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

42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals No. 417 Wednesday, May 15, 2019 2:00 p.m.

Prayer

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.

Board of Internal Economy

The Speaker informed the House that, pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act, R.S. 1985, sbs. 50(4), Mr. Rodriguez (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism) has been appointed a member of the Board of Internal Economy to replace Mr. LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade).

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

laid upon the Table, — The House of Commons Calendar for the year 2020. — Sessional Paper No. 8527-421-56.

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) laid upon the Table, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— No. 421-03374 concerning health care services. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-31-69;

— No. 421-03391 concerning a national day. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-131-10;

— No. 421-03392 concerning rail transportation. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-10-31.

Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Japan Interparliamentary Group respecting the Co-Chairs' annual visit to Japan, held in Tokyo, Fukushima and Sapporo, Japan, from October 9 to 12, 2018. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-421-57-10.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the joint Canadian delegation of the Canada-China Legislative Association and the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 39th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), held in Singapore, Republic of Singapore, from September 3 to 7, 2018. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-421-57-11.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the joint Canadian delegation of the Canada-China Legislative Association and the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group respecting their participation at the 27th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from January 14 to 17, 2019. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-421-57-12.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Ms. Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth), from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, presented the 19th Report of the Committee, "Shifting Paradigms". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-421-561.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 109, 111 to 114, 118 to 121, 123, 124, 126, 127, 129, 132 to 136, 139 and 151 to 155) was tabled.

Mr. McDonald (Avalon), from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, presented the 22nd Report of the Committee, "Main Estimates 2019-20: Votes 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 under Department of Fisheries and Oceans". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-421-562.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 145) was tabled.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by , one concerning organ transplants (No. 421-03751);

— by , one concerning air transportation (No. 421-03752);

— by , one concerning the use of animals in research (No. 421-03753);

— by , one concerning correctional facilities (No. 421-03754) and one concerning the use of animals in research (No. 421-03755);

— by , nineteen concerning health care services (Nos. 421-03756 to 421-03774);

— by , one concerning Christianity (No. 421-03775) and one concerning refugees (No. 421-03776);

— by , one concerning the income tax system (No. 421-03777);

— by , one concerning organ transplants (No. 421-03778) and one concerning discrimination (No. 421-03779);

— by , one concerning environmental pollution (No. 421-03780);

— by , one concerning discrimination (No. 421-03781);

— by , twenty-one concerning assisted suicide (Nos. 421-03782 to 421-03802);

— by , one concerning health care services (No. 421-03803);

— by , one concerning the grain industry (No. 421-03804);

— by , one concerning the Employment Insurance Program (No. 421-03805).

Questions on the Order Paper

Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the revised return to the following question made into an Order for Return:

Q-2178 — — With regard to federal spending from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018: (a) what expenditures were made in the following municipalities (i) City of Saguenay, (ii) City of Saint-Honoré, (iii) Municipality of St-Ambroise, (iv) Municipality of Saint-Fulgence, (v) Municipality of Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, (vi) Municipality of Saint-Charles-de-Bourget, (vii) Municipality of Bégin, (viii) Municipality of Saint-Nazaire, (ix) Municipality of Labrecque, (x) Municipality of Lamarche, (xi) Municipality of Larouche, (xii) Municipality of Saint-David-de-Falardeau; and (b) what are the particulars of all grants, contributions and loans given to any group, broken down by (i) name of recipient, (ii) date of funding, (iii) department or agency that provided the funding, (iv) amount received, (v) program under which the funding was granted, (vi) purpose of the expenditure? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2178-01.

Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the returns to the following questions made into Orders for Return:

Q-2347 — — With regard to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: (a) what is the projected cost of administering the program; (b) what were the estimated benefits of this program to rural and northern communities predicted by the Government of Canada; (c) what is the expected financial benefit in quantifiable terms to the Canadian economy from this program; and (d) was there an analysis conducted by the department of the negative impact of proposed government policies, including Bill C-68, Bill C-69, Bill C-88, as well as the carbon tax on the economic opportunities of newcomers to these regions? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2347.

Q-2348 — — With regard to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Case Processing Centre in Vegreville Alberta: (a)(i) how many employees requested an extension on the time limit to sell their homes under Section 8.2 of the National Joint Council Relocation Directive (NJCRD), (ii) how many employees have received an extension on the time limit to sell their homes under Section 8.2 of the NJCRD, (iii) how many applications for these employees took longer than the 10-day deadline for the department to respond to the request for an extension on the time limit to sell their homes under Section 8.2 of the NJCRD, (iv) what measures is the department taking to accommodate employees because of the depressed housing market conditions in Vegreville, (v) what steps is the department taking to ensure that the National Joint Council Relocation Directive is followed for these members; (b) of the employees that did not move to Edmonton, (i) how many current and former employees are potentially affected by the adjudication decision in August 2018 by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (Citation: 2018FPSLREB74) that the department failed to offer voluntary programs to employees who were not relocating, (ii) what is the maximum liability to the federal government for the potential cost of transition support measures and education allowances for these employees; (c) what is the current cost of the closure of the Case Process Centre in Vegreville Alberta, broken down by (i) costs related to relocating staff, (ii) costs related to surplus staff that chose not to relocate, (iii) costs related to closing the physical facility in Vegreville, (iv) fit-up costs for the workspace of employees that relocated to Edmonton, (v) fit-up costs for employees that relocated to other locations, (vi) costs related to any grievances and adjudications related to the closure, (vii) all other costs related to the closure, including salary costs of employees outside of the Vegreville Centre (management and internal services, headquarters staff, etc.) that advised, planned and oversaw the closure of the Centre; (d) what steps were taken to follow the “good neighbors policy” through the closure process; and (e) with the inclusion of the potential liabilities of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, what was the initial projected total cost of the closure of the Vegreville Case Processing Centre when the decision was taken to close the centre and what is the current projected total cost of the closure of the Vegreville Case Processing Centre? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2348.

Q-2349 — — With regard to the government’s answering of access to information requests, broken down by year from January 2011 to date: (a) how many times did the government fail to answer an access to information request within (i) 45 days, (ii) 90 days, (iii) 135 days, (iv) 180 days, (v) 225 days, (vi) 270-plus days; and (b) for each question which took over 180 days to answer as identified in (a)(iv), (a)(v) and (a)(vi), (i) what was the question, (ii) how much time did it take to provide an answer? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2349.

Q-2350 — — With regard to the government's plan to implement a comprehensive Border Enforcement Strategy as outlined in Budget 2019: (a) when will the details of the strategy be finalized; (b) will the government publicly release the details of the strategy; (c) of the proposed $1.8 billion investment (i) what is the breakdown of the funding by department or agency, (ii) what percentage of the funding will be dedicated to managing irregular migration, (iii) what percentage of the funding will be dedicated to discouraging irregular migration, (iv) what percentage of funding will be dedicated to preventing irregular migration; (d) what specific legislative changes is the government considering to "better manage, discourage and prevent irregular migration"; and (e) what is the government's timeline for introducing the changes identified in (d)? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2350.

Q-2351 — — With regard to federal spending to improve connectivity in Manitoba, from November 4, 2015, to present: (a) what are the details of all expenditures made to projects through the Connect to lnnovate program, including (i) recipient of funding, (ii) name of project, (iii) project start date, (iv) projected project completion date, (v) amount of funding pledged, (vi) amount of funding actually provided to date; and (b) what are the details of all other expenditures intended to improve connectivity, including (i) recipient of funding, (ii) name of project, (iii) project start date, (iv) projected project completion date, (v) amount of funding pledged, (vi) amount of funding actually provided to date, (vii) department or agency that provided the funding? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2351.

Q-2352 — — With regard to federal spending in Manitoba from November 4, 2015, to present, broken down by year: (a) what expenditures were made in the following electoral districts (i) Brandon—Souris, (ii) Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, (iii) Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, (iv) Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, (v) Elmwood—Transcona, (vi) Kildonan—St. Paul, (vii) Portage—Lisgar, (viii) Provencher, (ix) Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, (x) Selkirk-lnterlake-Eastman, (xi) Winnipeg Centre, (xii) Winnipeg North, (xiii) Winnipeg South, (xiv) Winnipeg South Centre; (b) what are the details of all grants, contributions, and loans given to any business, group, municipality, or organization, including (i) name of recipient, (ii) date of funding, (iii) department or agency that provided the funding, (iv) amount received, (v) program under which the funding was granted, (vi) purpose of the expenditure; and (c) for infrastructure projects in each of the electoral districts identified in (a), what are the details of each projects, including (i) recipient of funding, (ii) name of project, (iii) project start date, (iv) projected project completion date, (v) amount of funding pledged, (vi) amount of funding actually provided to date? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2352.

Q-2353 — — With regard to federal spending in Manitoba from November 4, 2015, to present, broken down by year: (a) what expenditures were made in the following municipalities (i) Rural Municipality of De Salaberry, (ii) Rural Municipality of Emerson, (iii) Rural Municipality of Hanover, (iv) Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, (v) Rural Municipality of Montcalm, (vi) Town of Niverville, (vii) Rural Municipality of Piney, (viii) Rural Municipality of Reynolds, (ix) Rural Municipality of Ritchot, (x) Rural Municipality of Springfield, (xi) Village of St. Pierre-Jolys, (xii) Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne, (xiii) Town of Ste. Anne, (xiv) City of Steinbach, (xv) Rural Municipality of Stuartburn, (xvi) Rural Municipality of Taché, (xvii) Rural Municipality of Whitemouth; and (b) what are the details of all grants, contributions, and loans given to any business, group, municipality, or organization, including (i) name of recipient, (ii) date of funding, (iii) department or agency that provided the funding, (iv) amount received, (v) program under which the funding was granted, (vi) purpose of the expenditure? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2353.

Q-2354 — — With regard to contract employees, per diem employees or other similar compensation arrangements for all government departments, agencies and Crown corporations, since November 2015: how many people have worked for rates equal to or more than (i) $300/hour, (ii) $400/hour, (iii) $500/hour, (iv) $700/hour, (v) $1,000/hour? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2354.

Q-2355 — — With regard to federal spending in Manitoba from November 4, 2015, to present, broken down by year: (a) what expenditures were made in the following municipalities, (i) City of Brandon, (ii) Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth, (iii) Rural Municipality of Sifton, (iv) Rural Municipality of Pipestone, (v) Rural Municipality of Two Borders, (vi) Town of Virden, (vii) Municipality of Grassland, (viii) Municipality of Brenda-Waskada, (ix) Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester, (x) Municipality Boissevain-Morton, (xi) Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, (xii) Cartwright-Roblin Municipality, (xiii) Rural Municipality of Argyle, (xiv) Rural Municipality of Prairie Lakes, (xv) Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress, (xvi) Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa, (xvii) Municipality of SourisGlenwood, (xviii) Rural Municipality of Whitehead, (xix) Rural Municipality of Cornwallis, (xx) Town of Melita; and (b) what are the details of all grants, contributions, and loans given to any business, group, municipality, or organization, including (i) name of recipient, (ii) date of funding, (iii) department or agency that provided the funding, (iv) amount received, (v) program under which the funding was granted, (vi) purpose of the expenditure? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2355.

Q-2356 — — With regard to Statistics Canada’s plan to collect financial transaction data on Canadians: (a) by what means will data be anonymized; (b) which employee classification will have access to data that has not been anonymized; and (c) what cyber security protection measures have been put in place to protect this sensitive data? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2356.

Q-2357 — — With regard to the briefings provided to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness or his staff by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) since November 4, 2015: (a) what are the titles, dates and subject matter of all briefing notes provided by the RCMP; (b) what were the dates and subject matter of oral briefings provided by (i) the Commissioner of the RCMP, (ii) the Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing, (iii) the Senior General Counsel, (iv) the Chief of Staff to the Commissioner; (c) did any of the oral briefings referred to in (b) relate to an ongoing investigation; and (d) did any of the oral briefings referred to in (b) relate to a matter before the courts? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2357.

Q-2358 — — With regard to the disbanding of the “O” Division of the Marine Security Enforcement Team Program: (a) what measures is the government taking to ensure marine security of our Great Lakes; (b) what is the reason for removing protection of most of Ontario’s international border; (c) what is the government’s new plan for patrolling known smuggling routes on the Great Lakes with limited marine capacity; and (d) what enforcement costs are anticipated due to the resulting influx of illegal goods such as firearms and contraband tobacco? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2358.

Q-2359 — — With regards to the implementation of the needle exchange program in Canadian penitentiaries: what are the details of all the meetings between Public Safety Canada officials and union heads, including (i) the dates, (ii) the concerns that were raised, if any, (iii) whether inmate feedback was sought? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2359.

Q-2360 — — With regards to the Ile-a-la-Crosse Indian Residential School and the Timber Bay Children’s home: (a) how many students attended these schools from their respective openings until the schools were shut down; (b) how much funding from the government was provided to these schools for the duration of their respective operations; (c) on what basis does the government not recognize these schools as residential schools or as part of the residential school settlement; (d) what actions has the government taken to provide justice to the survivors and families of attendees of these schools; (e) what discussions and meetings have taken place since 2015 to provide survivors and families with financial compensation; and (f) by what date can survivors and families expect financial compensation for the experiences at these residential schools? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2360.

Q-2361 — — With regard to Gatineau Park: (a) what land within the current boundaries of Gatineau Park is provincially owned and controlled; (b) what agency or agencies are responsible for law enforcement in Gatineau Park and under what authority; (c) what are the powers of the National Capital Commission (NCC) conservation officers in Gatineau Park; (d) which level of government is responsible for the water quality of Gatineau Park's lakes, ponds and streams; (e) why does the National Capital Act not require that the responsible minister report on the state of Gatineau Park at least every two years, as is required by the National Parks Act on the status of National Parks; (f) how does the protection regime in Gatineau Park compare to that in Canada's National Parks; (g) why is Gatineau Park not managed by Parks Canada, the only federal agency which has the requisite experience and expertise to manage an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Category II protected area; (h) how many properties in Gatineau Park acquired by the NCC since 2008 have been leased back to their previous owners or other parties, and under what conditions; (i) how many properties in Gatineau Park acquired since 2008 have been re-naturalized or been left to re-naturalize; (j) how does the NCC evaluate the impact of private property development on the ecological integrity of Gatineau Park; (k) has the NCC sought to undertake negotiations with the responsible municipalities, or the Government of Quebec, with the view to arriving at mutually acceptable standards for private property development in order to mitigate the impact of such development on the natural environment of Gatineau Park; and (l) what impact does provincial ownership of land within the boundaries of Gatineau Park have on the management of the park? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-421-2361.

Business of Supply

The Order was read for the consideration of the Business of Supply.

Mr. Singh (Burnaby South), seconded by Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby), moved, — That the House call on the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change to declare an environment and climate emergency following the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and urge the government to bring forward a climate action strategy that: (a) prioritizes reconciliation with Indigenous peoples; (b) invests in a transition that leaves no workers or communities behind; (c) increases the ambition of its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets to avoid a more than 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in global warming, as recommended by the IPCC report; (d) includes robust rules for implementing the Paris Agreement; (e) prescribes transparency and accountability mechanisms to address climate change; (f) does not proceed with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project; (g) immediately eliminates all federal fossil fuel subsidies, including through Export Development Canada funding; and (h) integrates human health into Canada's climate commitments.

Debate arose thereon.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the Member for Burnaby South, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to Thursday, May 16, 2019, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions; and that the recorded division on the motion for second reading of Bill C-266, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (increasing parole ineligibility) standing in the name of the Member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, currently scheduled today, immediately before the time provided for Private Members' Business, be further deferred until the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on Thursday, May 16, 2019, immediately after the opposition motion is disposed of.

Business of Supply

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Singh (Burnaby South), seconded by Mr. Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby), in relation to the Business of Supply.

The debate continued.

At 5:15 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 81(16), the Speaker interrupted the proceedings.

Pursuant to Order made earlier today, the question was deemed put on the motion and the recorded division was deemed requested and deferred until Thursday, May 16, 2019, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

Private Members' Business

At 5:16 p.m., by unanimous consent, the House proceeded to the consideration of Private Members' Business.

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Christopherson (Hamilton Centre), seconded by Ms. Ramsey (Essex), — That, in the opinion of the House, a special committee, chaired by the Speaker of the House, should be established at the beginning of each new Parliament, in order to select all Officers of Parliament. (Private Members' Business M-170)

Mr. Aubin (Trois-Rivières), seconded by Ms. Trudel (Jonquière), moved the following amendment, — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the words “in the opinion of the House,” and substituting the following:

“during this Parliament, a special joint committee co-chaired by the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament should be created as a pilot project to begin undertaking the selection process for the vacant Auditor General of Canada position.”.

Debate arose thereon.

The question was put on the amendment and, pursuant to Standing Order 93(1), the recorded division was deferred until Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 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), a paper deposited with the Clerk of the House was laid upon the Table as follows:

— by — Report on the operation of the Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act for the year ended December 31, 2018, pursuant to the Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, S.C. 2010, c. 4, s. 15.1. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-421-1063-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on International Trade)

Adjournment Proceedings

At 5:57 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 38(1), the question “That this House do now adjourn” was deemed to have been proposed.

After debate, pursuant to Standing Order 81(4)(a), the question was deemed to have been withdrawn.

Government Orders

Business of Supply

At 6:28 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 81(4)(a), the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole for the consideration of all Votes under Department of National Defence in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

At 10:29 p.m., the Committee rose.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4)(a), the considered Votes were deemed reported.

Adjournment

Accordingly, at 10:30 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).