2 — June 16, 2011 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, a bill in the name of the Minister of Labour, entitled An Act to provide for the resumption and continuation of air service operations, shall be disposed of as follows: (a) commencing when the said bill is read a first time and concluding when the said bill is read a third time, the House shall not adjourn except pursuant to a motion proposed by a Minister of the Crown; (b) the said bill may be read twice or thrice in one sitting; (c) after being read a second time, the said bill shall be referred to a Committee of the Whole; and (d) during consideration of the said bill, no division shall be deferred.

Closure — notice given Thursday, June 16, 2011, pursuant to Standing Order 57.

No. 4 — September 19, 2011 — — That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, a bill in the name of the Minister of Labour, entitled An Act to provide for the resumption and protection of air service operations, shall be disposed of as follows:

(a) the said bill may be read twice or thrice in one sitting;

(b) not more than two hours shall be allotted for the consideration of the second reading stage of the said bill, following the adoption of this Order;

(d) not more than one hour shall be allotted for the consideration of the Committee of the Whole stage of the said bill;

(e) not more than one half hour shall be allotted for the consideration of the third reading stage of the said bill, provided that no Member shall speak for more than ten minutes at a time during the said stage and that no period for questions and comments be permitted following each Member’s speech;

(f) at the expiry of the times provided for in this Order, any proceedings before the House or the Committee of the Whole shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the stage, then under consideration, of the said bill shall be put and disposed of forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment, and no division shall be deferred;

(g) no motion to adjourn the House may be proposed except by a Minister of the Crown;

(h) no motion to adjourn the debate at any stage of the said bill may be proposed except by a Minister of the Crown; and

(i) during the consideration of the said bill in the Committee of the Whole, no motions that the Committee rise or that the Committee report progress may be proposed except by a Minister of the Crown.

No. 8 — November 14, 2011 — Resuming the adjourned debate on the motion of , seconded by , — That the report of the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in relation to the former Member for Simcoe—Grey, presented by the Speaker on Monday, September 19, 2011, be referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and that the Committee study the report with a view to further investigate the Commissioner’s findings in order to resolve outstanding questions; and that the Committee report its findings to the House no later than six months after the adoption of this motion.

Debate — 1 hour and 41 minutes remaining, pursuant to section 28(11) of the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.

Voting — not later than the expiry of the time provided for debate.


^R Recommended by the Governor General

House Publications

Orders of the Day

Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne

Government Orders

Business of Supply

Ways and Means

Government Bills (Commons)

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business