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41st PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals

No. 251

Friday, May 10, 2013

10:00 a.m.



The Clerk informed the House of the unavoidable absence of the Speaker.

Whereupon, Mr. Comartin (Windsor—Tecumseh), Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole, took the Chair, pursuant to subsection 43(1) of the Parliament of Canada Act.

Prayers
Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Nicholson (Minister of Justice), seconded by Mr. Kenney (Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism), — That Bill S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, be now read a third time and do pass.

The debate continued.

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), Ms. Bergen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety) laid upon the Table, — 2012 Annual Report on the RCMP's Use of the Law Enforcement Justification Provisions pursuant to section 25.3 of the Criminal Code. — Sessional Paper No. 8525-411-55.

Pursuant to Standing Order 79(3), the Speaker read the following Message from His Excellency the Governor General, presented by Mr. Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons):

Message on Estimates
His Excellency the Governor General transmits to the House of Commons the Supplementary Estimates (A) of sums required to defray expenses of the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014 and, in accordance with section 54 of the Constitution Act, 1867, recommends those Estimates to the House of Commons.

Mr. Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) laid upon the Table, — Document entitled "Supplementary Estimates (A), 2013-14" (USB key included). — Sessional Paper No. 8520-411-295.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), the Supplementary Estimates (A) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, were deemed referred to the several Standing Committees of the House as follows:

(1) To the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Votes 10a and 35a

(2) To the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

Agriculture and Agri-Food, Votes 1a, 10a and 30a

(3) To the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage

Canadian Heritage, Vote 1a

(4) To the Standing Committee on Health

Health, Votes 1a, 10a and 20a

(5) To the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Human Resources and Skills Development, Votes 1a and 5a

(6) To the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology

Industry, Votes 1a, 5a, 10a, 80a and 95a

(7) To the Standing Committee on Natural Resources

Natural Resources, Votes 1a, 10a and 15a

(8) To the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Votes 5a and 60a

(9) To the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

Transport, Vote 60a


Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Ms. Leitch (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour) laid upon the Table, — Government response, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petition:

— No. 411-3527 concerning transportation. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-411-44-23.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Dechert (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs), from the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, presented the Ninth Report of the Committee, "Canada and the Arctic Council: An Agenda for Regional Leadership". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-235.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee requested that the government table a comprehensive response.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 55 to 58, 60, 61, 63 and 67 to 76) was tabled.


Ms. Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs), from the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, presented the Tenth Report of the Committee (Bill S-213, An Act respecting a national day of remembrance to honour Canadian veterans of the Korean War, without amendment). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-236.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 70) was tabled.


Mr. Rajotte (Edmonton—Leduc), from the Standing Committee on Finance, presented the 18th Report of the Committee (Main Estimates 2013-14 — Votes 1 and 5 under CANADA REVENUE AGENCY and Votes 1, 5, 10, L15, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 under FINANCE). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-411-237.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 119 and 120) was tabled.


Introduction of Private Members' Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Mr. Garneau (Westmount—Ville-Marie), seconded by Ms. Bennett (St. Paul's), Bill C-510, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief), was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.


Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, notwithstanding any Standing or Special Order or usual practice of the House, on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, the House shall follow the schedule prescribed in the Standing Orders for a Monday, provided that the bells to call in the Members, for any recorded division deferred to the end of the time provided for Government Orders, shall be sounded for not more than 15 minutes.


Presenting Petitions

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

— by Ms. Boivin (Gatineau), one concerning human trafficking (No. 411-3816) and one concerning the Canada Revenue Agency (No. 411-3817);
— by Mr. Vellacott (Saskatoon—Wanuskewin), one concerning sex selection (No. 411-3818);
— by Mr. Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River), four concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (Nos. 411-3819 to 411-3822);
— by Mr. Gravelle (Nickel Belt), one concerning health care services (No. 411-3823);
— by Mr. Leef (Yukon), one concerning genetic engineering (No. 411-3824), one concerning China (No. 411-3825) and one concerning the seal industry (No. 411-3826);
— by Mr. Shipley (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex), twelve concerning sex selection (Nos. 411-3827 to 411-3838);
— by Mr. Benoit (Vegreville—Wainwright), one concerning sex selection (No. 411-3839) and two concerning abortion (Nos. 411-3840 and 411-3841);
— by Mr. Rajotte (Edmonton—Leduc), nine concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (Nos. 411-3842 to 411-3850).

Questions on the Order Paper

Ms. Leitch (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour) presented the answers to questions Q-1268 to Q-1271, Q-1276, Q-1280 and Q-1281 on the Order Paper.


Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Ms. Leitch (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour) presented the returns to the following questions made into Orders for Return:

Q-1260 — Mr. Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) — With respect to requests made by the government to Library and Archives Canada (LAC): (a) since 2006, what information and services have been requested of LAC in any way, broken down by department or Crown corporation and (i) date of inquiry, (ii) date of response, (iii) purpose of inquiry, (iv) nature of response, (v) relevant programs at LAC used to provide response; (b) for services enumerated in (a) that have been provided by LAC and that are no longer available, what alternatives is the government using or considering to fulfill those needs in their absence, broken down by department or Crown corporation and (i) date of inquiry, (ii) date of response, (iii) purpose of inquiry, (iv) nature of response, (v) service supplier, (vi) total cost; (c) what internal correspondence discussing alternative solutions or service providers exists; and (d) what contracts have been put to tender or signed relating to these alternative solutions or service providers? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1260.

Q-1263 — Mr. Hsu (Kingston and the Islands) — With regard to the Transport Canada announcement on Tanker Safety Systems on March 18, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia: (a) what were the costs for the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, his staff and departmental staff to travel to the announcement, including air and ground transportation; (b) what were the costs for the Minister of Natural Resources, his staff and departmental staff to travel to the announcement, including air and ground transportation; and (c) which bases in British Columbia keep major oil spill response ships? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1263.

Q-1264 — Mr. Andrews (Avalon) — With regard to air, highway, rail, or marine transportation in Labrador, for each fiscal year since 2000-2001, what are the details of all (i) direct expenditures, (ii) contributions to third parties, (iii) transfers to other orders of government, (iv) cost-sharing agreements with the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador, specifying the amount, source, purpose, and recipient of each such expenditure, contribution, transfer or agreement? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1264.

Q-1265 — Mr. Valeriote (Guelph) — With regard to the Port Hope Area Initiative Management Office : (a) what is the source of its funding; (b) how much has it spent each year since 2008; (c) how much has it spent on communications each year since 2008; (d) how much has it spent on travel and hospitality each year since 2008; (e) how much has it spent on sponsorship of events each year since 2008; (f) how much has it spent on promotional materials each year since 2008; and (g) what is the annual salary of the Project Director? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1265.

Q-1273 — Mr. Cuzner (Cape Breton—Canso) — With respect to the Employment Insurance Stewardship Pilot (Pilot) and information on ineligible Employment Insurance (EI) payments referred to by the government in relation to the Pilot: (a) how many regular and self-employed EI claimants have been reviewed under this Pilot, broken down by geographic location and EI region; (b) how were each of the claimants in (a) selected for inclusion in the Pilot; (c) how many of the EI claimants were in receipt of Special Benefits, broken down by type of Special Benefit; (d) how many of the claims belonging to claimants identified in (a) were withheld or halted as a result of reviews conducted at phase one of the Pilot, broken down by region, namely (i) Newfoundland and Labrador, (ii) Nova Scotia, (iii) Prince Edward Island, (iv) New Brunswick, (v) Quebec, (vi) Ontario, (vii) Manitoba, (viii) Saskatchewan, (ix) Alberta, (x) British Colombia, (xi) Yukon, (xii) Northwest Territories, (xiii) Nunavut; (e) how many of the claims belonging to claimants identified in (a) were withheld or halted as a result of reviews conducted at phase two of the Pilot, broken down by region, namely (i) Newfoundland and Labrador, (ii) Nova Scotia, (iii) Prince Edward Island, (iv) New Brunswick, (v) Quebec, (vi) Ontario, (vii) Manitoba, (viii) Saskatchewan, (ix) Alberta, (x) British Colombia, (xi) Yukon, (xii) Northwest Territories, (xiii) Nunavut; (f) how many of the claims belonging to the claimants identified in (a) were withheld or halted as a result of reviews conducted at phase three of the Pilot, broken down by region, namely (i) Newfoundland and Labrador, (ii) Nova Scotia, (iii) Prince Edward Island, (iv) New Brunswick, (v) Quebec, (vi) Ontario, (vii) Manitoba, (viii) Saskatchewan, (ix) Alberta, (x) British Colombia, (xi) Yukon, (xii) Northwest Territories, (xiii) Nunavut; (g) how many of the claims belonging to the claimants identified in (a) were withheld or halted as a result of reviews conducted at phase four of the Pilot, broken down by region, namely (i) Newfoundland and Labrador, (ii) Nova Scotia, (iii) Prince Edward Island, (iv) New Brunswick, (v) Quebec, (vi) Ontario, (vii) Manitoba, (viii) Saskatchewan, (ix) Alberta, (x) British Colombia, (xi) Yukon, (xii) Northwest Territories, (xiii) Nunavut; (h) what techniques and tools are Integrity Service Officers allowed to use in client interviews conducted under this Pilot; (i) were any techniques and tools, other than those identified in existing ISB Policy and Procedures, authorized for use in this Pilot and, if so, what were those techniques and the rationale for their use; (j) how many Direction to Report notices were provided by Integrity Service Investigators under this Pilot, broken down by (i) the date each notice was served, (ii) the time between the serving of said notice and the date of the scheduled in-person interview with the claimant, (iii) the region each notice was served in; (k) how many Reports of Investigation were prepared and sent to the Processing and Payment Services Branch; (l) what were the results and findings of the StreetSweeper Review regarding the Pilot; (m) what documents, tools, manuals, instructions, presentations, and other materials were used to conduct orientation and training for all persons employed by the federal government who have or are currently taking part in the Employment Insurance Service Review (EISR) pilot; (n) did the EISR pilot Business Expertise Consultant receive any questions or observations from those working on the pilot and, if so, what were these questions and observations; (o) what are the details of (i) EISR Working Group meeting and conference call agendas and minutes, (ii) EISR Working Group project discussion and findings, including anomalies, problems encountered during the project, additional techniques and situations encountered, potential weaknesses in investigative tools, or any other factors of concern expressed regarding the Pilot; (p) in how many cases were unannounced home visits performed by investigators in the course of the Pilot; (q) what was the rationale for unannounced home visits; (r) in how many of the cases was fraud or wrongdoing suspected prior to unannounced home visits; (s) are unannounced home visits to EI recipients department policy when there is no suspicion of fraud or wrongdoing, (i) if so when did it take effect, (ii) if not, is it anticipated to become policy; (t) how many unannounced home visits were conducted by investigators to EI claimants who were not suspected of any fraud or wrongdoing in fiscal years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013; (u) was a legal opinion sought prior to the implementation of the EI Stewardship Pilot regarding interview techniques with EI claimants who were not suspected of fraud or wrongdoing and, if so, what were the legal concerns and problem issues raised by the opinion; (v) under what legislative authority did investigators conduct unannounced home visits to EI claimants under no suspicion of fraud or wrongdoing; (w) was a legal opinion sought to determine by what authority investigators could conduct unannounced home visits to EI claimants under no suspicion of fraud or wrongdoing (i) if so, did the opinion present concerns, (ii) if so what were they; (x) on what other issues other than those raised in (u) and (w) did the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development seek a legal opinion on and why; (y) what was the cost of the EI Stewardship Pilot project; (z) what was the cost per home visit and the total cost for all home visits; (aa) what are the details of each type of ineligible EI payment that is tracked by the government; (bb) for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, what is the breakdown of ineligible EI payments by (i) number of cases, (ii) amount, (iii) EI economic region, (iv) province; (cc) in how many cases was the ineligible payment the result of a government error, (i) what is the dollar value of these types of errors for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013; (dd) for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, what was the amount of (i) total EI benefits paid to EI claimants, (ii) original EI fraud loss, (iii) amount of EI fraud recovered to date, (iv) amount of EI fraud expected to be recovered in future years, (v) amount of EI fraud not expected to be recovered, (vi) amount of EI fraud recovered and expected to be recovered as a percentage of EI benefits paid and (vii) amount of EI fraud not expected to be recovered as a percentage of EI benefits paid; (ee) is the automation of EI processing leading to ineligible payments by incorrectly processing a claim and, if so, how many cases of this problem were found during fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 and what was the dollar amount for each case; (ff) if the answer in (ee) is yes, what studies has the government undertaken to examine this, specifying the (i) name, (ii) date completed, (iii) document reference number; (gg) how does the EI system calculate Direct EI saving and Indirect EI saving for each type of ineligible EI payment; (hh) how many cases resulted in Direct EI saving and Indirect EI saving for each type of ineligible EI payment, broken down by fiscal year for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, and what is the dollar value for each case; (ii) what was the ratio of Direct EI Savings to Indirect EI Savings for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 and what are the reasons for any variance in the ratio throughout this period; (jj) what was the indirect EI savings and the number of cases of EI claim disentitlements for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013; (kk) of the claim disentitlements referred to in question (jj), in how many cases was the disentitlement (i) subsequently rescinded, (ii) rescinded within thirty days of the original disentitlement for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013; (ll) what were the reasons for claim disentitlements referred to in question (kk) being subsequently rescinded; (mm) are the indirect EI savings that are calculated form a claim disentitlement subsequently reduced if the disentitlement is rescinded and if not, why not; and (nn) for claim disentitlements that were subsequently rescinded as referred to in question (kk), what was the expected indirect EI savings that was expected to not be realized as a result for fiscal years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1273.

Q-1290 — Ms. Leslie (Halifax) — With regard to federal tax expenditures from 2006-2012: (a) what is the government’s estimate of the annual forgone revenue for the sectors of oil and gas, mining, and where applicable, clean energy, attributed to the following federal tax expenditures, (i) accelerated capital cost allowance for oil sands, (ii) transitional arrangement for the Alberta royalty tax credit, (iii) reclassification of expenses under flow-through shares, (iv) flow-through share deductions, (v) earned depletion, (vi) net impact of resource allowance, (vii) deductibility of contributions to a qualifying environmental trust, (viii) accelerated capital cost allowance for mining, (ix) canadian exploration expense, (x) canadian development expense for oil sands resource properties; and (b) if the Department of Finance is unable to provide estimates for any of the above tax expenditures, (i) what is the reason for the data gap, (ii) what steps does the Department of Finance plans on taking in future years to close the data gap? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-411-1290.
Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Nicholson (Minister of Justice), seconded by Mr. Kenney (Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism), — That Bill S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, be now read a third time and do pass.

The debate continued.

The question was put on the motion and, pursuant to Standing Order 45, the recorded division was deferred until Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment.

Private Members' Business

At 1:22 p.m., by unanimous consent, the House proceeded to the consideration of Private Members' Business.

The Order was read for the second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security of Bill C-479, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (fairness for victims).

Mr. Sweet (Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale), seconded by Mr. Jean (Fort McMurray—Athabasca), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

Debate arose thereon.

Pursuant to Standing Order 93(1), the Order was dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

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 Mr. Fletcher (Minister of State (Transport)) — Report of VIA Rail Canada Inc., together with the Auditor General's Report, for the year ended December 31, 2012, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 150(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-411-128-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities)
— by Mr. Toews (Minister of Public Safety) — Agreements for RCMP policing services (First Nations Community Policing Service) for the province of Alberta, pursuant to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, R.S. 1985, c. R-10, sbs. 20(5). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-411-475-57. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security)
— by Mr. Toews (Minister of Public Safety) — Notice of opinion concerning Regulations Amending the Firearms Marking Regulations (SOR/2012-251), pursuant to the Firearms Act, S.C. 1995, c. 39, sbs. 119(4). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-411-779-05. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security)
Petitions Filed with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, a petition certified correct by the Clerk of Petitions was filed as follows:

— by Mr. MacKenzie (Oxford), one concerning sex selection (No. 411-3851).
Adjournment

At 2:22 p.m., the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House until Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 28(2) and Order made earlier today.