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Thursday, February 4, 2016 (No. 16)

Orders of the Day

Government Orders

Business of Supply

December 4, 2015 — The President of the Treasury Board — Consideration of the Business of Supply.
Supply period ending March 26, 2016 — maximum of 7 allotted days, pursuant to Standing Order 81(10)(a).

Thursday, February 4, 2016 — 3rd allotted day.
Opposition Motion
February 2, 2016 — Ms. Raitt (Milton) — That the House: (a) thank the independent non-partisan officials from the Department of Finance for their hard work and evidence-based analysis; (b) acknowledge their most recent Fiscal Monitor which informed Members and Canadians that, for the period from April to November 2015 of the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the previous government posted a budgetary surplus of $1.0 billion; and (c) concur in its conclusions and express its confidence in the Deputy Minister and his team.
Voting — not later than 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders, pursuant to Standing Order 81(16).

Opposition Motions
December 8, 2015 — Mr. Ritz (Battlefords—Lloydminster) — That the House call on the government to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, given its importance to the Canadian economy and the reliance of one in five Canadian jobs on export markets.

December 8, 2015 — Ms. Bergen (Portage—Lisgar) — That, in the opinion of the House, in order to support jobs and economic security in the oil sector, and in light of the fact that the government has indicated that it will be enacting new approval processes for pipelines, the government should grandfather all pipeline proposals already in the environmental-approval process instead of requiring new applications under yet-to-be disclosed new processes.

December 8, 2015 — Mr. Warkentin (Grande Prairie—Mackenzie) — That the House: (a) acknowledge the government's neglect even to mention farmers, ranchers, and the Canadian agricultural sector in the recent Speech from the Throne; and (b) call upon the government to make agriculture a priority henceforth, and to use every mechanism available to resolve the issue of Country of Origin Labelling practices by the United States.

December 8, 2015 — Ms. Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill) — That, given that minority groups in Iraq and Syria are facing rape, kidnapping, death, and sexual slavery at the hands of the self-styled Islamic State, this House: (a) condemn the violence and atrocities committed against religious minorities, women, members of the LGBTQ community, and those who do not subscribe to the laws of the self-styled Islamic State; (b) recognize that the self-styled Islamic State has committed genocide against persecuted religious minorities in the region such as Christians, Yezidis, and Shia Muslims, in Iraq and Syria; (c) acknowledge that many of the members of these groups cannot flee to refugee camps because they face persecution in those places; (d) reaffirm Canada’s support of religious freedom around the world; and (e) call upon the government to acknowledge that individuals from these groups are facing immediate death or bodily harm at the hands of the self-styled Islamic State, and should be prioritized as refugees to Canada as part of the government’s Syrian refugee plan.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby) — That the House (a) recognize that the government must take action to close the unacceptable gap in pay between men and women which contributes to income inequality and discriminates against women; (b) recognize pay equity as a right; (c) call on the government to implement the recommendations of the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force Report and restore the right to pay equity in the public service which was eliminated by the previous Conservative government in 2009; and (d) appoint a special committee with the mandate to conduct hearings on the matter of pay equity and to propose a plan to adopt a proactive federal pay equity regime, both legislative and otherwise, and (i) that this committee consist of 10 members which shall include six members from the Liberal Party, three members from the Conservative Party, and one member from the New Democratic Party, provided that the Chair is from the government party, (ii) that in addition to the Chair, there be one Vice-Chair from each of the recognized opposition parties, (iii) that the committee have all of the powers of a standing committee as provided in the Standing Orders, as well as the power to travel, accompanied by the necessary staff, subject to the usual authorization from the House, (iv) that the members to serve on the said committee be appointed by the Whip of each party depositing with the Acting Clerk of the House a list of his or her party’s members of the committee no later than February 17, 2016, (v) that the quorum of the committee be as provided for in Standing Order 118, provided that at least one member of each recognized party be present, (vi) that membership substitutions be permitted from time to time, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2), (vii) that the committee report to the House no later than June 10, 2016.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford) — That, in the opinion of the House, (a) no one should have to grow old in poverty, insecurity, or isolation; (b) all Canadians deserve a dignified retirement; (c) it is a national shame that 600,000 Canadian seniors currently live in poverty; (d) it is unacceptable that senior women are twice as likely to live in poverty as senior men; and (e) the government should honour its overdue promise to immediately increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement to help raise low-income seniors out of poverty.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby) — That, in the opinion of the House, (a) no one should have to grow old in poverty, insecurity, or isolation; (b) all Canadians deserve a dignified retirement; (c) it is a national shame that 600,000 Canadian seniors currently live in poverty; (d) it is unacceptable that senior women are twice as likely to live in poverty as senior men; and (e) the government should honour its overdue promise to immediately increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement to help raise low-income seniors out of poverty.

January 29, 2016 — Ms. Boutin-Sweet (Hochelaga) — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should take immediate action in response to the growing affordable housing crisis and rampant income inequality which makes it harder for Canadians to afford rent or mortgage payments, by (a) preserving the financing of the social agreements that have not yet expired; (b) restoring the funding from expired long-term operating agreements to social housing programs; (c) funding, in Budget 2016, the immediate construction of new affordable housing, the renovation of existing social housing, and the expansion of rent supplements.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby) — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should take immediate action in response to the growing affordable housing crisis and rampant income inequality which makes it harder for Canadians to afford rent or mortgage payments, by (a) preserving the financing of the social agreements that have not yet expired; (b) restoring the funding from expired long-term operating agreements to social housing programs; (c) funding, in Budget 2016, the immediate construction of new affordable housing, the renovation of existing social housing, and the expansion of rent supplements.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford) — That, in the opinion of the House, (a) retirement security is one of the most pressing economic and inequality issues facing Canadian families today; (b) the previous government let down Canadian seniors by raising the age of Old Age Security (OAS) from 65 to 67 without consultation and without stating their intention to do so in the previous election; (c) OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) provide crucial support to Canada’s most vulnerable seniors; and (d) the government should immediately restore the age of eligibility for OAS and GIS to 65, reversing the legislative changes of the previous Conservative government that raised it to 67.

January 29, 2016 — Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby) — That, in the opinion of the House, (a) retirement security is one of the most pressing economic and inequality issues facing Canadian families today; (b) the previous government let down Canadian seniors by raising the age of Old Age Security (OAS) from 65 to 67 without consultation and without stating their intention to do so in the previous election; (c) OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) provide crucial support to Canada’s most vulnerable seniors; and (d) the government should immediately restore the age of eligibility for OAS and GIS to 65, reversing the legislative changes of the previous Conservative government that raised it to 67.

February 2, 2016 — Mr. Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan) — That the House (a) recognize the good work being done by Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom, in particular its work within the Department of Global Affairs to build the Department's capacity to address threats to religious freedom, and to directly promote peace, freedom, tolerance, and communal harmony; and, as a consequence, (b) call on the government to renew the current mandate of the Office, since the continuation of its vital work is needed now more than ever.

February 2, 2016 — Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle) — That the House (a) recognize the good work being done by Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom, in particular its work within the Department of Global Affairs to build the Department's capacity to address threats to religious freedom, and to directly promote peace, freedom, tolerance, and communal harmony; and, as a consequence, (b) call on the government to renew the current mandate of the Office, since the continuation of its vital work is needed now more than ever.

February 2, 2016 — Mr. Albas (Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola) — That, given this time of economic uncertainty, the House: (a) recognize the importance of internal trade which generates $366 billion in economic activity; (b) acknowledge that no Cabinet Minister has internal trade referenced in a mandate letter; (c) acknowledge that, through consultations at the Council of the Federation conference, Canadian Premiers have agreed to negotiate and conclude a new Agreement on Internal Trade by March 2016; and (d) express its hope that this timeline will be honoured in order to help grow the Canadian economy through increased internal trade and the further elimination of interprovincial trade barriers.

February 2, 2016 — Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle) — That, given this time of economic uncertainty, the House: (a) recognize the importance of internal trade which generates $366 billion in economic activity; (b) acknowledge that no Cabinet Minister has internal trade referenced in a mandate letter; (c) acknowledge that, through consultations at the Council of the Federation conference, Canadian Premiers have agreed to negotiate and conclude a new Agreement on Internal Trade by March 2016; and (d) express its hope that this timeline will be honoured in order to help grow the Canadian economy through increased internal trade and the further elimination of interprovincial trade barriers.

February 2, 2016 — Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle) — That the House: (a) thank the independent non-partisan officials from the Department of Finance for their hard work and evidence-based analysis; (b) acknowledge their most recent Fiscal Monitor which informed Members and Canadians that, for the period from April to November 2015 of the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the previous government posted a budgetary surplus of $1.0 billion; and (c) concur in its conclusions and express its confidence in the Deputy Minister and his team.

Ways and Means

Government Bills (Commons)

C-2R — February 1, 2016 — Resuming consideration of the motion of Mr. Morneau (Minister of Finance), seconded by Mrs. Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue), — That Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance;
And of the amendment of Mr. McColeman (Brantford—Brant), seconded by Mr. Hoback (Prince Albert), — 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-2, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, since the principle of the Bill: (a) fails to address the fact, as stated by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, that the proposals contained therein will not be revenue-neutral, as promised by the government; (b) will drastically impede the ability of Canadians to save, by reducing contribution limits for Tax-Free Savings Accounts; (c) will plunge the country further into deficit than what was originally accounted for; (d) will not sufficiently stimulate the economy; (e) lacks concrete, targeted plans to stimulate economic innovation; and (f) will have a negative impact on Canadians across the socioeconomic spectrum.”.
C-4 — February 3, 2016 — Resuming consideration of the motion of Ms. Mihychuk (Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour), seconded by Ms. Chagger (Minister of Small Business and Tourism ), — That Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities;
And of the amendment of Mr. Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent), seconded by Mr. Barlow (Foothills), — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following:
“the House decline to give second reading to Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act, since the bill violates a fundamental principle of democracy by abolishing the provision that the certification and decertification of a bargaining agent must be achieved by a secret ballot vote-based majority.”.

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business

No. 1 — December 7, 2015 — The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons — That the House consider the current state of the Canadian economy as set out in the Update of Economic and Fiscal Projections 2015 that was released on November 20, 2015, and was tabled in the House on December 7, 2015.

R Recommended by the Governor General