OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)

House of Commons Debates VOLUME 147 NUMBER 096 2nd SESSION 41st PARLIAMENT Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) COMMONS DEBATES June 4, 2014 DEBATES Edited Hansard * Table of Contents * Number 096 (Official Version) Official Report * Table of Contents * Number 096 (Official Version) Compte rendu officiel * Table des matières * Numéro 096 (Version officielle) 147 096 04 06 2014 2014/06/04 14:00:00 House of Commons Débats de la Chambre des communes House of Commons Debates 41 2

The House met at 2 p.m. Prayers

Statements by Members (1400) [ English ] The Speaker : It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the pages. [ Members sang the national anthem ]

(1405) Canada's Olympic and Paralympic Athletes The Speaker : Pursuant to an order made on Thursday, May 29, the House will now resolve itself into committee of the whole to welcome Olympic and Paralympic athletes. (House in committee of the whole to recognize Canada’s 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games athletes, Mr. Andrew Scheer in the chair) [ And Canada’s 2014 Olympic and Paralympic athletes being present in the chamber: ]

(1410) The Speaker : It is my pleasure today to welcome to the House of Commons athletes and coaches from Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams who participated in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. I know I speak on behalf of all members in the House, and indeed all Canadians, when I say how extremely proud we are of each and every one of you. Your successes in Sochi captivated our country and demonstrated the very best of what it means to be Canadian.

Not only did both our Olympic and Paralympic teams finish third in the overall medal standings, but they also competed with honour and truly exemplified the Olympic spirit. [ Translation ] Today, as we pay tribute to Canada's Olympians and Paralympians, let us also take a moment to commend the dedication of all those who have helped these athletes pursue their dreams.

I am thinking about the trainers, the support personnel, the sponsors, organizations such as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees and, of course, the athletes' families. (1415) [ English ] On behalf of all members of Parliament, I offer our most heartfelt congratulations to the members of Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams. Your hard work, sacrifice and determination are truly an inspiration to all Canadians. Thank you so much for all you have done for your country.

I understand there is agreement among all parties and members of the House to have the names of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes printed in the Debates of the House of Commons.

Canada’s 2014 Olympic and Paralympic athletes: Erin Mielzynski, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Brittany Phelan, Brad Spence, Elli Terwiel, Megan Imrie, Zina Kocher, Jean-Philippe LeGuellec, Scott Perras, Nathan Smith, Jenny Ciochetti, Benjamin Coakwell, Justin Kripps, Jesse Lumsden, James McNaughton, Timothy Randall, Cody Sorensen, Christopher Spring, Jesse Cockney, Dasha Gaiazova, Perianne Jones, Devon Kershaw, Emily Nishikawa, Lenny Valjas, Heidi Widmer, Caleb Flaxey, Patrick Chan, Gabrielle Daleman, Mitchell Islam, Paige Lawrence, Scott Moir, Dylan Moscovitch, Kaetlyn Osmond, Alexandra Paul, Andrew Poje, Eric Radford, Kevin Reynolds, Rudi Swiegers, Tessa Virtue, Kaitlyn Weaver, Justin Dorey, Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, Marc-Antoine Gagnon, Travis Gerrits, Rosalind Groenewoud, Keltie Hansen, Dara Howell, Mikael Kingsbury, Kim Lamarre, Philippe Marquis, Mike Riddle, Audrey Robichaud, Yuki Tsubota, Brady Leman, Kelsey Serwa, Marielle Thompson, Melodie Daoust, Haley Irwin, Rebecca Johnston, Charline Labonté, Geneviève Lacasse, Jocelyne Larocque, Caroline Ouellette, Marie-Philip Poulin, Lauriane Rougeau, Natalie Spooner, Shannon Szabados, Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Jennifer Wakefield, Catherine Ward, Sam Edney, John Fennell, Alex Gough, Arianne Jones, Mitch Malyk, Kim McRae, Justin Snith, Tristan Walker, John Fairbairn, Eric Neilson, Sarah Reid, Taylor Henrich, Trevor Morrice, Matthew Rowley, Caroline Calvé, Alexandra Duckworth, Rob Fagan, Kevin Hill, Jake Holden, Ariane Lavigne, Derek Livingston, Dominique Maltais, Mercedes Nicoll, Maelle Ricker, Chris Robanske Ivanie Blondin, Anastasia Bucsis, Kali Christ, Vincent de Haitre, Jamie Gregg, Marsha Hudey, Gilmore Junio, Lucas Makowsky, Denny Morrison, Danielle Wotherspoon, Michael Gilday, Charles Hamelin, François Hamelin, Olivier Jean, Valérie Maltais, Marianne St-Gelais, Caleb Brousseau, Joshua Dueck, Robin Femy, Kimberly Joines, Erin Latimer, Mac Marcoux, Kurt Oatway, Kirk Schornstein, Alexandra Starker, Chris Williamson, Mark Arendz, Caroline Bisson, Colette Bourgonje, Sven Erik Carleton, Sébastien Fortier, Louis Fortin, Margarita Gorbounova, Brittany Hudak, Chris Klebl, Robbi Weldon, John Leslie, Tyler Mosher, Michelle Salt, Bradley Bowden, Adam Dixon, Dominic Larocque, Karl Ludwig, Tyler McGregor, Sonja Gaudet, Mark Ideson, Dennis Thiessen Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

(1420) The Speaker : The committee will rise and I will leave the chair. Pursuant to an order made on Thursday, May 29, the House will now proceed to statements by members.

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Statements by Members [ English ] Stratford Festival Mr. Gary Schellenberger (Perth—Wellington, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate the Stratford Festival on the opening of their 2014 season. The festival is an integral part of the economy of Perth—Wellington . It creates thousands of full-time jobs and generates more than $130 million in economic activity. Since 1953, people from around the world have come to Stratford for unparalleled performances from North America's leading theatre company.

The fine list of productions this year includes King Lear, Crazy for You, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Man of La Mancha , and so many more. Aside from world-class theatrical productions, the festival will host countless musical and cultural events. I congratulate the Stratford Festival on its continued success and thank the festival for its enormous contributions to the city of Stratford, the surrounding area, and Canada.

[ Translation ] The Economy Mr. Jean-François Larose (Repentigny, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives claim that they are helping the economy grow, promoting the common good and standing up for Canadians. However, they are favouring their rich friends, while the majority of people are suffering and getting poorer. In my riding, the Conservatives did nothing to address the closure of Electrolux. More than 2,000 jobs were lost. They stopped giving financial support to the Christmas market, which created millions of dollars in economic spinoffs.

They have stripped the homeless shelter, La Hutte, of 25% of its budget. All of those cuts amount to direct attacks on my region's social and economic development. We deserve better than a mediocre government that does not seem to understand anything about basic economics. We deserve a secure future. In 2015, let us make sure that we get rid of the Conservative pandemic once and for all.

[ English ] Second World War Soldiers Mrs. Stella Ambler (Mississauga South, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, later this month, an Italian named Gino Farnetti-Bragaglia will be visiting Canada to thank three Canadian families. In the Second World War, three Canadian soldiers, Lloyd “Red” Oliver, Paul Hagen, and Mert Massey, rescued five-year-old Gino while on campaign in Italy. They found him starving and alone, not even knowing his own last name. The soldiers and their company looked after him for almost a year, and the orphaned young boy was eventually adopted by an Italian family.

Nearly 70 years after the war, Gino is coming to Canada to thank the families of the Canadian soldiers who saved his life. Gino's story reminds us of the sacrifice and honour earned by the brave Canadian soldiers who fought for the liberation of Italy. Today I want to join Gino in thanking those three soldiers and their families as well as all Canadian veterans. It is important to remember that Canadian soldiers risked their lives not just for our freedom but so that people like Gino Farnetti-Bragaglia could live in freedom as well.

Attack on Amritsar Temple Mr. Marc Garneau (Westmount—Ville-Marie, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, today we stand in solidarity with the Sikh community as they remember the 30th anniversary of the invasion of the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar. That tragic episode, which resulted in the devastating loss of so many innocent lives, triggered a series of events that deeply impacted the Sikh community across the world, including here in Canada. Liberals have long held that respect for human rights must be paramount and that those responsible for atrocities must be held accountable and brought to justice.

As we remember the innocent lives lost in 1984, we must remain vigilant to ensure that the basic human rights of all individuals are respected and that such tragedies are never repeated. Table for 1200 Ms. Joyce Bateman (Winnipeg South Centre, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, on May 31, I had the pleasure of attending Table for 1,200, a pop-up dinner that took place on the Esplanade Riel, alongside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

This fantastic event, put on by Storefront Manitoba and 5468796 Architecture, was the opportunity of a lifetime and showcased the design community in Winnipeg and the truly collaborative spirit of Winnipeggers. Featuring a fabulous prairie-themed dinner, spearheaded by the team from RAW:almond, 1,200 guests were told the location just hours before the dinner started and brought their own chairs to a 366-metre-long table with the beautiful backdrop of Winnipeg's downtown. This initiative encouraged design discussion and brought people together for a wonderful evening of food and fun.

I was so happy to be there, and I congratulate all involved on their tremendous success. I know the conversations will continue long after the tables are taken down.

(1425) Veterans Mr. Jack Harris (St. John's East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the men and women who bravely serve, and have served, our country in the Canadian military. Sadly, many of our soldiers and veterans feel forgotten. Today veterans and their families from across Canada are here on Parliament Hill to protest their treatment by the Conservative government. They have been calling on the government for greater support, whether it be for financial needs, career transition, dealing with a disability, or ensuring that caregivers are recognized and helped.

Sadly, these calls have fallen on deaf ears. In my own riding of St. John's East and across Newfoundland and Labrador, veterans have felt the effects of government cuts, including the closure of the Veterans Affairs office in Corner Brook. The unanimous report released by the veterans affairs committee, if implemented, is an important first step toward meaningful changes to the new veterans charter, but much more needs to be done. Veterans can count on the NDP to continue the fight to ensure that our veterans and their families get the support and help they need and deserve.

70th Anniversary of D-Day Mr. Corneliu Chisu (Pickering—Scarborough East, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, on June 6, 1944, 25,000 Canadian forces from land, air, and sea came together on the beaches of Normandy to join the Allied invasion of occupied France. The Battle of Normandy, on D-Day, was one of Canada's most significant and successful military engagements, and it was a defining moment in our nation's history. However, this triumph was not without sacrifice. Over 5,000 Canadians laid down their lives defending freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

On Friday, we mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, when we will honour the memory and legacy on those brave Canadians. Lest we forget. Correctional Service of Canada Ms. Roxanne James (Scarborough Centre, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government believes that the correctional system should actually correct criminal behaviour. Criminals should not be rewarded or given perks for violating the trust that exists between individuals in Canadian society. That is why we passed into law my private member's bill that put an end to vexatious complaints made by prisoners.

I was shocked to learn today that an individual who callously murdered his wife and her mother in front of their young son is trying to sue the government for misplacing lewd pictures he had taken of his new wife. It is shocking that this individual would try to force Canadians to compensate him for such a ludicrous issue as he sits in prison serving a life sentence. Canadians expect that prisoners pay their debt to society, not the other way around. [ Translation ] Mental Health Ms. Marie-Claude Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, NDP) : Mr.

Speaker, on May 23, I had the immense pleasure of being the honorary chair of Jazz ta vie pour un ami , a performance fundraiser for Trait d'union montérégien, an organization that helps people with mental health issues who live in isolation. This week, I will be the spokesperson for a fundraising dinner for Maison alternative de développement humain, a social reintegration organization for people with mental health issues. Even though this is 2014, there are still people living with these problems who are ashamed. Why? Because there is still way too much discrimination against this health problem.

Do people know that one in five of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some point? That is why I have agreed to lend my voice to these organizations. They work so hard with so few resources to eradicate taboos and create an environment where people with these problems can be heard, listened to, and helped, where they can live full lives as citizens and take control of their lives. I congratulate them on their excellent work.

[ English ] Canadian Grain Farmers Mr. Larry Maguire (Brandon—Souris, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, three years ago, prairie farmers gave the Conservative government their overwhelming endorsement to bring in marketing freedom for wheat and barley. We immediately rolled up our sleeves, and despite the tactics of the NDP and Liberals to deny the rights of farmers to sell their crop at a time and price of their choosing, marketing freedom is the law of the land. Marketing freedom has allowed increased wheat and barley acreages and access to record prices.

When farmers faced transportation challenges, our government acted again to bring in an order in council and legislation to clear the backlog. Now, with that grain moving, I am happy to report that yesterday, the courts dismissed the last of five lawsuits that the opponents of freedom brought to stifle our farmers. Now that farmers and the courts have spoken, will the opposition finally admit that it was wrong and embrace marketing freedom?

(1430) [ Translation ] Canadian Armed Forces Ms. Christine Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, an investigation by Maclean's and L'actualité recently revealed cases of sexual assault within our Canadian Forces. This is a serious and worrisome situation. Every day, five victims, men and women, but mostly women, are sexually assaulted. If we extrapolate over a 20-year period, there are 36,500 cases. If we consider that there are roughly 10,000 women in the Canadian Forces, then we might say that every woman who has a career in the forces will be a victim of these disgraceful acts one day or another.

This is simply unacceptable. We have had it with the inaction and empty action of the defence ministers, Liberal and Conservative alike. We must establish an independent judicial inquiry and have someone other than the forces look at this problem if we want real answers about such things as the aspects of military culture that aggravate this problem. If we want more women to join the Canadian Forces, then we must first keep them safe. After all, they are our daughters, our sisters, our mothers.

[ English ] Poland Mr. Ted Opitz (Etobicoke Centre, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, freedom was reborn in Poland 25 years ago today. The first free elections were held in Poland on this day because the Solidarity trade union, led by Lech Walesa, helped defeat the Soviet empire, a Communist system of evil that the Prime Minister recently called a “poisonous ideology”. Poland triumphed, loosening the bonds of other nations. Their fight for freedom was defended by Reagan, Thatcher, Mulroney, and the spiritual leadership of St. John Paul.

Prime Minister Harper stood among the Polish people today, sharing their joy and sharing Poland's determination to help freedom flourish in other places, like the commitment we share to stand with the people of Ukraine to help them rise and become a free and prosperous society. Poles have long fought for freedom, and we know the heavy cost of it. They have built a nation that is called the Canada of Europe, a thriving democracy with a robust economy that is the envy of its neighbours. Poland and Canada stand united in a just cause to help other nations realize the same freedom we enjoy.

God bless the Polish people. Jeszcze Polska nie zginela kiedy my zyjemy . [ Member spoke in Polish and provided the following translation: ] Poland has not yet perished as long as we live. The Speaker : I want to remind the hon. member that we do not use proper names in the House. We use ridings or titles. I know he will want to keep that in mind. The hon. member for Papineau.

[ Translation ] Eugenie Bouchard Mr. Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, today we are celebrating our athletes, who inspire us and make us proud. In that regard, tomorrow, Montrealer Eugenie Bouchard will be the first Canadian woman to compete in the semifinals at Roland-Garros in Paris. Last January, Eugenie made Canadian tennis history when she reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of the season. Tomorrow, just a few months later, and at barely 20 years old, Eugenie will play her second Grand Slam semifinal.

Eugenie's accomplishments are absolutely extraordinary, and if, or I should say when, she wins tomorrow, she will be one of the top 10 female tennis players in the world. Eugenie Bouchard's success reminds us of how the dedication and commitment of our athletes—like those who were in the House just a few minutes ago—can inspire all of us. Quite often we think that hockey is Canada's sport. However, tomorrow, I think that Canadians' attention will shift from the ice rink to the clay court as we cheer on Eugenie Bouchard.

[ English ] Tiananmen Square Mr. Scott Reid (Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, in countries across the world, 1989 was the annus mirabilis , during which Communism gave way peacefully to democracy. In April of that year, students and civilians across China began peaceful demonstrations in support of democracy. For the next six weeks, these protests were the pole star of freedom, guiding oppressed people across the Communist world, but in China itself, the democracy movement was brutally crushed when 25 years ago today, the Politburo ordered the army to attack its own unarmed civilians.

Nobody knows exactly how many Chinese citizens were gunned down or crushed by tanks. Estimates range from 240 to 2,600. For a quarter of a century, the PRC government has denied its responsibility. To this day, the government denies its civilians the basic freedoms that were sought by the martyrs of Tiananmen. Let us never forget our responsibility to preserve the memory of those who were killed or imprisoned for their steadfast determination to bring forward democracy and human rights in China.

(1435) [ Translation ] Eugenie Bouchard Mr. Matthew Dubé (Chambly—Borduas, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday, at the French Open, Canadians across the country learned a valuable lesson about how to react in the face of adversity, a little like what we saw with the Montreal Canadiens earlier this spring. Young Montreal prodigy Eugenie Bouchard once again dazzled the world by qualifying for the semifinals of one of the most prestigious international tennis tournaments. It was not a guaranteed victory. She was up against a tough opponent, but she held her ground and triumphed.

As we have just seen on the floor of the House, Canada has many athletes who know what it is like to face such adversity. We are particularly excited about the incredible success of this young Quebecker, who has a promising future on the world circuit. As a proud member of the Genie Army, I wish Eugenie the greatest success at the French Open, and I join with millions of fans and Canadians, particularly my colleagues in the House, to say, “Go, Eugenie, go!”

Justice Mr. Jacques Gourde (Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Prime Minister on appointing Justice Clément Gascon to the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Gascon's extensive legal knowledge, as well as his experience in this area, will certainly be a great asset to this important Canadian institution. We said that we would act quickly to ensure that the Supreme Court has a full complement of judges, and we kept that promise. Our government made sure to conduct extensive consultations with prominent members of Quebec's legal community.

Justice Gascon was a judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal, so there is no doubt that he is qualified and eligible to sit on the highest court in the country. This appointment has been widely applauded. As the member for Gatineau said yesterday, Justice Gascon has a stellar reputation and he was a great nomination. We agree.

ORAL QUESTIONS Oral Questions [ English ] Veterans Affairs Hon. Thomas Mulcair (Leader of the Opposition, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday members of all parties on the veterans affairs committee made a series of modest recommendations to the minister for how he could improve services and begin to win back the trust of the veterans he is supposed to serve. Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs immediately make those recommendations a reality and help improve the lives of veterans and their families? Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition , but equally and more importantly, thank all members of the veterans affairs committee, which came forward with a unanimous report. To quote briefly from that report: The Committee members unanimously agree that the principles of the NVC should be upheld and that these principles foster an approach that is well suited to today's veterans.

The minister is going to, of course, deal with the recommendations found within that report, and since we have seen a record increase in the expenditures for Canadian veterans as a result of our government and our Prime Minister , we continue to support veterans. Hon. Thomas Mulcair (Leader of the Opposition, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, what does “deal with the recommendations” mean? Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has been around here for a while. I think that means that we act on them. [ Translation ] Hon.

Thomas Mulcair (Leader of the Opposition, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Jenifer Migneault, the wife of a veteran who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, asked the Prime Minister to provide more support to veterans' families who are caregivers. Ms. Migneault is calling on the government to provide services for veterans' spouses, such as mental health training. Instead of running away from Ms. Migneault, will the minister listen to veterans' families and do something about this once and for all? [ English ] Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, first let me thank Madame Migneault and her husband for their incredible service to our country. Of course, we respect the challenges they are facing with respect to post-traumatic stress within their family unit. The reality is that we are dealing in a very comprehensive way with the challenges faced by veterans and their families with respect to improving benefits. I note that, through eight budgets, our government has now earmarked more than $4.7 billion to improve upon the services available to veterans and their families. I note the NDP has voted against those improvements.

(1440) Privacy Hon. Thomas Mulcair (Leader of the Opposition, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister 's candidate for privacy commissioner admitted that he would have to recuse himself from any case that involved a conflict of interest with his current job as a government lawyer. For example, he would not be able to investigate any surveillance program that he had helped develop or had approved. He would not be able to work on any case where he might know about secret government information that might be relevant.

What will happen in all these cases where the privacy commissioner will be obliged to step aside? Have Conservatives even thought about that? Hon. Tony Clement (President of the Treasury Board, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, allow me the opportunity to repeat that this individual has over 30 years of experience on legal matters as well as privacy matters as a public servant, a person who has served our country. Indeed, that is why there is not just a privacy commissioner; there is a privacy commission.

There are individuals who well trained to deal with all matters dealing with privacy, and I am sure in any instance where the Privacy Commissioner cannot act, the office can still act. Hon. Thomas Mulcair (Leader of the Opposition, NDP) : So they are admitting, Mr. Speaker, that they are naming an officer of Parliament without the agreement of the official opposition—therefore not a nomination of Parliament—and he is admitting that he is going to have to step aside the minute these cases come before him because he has already been involved in them.

Does he understand that is the essence of a conflict of interest and that it is why Daniel Therrien cannot be the privacy commissioner for Canadians? Hon. Tony Clement (President of the Treasury Board, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I say no such thing. What I have said repeatedly is that we have a nominee who is well versed on legal matters and privacy matters. He has over 30 years of experience working for the Canadian public. He is an exceptional candidate. That is why I was proud to recommend him to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister to this Parliament.

For this member to drag him through the mud without any regard for his service to this country is, quite frankly, shameful.

[ Translation ] Justice Mr. Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Justice Gascon on his long-awaited appointment to the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, this fall, another seat on the bench will be empty. The Conservatives made an election promise to the effect that parliamentarians would be consulted during this process. When replacing Justice LeBel, will the Minister of Justice keep this promise and consult parliamentarians? [ English ] Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the third party. I agree with him.

I think this is an inspired choice. It has been a choice widely applauded, particularly in the province of Quebec. With respect to a future process for the appointment of the Supreme Court judges, of course we intend to, again, consult widely and certainly within Quebec and with those in the legal community. However, we are concerned with the process and the compromise that occurred in the leaking of information around it the last time, and so we will proceed with caution and haste in the future.

Citizenship and Immigration Mr. Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, throughout our history, Canada's immigration policy has brought people here to fulfill their dream of becoming Canadians. However, because of the current government's policy, we are now on track to having more temporary foreign workers in our country next year than newcomers who we will admit as permanent residents. Will the government's still-not-released temporary foreign worker reforms ensure that this does not happen? Hon. Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, as the member should know, as the leader of the third party should know, as a result of eight years of reform by this government, backlogs are smaller, economic immigration has never been stronger, and we are accepting the highest levels of sustained immigration in Canadian history. I am proud to report that, last year 44,000 of those economic immigrants to Canada were coming precisely from those groups that the member opposite mentions: temporary foreign workers and students. That is a record number. It is about seven times what it was under the Liberals.

(1445) Mr. Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, as the minister should know, as a share of our population, the Conservatives have cut immigration by 10%, while doubling the number of temporary foreign workers. We are still waiting for the government's plan to fix this broken temporary foreign worker program. Will that plan restore our system's historic focus of allowing newcomers to achieve their dream of becoming Canadians? Hon. Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, again I have to correct the record because of the misunderstanding that the leader of the third party is seeking to propagate. The Canadian experience class was created in 2008 by this government. It targets explicitly those working and studying in Canada already. That is an innovation of our government. We have also expanded the provincial nominee program that converts those working or studying here into immigrants. None of that happened under Liberal governments over many long years of darkness and neglect. It was on a much smaller scale.

We are cleaning up their mess— The Speaker : The hon. member for Drummond.

[ Translation ] The Environment Mr. François Choquette (Drummond, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, a former Conservative environment minister, the member for Thornhill , is complaining that his government is not getting enough credit for its efforts combatting climate change. Come on. In his opinion, it is difficult to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Canada because hydroelectric power is already a clean form of energy. As if we did not already know that. The real problem is that the Conservatives and the Liberals have never forced the oil and gas sectors to do their part.

When will the Conservatives announce the regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions for the industry that is the largest polluter in Canada? [ English ] Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, Canada only accounts for less than 2% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, Canada is pursuing a new international agreement on climate change that includes real action by all major emitters.

In the meantime, our government is also doing its part by taking action domestically to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2006, we have invested significant funds in more efficient technology, better infrastructure, adaptation, and clean energy. [ Translation ] Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives think that the best way to fight climate change is to advertise in the United States to promote the Keystone XL pipeline. With the measures announced on Monday, the Americans will reach their Copenhagen reduction target of 17%.

With the Conservatives' approach, Canada will not even get halfway to its 2020 goal. If the oil and gas sectors do not make an effort, we will not reach our goal. When will we find out what their target is? [ English ] Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we welcome the move from the United States, and I say it is about time. In Canada, 10% of electricity generation comes from coal; in the United States, it is 37%. More than 60% of electricity generation is renewable in Canada.

In the United States, it is just 12%. The statistics speak for themselves. Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have gotten ignoring everyone who disagrees with them down to a fine art, because they are not listening to Canadians who want action on climate change and they are turning a deaf ear on our U.S. neighbours, who are taking action on their biggest greenhouse gas emitters. Instead of regulating emissions from Canada's biggest emitters, the oil and gas sector, the government gives them billions in subsidies.

The numbers do not lie, so will Conservatives stop ignoring science, stop ignoring Canadians, and finally introduce rigorous greenhouse gas regulations for the oil and gas sector? Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, building on our record, we will continue to work with the United States on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the oil and gas sector. Our countries should be taking action together, not alone.

This is why we welcomed the move from the United States two days ago on greenhouse gas emissions. Again, this is consistent with what we are already doing by aligning with the United States on greenhouse gas emission regulations. In the transportation sector, for example, 2025 passenger vehicles and light trucks will emit about half as much greenhouse gas in Canada as the 2008 models.

(1450) Ms. Jean Crowder (Nanaimo—Cowichan, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Conservatives ignore concerns about climate change just like they ignore concerns from British Columbians about our environment. A new poll shows that two out of every three people in British Columbia are opposed to the northern gateway project. These numbers are even higher than in the January poll. The more people learn about this project, the more they oppose it. Are the Conservatives really going to flout the wishes of 67% of British Columbians? Hon.

Greg Rickford (Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government will thoroughly review the joint panel report and continue to consult with aboriginal communities prior to making any decision on this project. We are proud of the action that we have taken to ensure Canada has a world-class regulatory framework and a means to the safest forms of transportation for our energy products. We have been clear: projects will only proceed if they are safe for Canadians and safe for the environment. Mr.

Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I have been consulting with British Columbians, and this is what they are telling the government. On this side, we have the Union of B.C. Municipalities rejecting the Enbridge northern gateway; on that side, we have the oil lobby. On this side, we have virtually every single first nation across Alberta and British Columbia standing together opposing this pipeline; on that side, they have the oil lobby. On this side, we have nearly two-thirds of all British Columbians rejecting the Conservative approach to oil and gas; on that side, we have the oil lobby.

When are Conservatives going to stand with British Columbians and say no to the Enbridge northern gateway project? Hon. Greg Rickford (Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we know that the NDP would prefer to reject science and facts and decide which projects should go ahead based on ideology. While the Leader of the Opposition laughs, that is his record, actually. The Leader of the Opposition said, “There are some things that some people would send to the NEB that we would say no to”. That is great.

It is an independent organization for the benefit of Canadians and energy products. Canadians deserve better than that. Our government will make decisions based on the independent scientific review performed by the NEB. [ Translation ] Privacy Ms. Charmaine Borg (Terrebonne—Blainville, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, despite the concerns that have been raised about the new privacy commissioner's background and his potential conflicts of interest, he himself believes that Bill C-13 should be divided. He also believes that the information telecommunications companies have on their clients should be better protected.

This kind of information is not the same as what is found in a phone book. This information is much more sensitive. Will the Conservatives listen to the person they just appointed? [ English ] Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, based on the way that Bill C-13 is constructed, which would enable the police to act with modern tools not only to enforce the existing law but also to enforce the new legislation that would criminalize the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, it makes no sense to split the bill.

We have to not only protect the public through passing the legislation; we also have to enable the police to have the modern tools necessary to enforce that law. Mr. Jack Harris (St. John's East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives' nominee for privacy commissioner testified that even he is in favour of a parliamentary committee to look at the way that Canada's security intelligence agencies are overseen. This is something that the NDP has long called for.

Now that even the government's own hand-picked privacy commissioner is echoing our call, will the minister reconsider and agree to our proposal for a committee to make recommendations on how it can strengthen parliamentary oversight of the security and intelligence activities of the government while protecting Canadians' privacy? [ Translation ] Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our country has robust organizations to oversee the agencies that enforce our country's laws, such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Its review committee includes former NDP members of Parliament and members of other political parties. Furthermore, the current Premier of Quebec was formerly a member. It is important to have external organizations overseeing our agencies, and our country has some very good organizations.

[ English ] Government Accountability Ms. Françoise Boivin (Gatineau, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are refusing to release the results of a public opinion poll on prostitution. The poll was done four months ago, but it is being hidden until July. Reforming our prostitution laws is a complex issue. Canadians expect their government to work in a transparent and thorough manner, so why is the Minister of Justice refusing to release this poll? What information is he trying to hide?

(1455) Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, cue the scary music. The reality is this is a very serious and complex issue, and that is why we have taken the time and made the effort to consult broadly. We heard from some 31,000 Canadians through an online consultation, one of the most comprehensive polls ever undertaken by the Department of Justice. There is other polling information available that will be released in due course. [ Translation ] Ms. Françoise Boivin (Gatineau, NDP) : Mr.

Speaker, it is unacceptable for the government to hide information on a subject as complex and sensitive as this one. The Conservatives made public their online consultation on prostitution, which has serious methodology problems. Now the minister is refusing to disclose the results of a scientific opinion poll ordered at a cost of $175,000, which he has had for four months. As it happens, he was allegedly warned that some responses could contradict his position. Why does the minister want to wait until the end of July to release this public poll?

Will he promise to make it public before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights wraps up its study on prostitution? Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government intends to introduce the new bill this morning, this very day. We consulted many groups and many people on this complex and serious subject for our country. I invite my colleagues to study this bill and to comment on the issue and not the polls.

[ English ] International Trade Ms. Chrystia Freeland (Toronto Centre, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, StatsCan reported today that in April, Canada posted a worrying $638 million trade deficit. This follows last week's anemic first quarter GDP figure of 1.2%, well below the budget's 2.3% forecast for 2014. To reverse this decline in exports and boost our stagnant economy, it is essential to secure Canada's access to global markets, so when will the stalled European trade deal finally get done? Hon. Ed Fast (Minister of International Trade, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, as I have said in this House before, we were very pleased to conclude negotiations on an agreement in principle last October. We are now converting that agreement in principle into a legal text. It will comprise somewhere in the order of 1,000 pages, and we want to make sure we get that done in a way that reflects the agreement in principle. However, it is pretty surprising to hear a question from the Liberal trade critic. I understand that the Liberal trade critic asked her first question in this House five months after she was first appointed to that position.

On this side of the House, we know how important trade and investment are to our long-term prosperity.

The Economy Hon. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, the Liberal trade critic has more expertise on trade policy than the whole Conservative front bench. Canada's economic growth is now slower than it is in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, and our job rate has stalled below pre-2008 levels. There is an opportunity, though, to improve growth— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order. The hon. member for Kings—Hants has the floor. I would ask members who wish to answer the question to wait until the member is finished asking it. The hon. member for Kings--Hants. Hon. Scott Brison : Mr.

Speaker, there is an opportunity, though, to improve growth, create jobs, and strengthen competitiveness. With low interest rates and the strength of Canada's pension funds, we could actually create jobs and growth while fixing Canada's crumbling infrastructure. Will the Conservatives seize this opportunity, and will they start by reversing their 90% cut to planned infrastructure spending? Hon. Denis Lebel (Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, once again the opposition is misleading the House. [ Translation ] This summer, when there is construction across the country and people will have to wait in their cars because of the work being done everywhere in Canada, they will remember that the Liberals tried to mislead them. There will again be construction all over the country this summer, and billions of dollars will be invested to upgrade our roads and bridges to ensure the safety of Canadians. (1500) [ English ] Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government has the worst record on economic growth since R.B.

Bennett. It is now just 1.2%. Globally, 140 other countries are growing faster. Growth is not coming from consumers, because they are deep in debt; it is not coming from exports, because our trade balance is in deficit; it is not coming from business, because it lacks investor confidence, and in the public sector, the government has slashed its infrastructure fund by 90%, harming jobs, growth, and productivity. Why do the Conservatives have this anti-growth agenda? Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, it is quite remarkable to hear that come from the Liberal Party.

Our party has a low-tax plan for jobs and growth. We have created over one million jobs. Our economy is doing better than most countries in the G7 and our debt is one-half the average of the G7. We are working toward a budgetary surplus, which we will convert into lower taxes for hard-working Canadians.

Ethics Mr. Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Michel Fournier, the former chief of staff to Jean Chrétien, was the head of the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited when he gave SNC-Lavalin a $130-million contract for the Jacques Cartier Bridge, but the RCMP allege that $1.5 million of that found its way into Mr. Fournier's Swiss bank account as a big fat kickback. If members are wondering what Liberal prime ministers have in common with Conservative prime ministers, both have chiefs of staff who are under investigation by the RCMP.

Given the stink between SNC-Lavalin and Arthur Porter and SNC-Lavalin and the former Liberal chief of staff, does the government intend to change the way it does business with SNC-Lavalin? Hon. Diane Finley (Minister of Public Works and Government Services, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, Public Works and Government Services Canada takes the integrity of federal procurements very seriously. That is why we introduced measures to ensure that individuals or companies that have been convicted of illegal activity cannot do business with public works. We put those rules in place.

In all cases where wrongdoing is suspected, we will not hesitate to fully assist the investigation by the RCMP or the Competition Bureau. [ Translation ] Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, last February, the NDP called for an investigation into the latest Liberal scandal. We are pleased to see that the Conservatives have followed the NDP's sound advice. They should do so more often. The RCMP is now investigating the $1.5-million bribe that was paid to Jean Chrétien's former chief of staff, who was nicknamed Zorro for some reason, when he was head of the bridge corporation.

The bribe was related to a contract that was awarded to SNC-Lavalin. Can the minister tell us if the bridge corporation is co-operating fully with the RCMP to get to the bottom of this latest Liberal scandal? Hon. Denis Lebel (Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, yes, the RCMP is investigating. We did not wait for the NDP to tell us about it. The letter Z is associated with rental cars in Quebec, however, so maybe this has something to do with renting satellite offices.

That said, I will not comment on RCMP operations. However, we are taking this matter very seriously. Consumer Protection Ms. Annick Papillon (Québec, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, in 2011, Canada signed the G20 agreement to set up a complaint system for bank customers that is fair, accessible, binding and free from conflict of interest. However, the Conservatives have allowed banks to evade the oversight of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments and set up their own oversight mechanism.

Many complaints have now disappeared into an administrative black hole, and the ombudsman's decisions are not being complied with. Why has Canada not honoured the G20 agreement? Why has the government once again turned its back on consumers? [ English ] Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we have a robust ombudsman for banking and financial services in place. It is objective, it is less costly, it is less contentious, and it works. In fact, it works in the vast majority of cases. It is a system that is the envy of the world, and it protects banking customers and investments. Mr.

Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, then it raises the question of why the government is allowing RBC and TD to walk away from the ombudsman and hire their own practices. It makes no absolute sense. The Conservatives are diminishing the bank ombudsman's powers. Once, though, once upon a time, the head of an investment dealers association told Parliament that the ombudsman should be at arm's length from participating institutions; should be simple, straightforward, and cost-effective; and should be uniform for all institutions to ensure the fair treatment of clients.

Now that CEO has a new job as the Minister of Finance , so does he stand by his own statement or has he forgotten about all of those words and is actually listening to the statements of the Prime Minister ?

(1505) Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I actually didn't expect to be quoted at length by the New Democrats, but I am pleased to hear that they are listening to my words. I wish they would listen to many of the things that I have already said in the House about economic growth and about low taxes. The fact is the banking system has an ombudsman, an independent ombudsman. The banks themselves have their own ombudsperson as well to protect investors. Then of course there is recourse to the courts. Canadian bank customers, including the seven million who are getting free banking, are going to be well protected.

Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Mr. Mike Wallace (Burlington, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, today our government was proud to welcome our Olympic and Paralympic heroes into the House of Commons to acknowledge their efforts and to thank them for a job well done during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. After both Olympic and Paralympic teams placed third in the medal standings, can the Minister of State for Sport please tell the House how our investments helped Canadian athletes own the podium? Hon. Bal Gosal (Minister of State (Sport), CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his support for amateur sport. Our government is the largest single contributor to amateur sport in our country, with funding levels at an all-time high. In fact, the direct support to the Winter Olympians and Paralympians from our athlete assistance program has increased by 120% in the last decade. Our athletes are a great inspiration and great role model for all Canadians, especially children. I would like to thank them all for coming here today and celebrating. I call upon all members to celebrate our athletes.

[ Translation ] Health Mrs. Djaouida Sellah (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' approach to drug shortages is a dismal failure. The worst

part is that the Conservatives voted against my bill, Bill C-523 , which sought to implement an emergency response plan to address this problem. When Health Canada stops drug production for safety reasons, rather than finding another supplier, the government does nothing. Who ultimately pays the price? Canadians. Why are the Conservatives ignoring this serious problem? [ English ] Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, as the member knows, the pan-Canadian strategy for drug shortages that we have put in place to address this issue with the provinces and territories and the drug companies ensures that drug companies not only have to give advance notice of any drug shortages they see coming down the pipeline but also have to make sure that they alert us or physicians as to what drug can be used to replace that to make sure that Canadians are getting the medicine that they need.

As I said to the member yesterday, we are also launching consultations now to see if we do need to move from a voluntary system to a mandatory system. Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the government does not need to hold an online consultation to find out that the voluntary system is not working. All it needs to do is open a newspaper. Today we see another story of hospitals in Quebec paying significantly more for the chemo drug Paclitaxel because there is a shortage of it. The minister has said that if a voluntary system is not working, she will move to mandatory reporting.

Will the minister finally acknowledge what we have been saying all along and now introduce mandatory reporting for drug shortages? Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, as I said, the voluntary system is working to a certain extent to ensure that those drugs are posted and that we are aware of what drugs can be used to replace them. However, the member has to recognize that these consultations are important, because not all drug shortages will be fixed through mandatory reporting. It can be a much more complex issue on a global scale in terms of the kinds of shortages that we have seen.

We are working very closely with the provinces and the territories and the drug manufacturers to make sure, whether it is voluntary or mandatory, that we are addressing drug shortages.

(1510) Housing Ms. Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (Hochelaga, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, as the housing crisis deepens, the Conservative government is turning its back on the most vulnerable Canadians. The Conservatives are refusing to renew the long-term social housing fund, allowing $1.7 billion for affordable housing to disappear. Without this funding, 200,000 social housing units will be lost in a country where wait lists are growing longer every month. Thousands of Canadians now risk losing their homes. How can the Conservatives explain their failure to act? Hon.

Candice Bergen (Minister of State (Social Development), CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the fact is our government has acted. We have acted in reasonable ways, working together with the provinces. What the NDP does not realize is that made-in-Ottawa solutions do not work in places like Estevan or Vancouver, B.C., or Halifax. What we have done is we have renewed our investment in affordable housing with the provinces. The provinces make the decisions regarding what works best for their housing solutions, working together with their municipalities and cities.

We will continue with that common sense approach, providing real results across the country. [ Translation ] Ms. Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (Hochelaga, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the members of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada who are on Parliament Hill today calling for the government to renew these agreements do not feel reassured by the minister's stock answers. Without these agreements, 52,000 co-operative residents could lose their homes over the next few years. The solution is simple. The government must renew the subsidies and invest in new, affordable social housing. A roof is a right.

Why are the Conservatives insisting on ignoring the needs of so many Canadians? [ English ] Hon. Candice Bergen (Minister of State (Social Development), CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. I met with so many housing groups. It was thanking us for some of the common sense changes that our government has made. It was appreciative, first of all, of the changes made in 2013 so that it could refinance in order to do repairs. As well, we are letting it keep its surplus subsidy fund, something that never happened under previous governments.

We are working together; we are meeting regularly. It is pleased with the things our government is doing and our common sense approach. Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, as co-op housing agreements expire, the rent-geared-to-income subsidies will as well. Every time we have raised this question, the government answers that the subsidies do not need to continue because the mortgages will be paid off. That is not the case. Most housing co-ops will not have the capital reserves to effect needed repairs and renovations, and will likely have to get new mortgages.

Therefore, since 50,000 people could be at risk of losing their homes, will the government do the right thing and renew the rental subsidies? Hon. Candice Bergen (Minister of State (Social Development), CPC) : Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House what the executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, Nicholas Gazzard, said with respect to what I just mentioned, allowing it to keep the subsidies: This additional flexibility allows co-ops to use federal funds to provide rent-geared-to-income assistance for vulnerable low-income households, even after their funding agreements have expired.

The mortgage is paid off. The agreements have ended. However, we are providing other solutions. Maybe the member could take yes for an answer. [ Translation ] Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, we all know that the government has very little respect for Parliament and that it rarely responds to our questions, and today is no exception. Could the government actually answer our question for the 50,000 people who are at risk? Are the Conservatives prepared to renew not the agreements—because these people will have to renew their mortgages—but the subsidies?

That is what the people who were on Parliament Hill at noon today were calling for, not what the minister said. Are the Conservatives prepared to renew the subsidies to ensure that these 50,000 people do not lose their co-operative housing? [ English ] Hon. Candice Bergen (Minister of State (Social Development), CPC) : Mr. Speaker, here is what our government has done for those who are the most vulnerable and those who need housing solutions. We have invested over $2 billion in previous budgets to fix and renovate.

We renewed our investment in affordable housing with the provinces so that if they want to use that funding to provide assistance for these agreements that have ended, they can do that. As we have said, we support the provinces and want them to have a say in how these solutions are determined.

(1515) Citizenship and Immigration Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Winnipeg resident Joyce Nakawunde is facing imminent deportation to Uganda. Not only will the deportation separate her from her 11-year-old Canadian-born daughter, but as a lesbian, she will face threats to her personal safety if she is returned to Uganda. This is not only a result of the extreme legal penalties against homosexuality in Uganda but also of specific threats to her safety from the father of her child. Will the Minister of Immigration take immediate action to stay the deportation of Ms. Nakawunde?

Hon. Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, Canada has the most generous immigration and refugee determination system in the world. It has been reformed to focus its effort on those most in need of our protection. When the recourse available to those under the law has been exhausted, we expect them to leave the country. [ Translation ] Ms. Hélène Laverdière (Laurier—Sainte-Marie, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Conservatives to walk the talk on LGBTT rights. Joyce Nakawunde is facing imminent deportation to Uganda, where we know homosexuals are persecuted.

She has even received threats. The Conservative government promised not to deport individuals whose lives are at risk. Will the minister put a stop to this cruel and dangerous deportation? Hon. Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our fair and equitable immigration laws are enforced very professionally. When a person has exhausted all recourse and avenues for appeal available to everyone under our laws, we expect that person to leave the country. However, we also have ways to assess the situation in the country to which the person is being deported.

That is always taken into account.

[ English ] Terrorism Mr. David Sweet (Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, my question is about the government's fight against international terrorism. This month an exhibit that is celebrating terrorism is on display right here in the nation's capital. It honours terrorists like Dalal Mughrabi and portrays her as a victim. The reality is that Mughrabi led a terror squad on a bloody murderous rampage that left 38 Israelis dead. Thirteen of them were children. What is the government's position on this and other aspects of international terrorism? Hon.

Pierre Poilievre (Minister of State (Democratic Reform), CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I recently saw the exhibit that celebrates notorious terrorists such as Dalal Mughrabi, Abu Jihad, and Abu Iyad. Together, these terrorists slaughtered dozens of innocent civilians. As a minister for the national capital region and on behalf of the Government of Canada, I condemn this appalling celebration of terrorism in the strongest of terms.

Transportation Ms. Judy Foote (Random—Burin—St. George's, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, the government's decision to cut $16.3 million from Marine Atlantic but still require it to recover 65% of costs has resulted in fares being raised by 11%. As a result, fewer people are making plans to travel to Newfoundland and Labrador this summer, so Marine Atlantic has cut the number of crossings. Tourism will be hurt and jobs will be lost. Given how important the service is to the province's economy, will the Minister of Transport provide Marine Atlantic the resources it needs to reverse this harmful decision? Hon.

Lisa Raitt (Minister of Transport, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, this government is unprecedented in its support of Marine Atlantic, totalling $1 billion in the past six years in its costs, both in terms of capital and its operating costs. We encourage Marine Atlantic to continue the great work it does of transiting people across to Newfoundland and, of course, making sure it does so in a responsible way, managing the taxpayers' dollars.

[ Translation ] Fisheries and Oceans Mr. Philip Toone (Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists told us that as of April 30, TransCanada had to stop its seismic surveys in Cacouna. It was too dangerous for belugas, an endangered species. Now the minister is refusing to ask these scientists to assess the impact of the next step, drilling, on this species. Why does the minister want to allow drilling without checking with the scientists? (1520) [ English ] Hon. Gail Shea (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, DFO takes its mandate to protect marine life and habitat seriously. This work was reviewed by expert DFO officials, and it was determined that it would not result in any serious harm to protected marine life, including belugas. Nonetheless, TransCanada is required to adopt several mitigation measures, including an exclusion zone. I understand that TransCanada has also decided to suspend work until provincial authorization is delivered.

The Environment Mr. Harold Albrecht (Kitchener—Conestoga, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, today is Clean Air Day. Canadians should be able to breathe clean, fresh, and healthy air today, tomorrow, and beyond. We need to take action to avoid hospitalizations and emergency room visits, asthma episodes, and missed work and school days. Could the Minister of the Environment please tell the House what our government is doing to clean up air pollution in Canada? Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga for that great question. Yesterday we introduced new multi-sector air pollutants regulations. These proposed regulations will establish, for the first time ever, mandatory national emissions standards for major industries across the country. These regulations will help to lower smog levels and improve air quality for all Canadians. This announcement builds on the promises we made two years ago to put in place a new air quality management system. Canadians can count on our government to follow through with its promises.

Rail Transportation Ms. Niki Ashton (Churchill, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, this week, the major derailment of grain cars on the rail line up to Churchill forced VIA Rail to cancel service. The company that operates the line also wants to ship crude oil on that line and through sensitive ecosystems. First nations and northern Manitobans are concerned that not enough is being done to protect their communities. How is the minister planning to protect the environment and ensure rail safety, given the plan to ship crude through Churchill? Hon. Lisa Raitt (Minister of Transport, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the question. Indeed, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is looking into this derailment. We will wait for the authorities to determine what the cause was in this case of the derailment of the grain. With respect to any future plans of any railway, we do expect that any operator is going to abide by the Railway Safety Act and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. This government has acted since 2006 to strengthen both of those acts, increase the number of inspections, and increase the number of inspectors to ensure that these goods can move safely.

We believe in preventing derailments. We want to respond to them quickly, and we want to make sure the polluter pays at the end of the day.

[ Translation ] Justice Mrs. Maria Mourani (Ahuntsic, Ind.) : Mr. Speaker, women's groups across the country are urging the government to introduce a bill that will make it illegal to purchase sexual services. They are also worried that this government is not doing anything to help prostitutes. Can the government reassure these women's groups and announce that it will invest money, in collaboration with the provinces, to help prostitutes get out of prostitution? Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

Indeed, we have a substantive and comprehensive plan. It is absolutely necessary to work with the provinces and territories to give the necessary support to the most vulnerable—the women concerned by this issue—in each region of the country. I invite my colleague to work with my colleagues on this. GOVERNMENT ORDERS Government Orders [ English ] Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act Bill C-20. Report Stage The House resumed from June 3 consideration of Bill C-20,

An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Honduras, the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Honduras and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Honduras , as reported (without amendment) from the committee, and of the motions in Group No. 1. The Speaker : Pursuant to an order made on Tuesday, May 27, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded divisions on the motions at report stage of Bill C-20 . Call in the members.

(1545) (The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:) (Division No. 163) YEAS Members Allen (Welland) Ashton Aubin Benskin Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brosseau Caron Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Crowder Cullen Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) Davies (Vancouver East) Dewar Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubé Dusseault Fortin Freeman Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Gravelle Hassainia Hyer Jacob Julian Kellway Larose Latendresse Laverdière LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu Mai Marston Martin Masse Mathyssen May Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord) Morin (Laurentides—Labelle) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Nantel Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Papillon Patry Péclet Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Rousseau Saganash Sandhu Scott Sellah Sims (Newton—North Delta) Sitsabaiesan Stewart Sullivan Thibeault Toone Tremblay Turmel -- 87 NAYS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Aglukkaq Albas Albrecht Alexander Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Andrews Armstrong Ashfield Aspin Bateman Bélanger Bennett Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Braid Breitkreuz Brison Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Byrne Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Casey Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Cuzner Daniel Davidson Dechert Dion Dreeshen Dubourg Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Easter Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Foote Freeland Galipeau Gallant Garneau Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder Hsu James Jones Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lamoureux Lauzon Lebel LeBlanc (Beauséjour) Leef Leitch Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacAulay MacKay (Central Nova) MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McCallum McColeman McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) McLeod Menegakis Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Murray Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz Pacetti Paradis Payne Poilievre Preston Raitt Rajotte Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Sgro Shea Shipley Shory Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton St-Denis Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Trudeau Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Wong Woodworth Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Zimmer -- 171 PAIRED Nil The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : Motions Nos. 1 to 53 negatived I declare Motion No. 1 defeated. I therefore declare Motions Nos. 2 to 53 defeated as well. Hon. Steven Fletcher : Mr. Speaker, members may not have noticed, but I came in a tad late and, therefore, my vote should not be counted.

(1550) Hon. John Duncan : Mr. Speaker, we were entertained by the member for Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia 's double pirouette on the floor of the House of Commons, but I would like to point out that the deputy whip, the whip, and the member for Ottawa Centre were not in their seats when you rose, Mr. Speaker. If one vote can be discarded over there, at least three votes can be discarded over there. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : Is the hon. opposition House leader rising on the same point of order? Mr. Peter Julian : Yes, Mr. Speaker. The government whip raced in here kind of breaking precedence.

Obviously, a few things were off on both sides. The member for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam of course was not in his seat either, which I think raises the point that it is much better to wait for proper parliamentary process. That is what we believe, on this side of the House. We really have to wait for proper voting procedures. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : The clock for the vote had expired and it is not a requirement that the two whips enter at the same time, even though it is common practice. At this point, we will proceed to concurrence at report stage of Bill C-20 . Hon.

Ed Fast (Minister of International Trade, CPC) Motion for concurrence moved that the bill be concurred in. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

Some hon. members: No.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Some hon. members: Yea.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): All those opposed will please say nay.

Some hon. members: Nay.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): In my opinion the yeas have it. And five or more members having risen:

(1555) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 164) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Aglukkaq Albas Albrecht Alexander Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Andrews Armstrong Ashfield Aspin Bateman Bélanger Bennett Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Braid Breitkreuz Brison Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Byrne Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Casey Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Cuzner Daniel Davidson Dechert Dion Dreeshen Dubourg Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Easter Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Foote Freeland Galipeau Gallant Garneau Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder Hsu James Jones Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lamoureux Lauzon Lebel LeBlanc (Beauséjour) Leef Leitch Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacAulay MacKay (Central Nova) MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McCallum McColeman McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) McLeod Menegakis Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Murray Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz Pacetti Paradis Payne Poilievre Preston Raitt Rajotte Regan Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Sgro Shea Shipley Shory Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton St-Denis Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Trudeau Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Wong Woodworth Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Zimmer -- 173 NAYS Members Allen (Welland) Ashton Aubin Benskin Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brosseau Caron Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Crowder Cullen Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dewar Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubé Dusseault Fortin Freeman Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Gravelle Harris (St.

John's East) Hassainia Hyer Jacob Julian Kellway Larose Latendresse Laverdière LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu Mai Marston Martin Masse Mathyssen May Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord) Morin (Laurentides—Labelle) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Nantel Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Papillon Patry Péclet Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Rousseau Saganash Sandhu Scott Sellah Sims (Newton—North Delta) Sitsabaiesan Stewart Sullivan Thibeault Toone Tremblay Turmel -- 89 PAIRED Nil The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. [ Translation ] Mrs. Anne-Marie Day : Mr. Speaker, I apologize. You started reading out the first vote just as I was sitting down. I would like my vote to be cancelled so that it is more fair for the other members.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Routine Proceedings (1600) [ English ] Government Response to Petitions Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 33 petitions.

Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of Justice, CPC)

Bill C-36. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-36,

An Act to amend the Criminal Code in response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford and to make consequential amendments to other Acts . (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Committees of the House Health Mr. Ben Lobb (Huron—Bruce, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Health in relation to Bill C-442,

An Act respecting a National Lyme Disease Strategy . The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Mr. Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in relation to the certificate of nomination of Daniel Therrien to the position of Privacy Commissioner.

Citizenship and Immigration Mr. David Tilson (Dufferin—Caledon, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in relation to Bill C-24,

An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts . The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendments. While I am on my feet, I move: Motion That the House do now proceed to orders of the day. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. Some hon. members: No. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): All those in favour of the motion will please say yea. Some hon. members: Yea. The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin): All those opposed will please say nay. Some hon. members: Nay. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): In my opinion the yeas have it. And five or more members having risen: The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): Call in the members.

(1640) [ Translation ] (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 165) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Aglukkaq Albas Albrecht Alexander Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Ashfield Aspin Bateman Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Daniel Davidson Dechert Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Lebel Leef Leitch Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz Paradis Payne Poilievre Preston Raitt Rajotte Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Wong Woodworth Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Zimmer -- 142 NAYS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Ashton Aubin Bélanger Bennett Benskin Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Crowder Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) Day Dewar Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubé Dubourg Easter Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Gravelle Harris (St.

John's East) Hassainia Hsu Hughes Hyer Jacob Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Larose Latendresse Laverdière LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Martin Masse Mathyssen May McCallum McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord) Morin (Laurentides—Labelle) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nantel Nash Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Raynault Regan Rousseau Saganash Sandhu Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) Sitsabaiesan St-Denis Stewart Sullivan Thibeault Toone Tremblay Trudeau Turmel Valeriote -- 113 PAIRED Nil The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra , National Defence; the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands , International Trade; and the hon. member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing , Aboriginal Affairs.

[ English ] Tiananmen Square Mr. Marc Garneau (Westmount—Ville-Marie, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I think you would find unanimous consent for the following motion, which was seconded by the member for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington and the member for Ottawa Centre .

I move: Motion That the House remember the violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square on its 25th anniversary, express its deepest condolences to those who lost friends and family members in the massacre, call upon China to account for those who remain missing, call for the release of those who continue to be imprisoned, and urge the Government of China to abide by international human rights standards and to engage in ongoing and open dialogue with its people about the tragic events of 25 years ago. The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : Does the hon. member for Westmount—Ville-Marie have the unanimous consent of the House to present the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. (Motion agreed to)

Government Orders Government Orders [ English ] Agricultural Growth Act Bill C-18—Time Allocation Motion Hon. Peter Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I move: Motion That, in relation to Bill C-18,

An Act to amend certain Acts relating to agriculture and agri-food , not more than five further hours shall be allotted to the consideration of the second reading stage of the bill; and That, at the expiry of the five hours provided for the consideration of the second reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment.

(1645) The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : Order, please. Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30-minute question period. I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places so that the Chair has some idea of the number of members who may want to participate in the debate. Seeing many, I will ask members to keep their questions to about one minute. The hon. opposition House leader. [ Translation ] Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the government has moved another time allocation motion. This is the 69th one.

The Conservatives are proud of that, but it was different when they were the opposition. They said that the Liberals were corrupt and that the Conservatives would run things differently and allow debate in the House of Commons. However, they have now matched the corrupt Liberals' sorry record with their 69th time allocation motion. They are as bad as the Liberals. It is appalling. Canadians deserve better. Equally appalling is the fact that the Conservatives do not even show up for debate. They move a time allocation motion because they say they are in a hurry.

However, since last Tuesday, they have missed 49 shifts in the House of Commons. That is appalling. Nurses, doctors, construction workers and everyone else shows up for their shift. Could it get any better for the Conservatives? They have missed 49 shifts in just seven days. That is appalling. Canadians deserve better than Conservative MPs who do not show up for work. [ English ] My question is very simple. We are talking about a bill that has some aspects we support, of course, and some aspects that have provoked some real controversy. There is no doubt that there are concerns about this bill.

It has had only a few hours of debate. The government has simply been refusing to table it for debate so we can actually have the discussion on the floor of the House of Commons. My question is simply this: Is the government moving time allocation, another one, which is now 69 times, because it is afraid of the controversy this bill has had in certain aspects and does not want to have Canadians learning about some of the aspects of the bill people find problematic? Hon. Gerry Ritz (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I welcome the input from the House leader on the other side.

He should recognize that there have been 22 years of debate on this issue. This is UPOV '91. It is based on 1991 and moving forward. Right now Canada operates under UPOV '78, which is certainly antiquated and outdated from today's standpoint in agriculture. We have been 22 years getting to this point. A lot of the opinions are exactly the same as they were 22 years ago. There is only one small splinter farm group that is against moving forward on this.

Other than that, hearings the agricultural committees had when I sat in opposition, when I sat as chair of the committee, moving toward this day, all talked about the innovation required to move forward in Canada's agricultural sector to get under that umbrella of UPOV '91. We are only one of two developed countries in the world that have not embraced this. The other one is Norway. Of course, its seed system is quite a bit different from ours. It is time Canada got up to speed. It is time we moved this forward in an expeditious way. The member opposite said that we are not standing up to take our fair share.

What we are doing is allotting the opposition all the time, because its members constantly complain that they do not have enough time to speak, so here we go. Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, at times I find that the opposition House leader is challenged to stick to the facts and be honest inside the Chamber when he makes reference to 69 times. That is in fact a record. It is a record the government has established. The NDP needs to realize that its slight exaggeration of something that is just not true in regard to the Liberal Party is most unfortunate.

The Conservatives have now used in excess of 70 hours, whether it is debating a motion of process or the bells ringing. That does not include the amount of time it takes to conduct the vote itself. It is a massive waste of time. Not all of this legislation is even controversial. There have been time allocation motions on legislation that is not controversial and should not have had closure. My question is for the government House leader . Why has the government determined that using time allocation is part of the normal process here in the House of Commons?

We have seen this since it became a majority Conservative government. Why is the government using this tool of closure as a normal daily House process? That is wrong.

(1650) Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have campaigned for years on certain aspects of moving the agenda forward for the Canadian people. We make no apologies for using the tools available to us in this House and in the Senate to make sure that Canadians have that in the most expeditious way we can. [ Translation ] Mr. Matthew Dubé (Chambly—Borduas, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I hear the minister saying that this has been discussed since the 1990s. This is something that seems to have been on the table for a long time.

He talks about the fact that we are one of only two developed countries that have not yet adopted such regulations. Now it is 2014 and suddenly this is urgent. Suddenly, Parliament has to be choked with a time allocation motion. I would like the minister to explain to me why, once again, we are in a situation where another bill dealing with another issue has been dragging on for decades. After almost a decade in power, suddenly, in 2014, a year away from an election and a month away from the summer, the Conservative government feels obliged to shut down debate and adopt time allocation motions.

This seems inconsistent and illogical. Can the minister enlighten me? [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, we make no apologies for moving forward on our agenda. Canadians are asking us to do that on a number of fronts. One of them, of course, the third-largest driver of the Canadian economy, is agriculture. The processing sector for that primary production is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada. They need new tools. They need tools of the 21st century, not of 1978. That is exactly what this piece of legislation does. There have been a number of tries.

I remember that the Liberal government, back in the 1990s, brought this forward. The NDP at the time, under the full moon, said that it could not do that, and it backed away. During our time with a minority government, we brought it forward and tried to move it. Again, the NDP stood up and said that it was not going to allow it to happen. It is the NDP ideology that has led us to this point. Having said that, this was tabled in December or so. We have had a tremendous amount of input at the agriculture committee around other hearings on moving agriculture forward.

A lot of the people, even the Partners in Innovation, were very much onside, when we talked about innovation, that this is the key to moving forward in the seed sector. We intend to do just that. [ Translation ] Mr. Raymond Côté (Beauport—Limoilou, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, this is truly a sorry situation. The NDP is not at all afraid to carry the burden of all the work on our shoulders. On the contrary, this is good preparation for when we take power in 2015. That being said, let us not forget to put what is happening right now into context.

The Liberals, with the complicity of the government, defined the rules for the last four weeks of work in the House. What we are seeing now is a joke. In fact, it makes a mockery of the public interest and all Canadians. I want to know what has the minister so afraid that he is cutting off debate on this rather important bill. The bill makes changes that would have a considerable impact. (1655) [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr.

Speaker, we are not afraid of any debate on this bill, because I have pages and pages of positive comments, from pretty much every farm group right across this great nation, from horticulture, grains, and oilseeds, about how important this is. It is pivotal and is a real paradigm shift in investing in new seeds and new varieties that are demanded by our customers around the world.

This is what is required to bring us into the 21st century and to make use of the other changes we have made in marketing freedom so that farmers out there have the best and the brightest working for them in science and research around the world. We will be able to bring that to Canada. We will also be able to export that from Canada. We are well known for the quality and consistency of our agricultural products. It is just unfortunate that the NDP and its allies in that one farm splinter group have been baying at the moon for years and have not allowed this to move forward. That is what is comedy.

It is shameful. Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I was here last night when we heard many Conservatives, wanting to shut down debate at that time, saying that they had heard enough. Today we are hearing again from the minister that we have already heard enough. I am a bit confused about whether the government is getting tired of being the government. My offer to the Conservatives would be that they could step out of the way, and we could take over.

We would present things Canadians really want to debate, and I am sure that they would find lots to say about what we are putting forward as initiatives. Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, it is a great time to be in government. The Canadian economy is the envy of the world. I lead a lot of trade delegations around the world, and I am here to tell members that they look with envy at what we have been able to do. I was here last night listening to the NDP's filibuster against free trade with Honduras. Just for the heck of it, I went back to its filibuster against trade with Colombia.

It was amazing how a lot of those speeches were identical, word for word. All that the members changed was “Honduras” from “Colombia”. If we are talking about wasting the House's time and filibustering, I am happy to take our agenda out to the Canadian public at any time, whether it is the next campaign or tomorrow. Mr. Pierre Lemieux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, my understanding of this bill is that it is strongly supported by the agricultural sector, except for the splinter group the minister spoke about, and that the agricultural sector wants us to move ahead quickly so that it can gain the competitive advantage this bill would bring it. I wonder if the minister could comment on the support he has heard from the agricultural sector regarding this bill and why it needs to move forward quickly. Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, I have been actively involved in agricultural politics for some 30 years.

In that time we have had a lot of discussion about these types of bills and legislative fixes that are required to bring Canada into the 21st century. We have made good strides, and I welcome the intervention from the parliamentary secretary in this regard. This goes from coast to coast, right from horticulture through to the grains and oilseeds sector. New and better varieties would give us new feed varieties to go into the pork, beef, sheep, and lamb sectors, which are very important.

This would let us connect the dots across the spectrum of agriculture, getting the new feed varieties and seed varieties farmers of all stripes have been asking for decades, since UPOV '78. The biggest difference in UPOV '91 is the ability of farmers to save seed. That is a huge change from UPOV '78, where it does not even exist. That is a tremendous step forward. There is a lot of misinformation by one or two groups out there that is completely wrong in this respect. That is why all of the mainstream agricultural groups are fully supportive of this and want to see us get it done as soon as possible. Ms.

Jean Crowder (Nanaimo—Cowichan, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to listen to the minister's answers. First of all, the government has the right to set the agenda in the House. The government introduced this bill some time ago and then chose to wait until the dying days of June to bring it back for debate. Second, the minister accuses us of holding up bills. Let me tell the minister that part of the reason we put up speakers on bills is that we know for a fact that the government will entertain virtually no amendments either in the House or at committee.

We have a responsibility as parliamentarians to stand here and make sure that we highlight the concerns that are being raised by our constituents. I need to tell the minister that I have hundreds of people in my riding who do not belong to some splinter group who are raising some serious concerns about this bill. We have a right to present their concerns in this place. That is our job. I wonder why the minister is so afraid of hearing the concerns being raised by our constituents.

(1700) Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, I am not concerned about hearing those concerns at all, but I would like them to come from farmers, people who are actually vested in this particular bill. I am not interested in hearing from people from downtown Vancouver or downtown Montreal. I want to actually talk to farmers whom the bill would impact. Having said that, I am not concerned to make these arguments with anybody at any time, but I do want them based on sound science.

I want them based on evidence that is quantified, that actually shows that this is a very important piece to move our agricultural sector forward in this country. I am not scared to have that debate with anybody. Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I want to let the minister know that my colleague from Nanaimo—Cowichan is actually from Vancouver Island, from an area that has a very rich agricultural history. When I was raising my children, we certainly visited many of the farms in her riding and got vegetables and all kinds of other produce, and cheese.

Today, the question I have for the minister is, why is the government so scared of debate? First, the Conservatives leave a bill until the last few weeks of Parliament, then they bring it before the House and say we can only have five hours of debate, and then, lo and behold, they do not actually debate the bill with the opposition. The opposition is left to raise concerns without ever hearing any counter-arguments from the other side. What does the government have to hide? Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr.

Speaker, I would challenge any Canadian, if they wanted to, to check the speeches that the NDP give on any on any particular issue, and they would find a carbon copy over and over again. New Democrats will have one or two issues and they overplay them. That is fine. That is their job. That is their role. However, when we talk about agriculture across Canada, and agriculture on Vancouver Island, which is very important and I absolutely get that, we are talking about grains and oilseed varieties.

I have a quote from Keith Kuhl, president of the Canadian Horticultural Council: As farms work to match production with the growing global population it becomes increasingly important that they have the tools needed to continue to increase production. New varieties are an important segment of this growth. Ensuring that our plant breeders’ rights are aligned with our global trading partners is imperative. That is from the horticulture industry.

There is a tremendous amount of horticulture on Vancouver Island and a tremendous amount of livestock too, which would also benefit from new, improved varieties of feed that will bring the price down so that meat across the counter stays reasonable, so that Canadians continue to enjoy the cheapest food basket against their disposable income in the world, and the quality is unsurpassed. [ Translation ] Mr. Marc-André Morin (Laurentides—Labelle, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the minister is getting a little carried away. He is attacking our credibility. I do not live in a skyscraper.

I live in a rural area, and to get home I drive an hour through dairy farms. That is all in my riding, and these are the people who pay my salary. They sent me here to debate and study bills and to represent their concerns. There may not be extraordinary orators on the other side, and I am no master myself, but we have the right to stand up for the people we represent, and we have the right to point out a bill's flaws. I think that is simple. He says that he is letting us speak, but since his buddies are not even showing up to work, I think that is a bit of a stretch. [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr.

Speaker, I would be the first to argue that democracy pivots around the ability to speak one's mind, put forward one's ideas and have them debated, but democracy is also underscored by the fact that we can have our say, but not necessarily our way. At the end, I continue to work with farm groups across this great country. I probably met with a number of farmers from the riding of the member opposite on a number of issues. Certainly, we work together through our provincial counterparts, directly with industry, to make sure we put our best agricultural foot forward.

A lot of this innovation that we are talking about under UPOV '91 actually allows Canadian agriculture to have a lighter environmental footprint, which is extremely important, moving forward: less pesticides, less chemicals, less fertilizers, all very important to the member opposite, I know. To get on with 21st century farming, we have to actually have 21st century guidelines.

(1705) Mr. David Anderson (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I want to just acknowledge the minister's consistent support for farmers across Canada. Once again I am reminded of the NDP's complete disconnect from agriculture when I hear its members' questions here today. Once again, they have been influenced by a small group of people who, typically, a couple times a year, take these issues and fearmonger among the farm community in order to fundraise for their organization. Farmers have told us since we have gotten in that they want change. We have provided that.

I was happy to see yesterday that the last suit regarding marketing change has finally been thrown out of court, because we have made good changes for farmers in western Canada. I would like the minister to talk a bit about what has happened with marketing change. How has that improved the situation in western Canada in particular, and how would he see the changes that we are talking about here today in the bill further improve that situation for grains and oilseeds producers in western Canada? Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr.

Speaker, that is a very important question because it actually laid the foundation to be able to move forward with UPOV '91. When the old single desk monopoly at the Canadian Wheat Board was in place, there was absolutely no demand or desire to move forward with new varieties. The old single desk was so fixated on high protein number one red that it was starting to lose market share around the world and we were hemorrhaging acres of wheat, durum, and barley, simply because of the constrictive, restrictive nature that it operated within.

Once we made that change in 2012, and farmers have never looked back, they started to talk about how they could look forward to this new foundational piece with UPOV '91 to move them into the 21st century with the varieties that are required by our customers. The Wheat Board always used to hold up Warburton's flour mills in Great Britain. I have had the opportunity to be in the mill and talk to the buyers and the owners there. They were to the point where they were actually going to drop away from Canadian content and move to Australia, Argentina, and other suppliers, some in the U.S. and so forth.

We actually recaptured that. I am proud to say that Warburton's is actually buying 50% more now, on an annual basis, than it did in its best year under the old single desk. It is contracting acres directly with farmers in western Canada to get the variety and the types of grains it requires for the new mixes it is doing. We have done a tremendous amount of work blending pea flour into noodles in the Pacific Rim area to get the protein in those noodles, which is a major part of their diet. A lot of good things are happening and it is simply because our farmers are innovative and they need the backstop.

They need the tools that UPOV '91 will give them to continue that important work. Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP) : Mr. Speaker, it is always a difficult time when time allocation is raised in this place. It is very frequent, we now know. It is up to 69 times now. This used to be a measure that was taken only very rarely. When we have a debate on time allocation we end up in the substance of the bill. The Minister of Agriculture is a very honourable man and I find it very difficult because I do not know that it was his idea that we have to be rushed through without adequate time.

With time allocation, what inevitably happens is members in my position who represent a small party, and I agree that the Green Party with two MPs is a very small party, and others in this place do not have an opportunity. The discussion on the debate will not come around to allow a speaking opportunity. I have been deluged by concerns from farmers who are concerned about losing plant breeders' rights. We need adequate time for study. I do not think it is this minister's idea that we are denied adequate time for study. Sixty-nine times does not look like ministers of the Crown making independent decisions.

It looks like a PMO bulldozer. Therefore, would the hon. minister consider changing course on the bill so that we have adequate time for debate and all MPs can be heard? Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, I listened to what the Green Party leader said, but the unfortunate

part is, if she looked at all those interventions she got, they would be a form letter from the same type of people who are actually operating under misinformation, or myth-information, done willingly by a small splinter group of agricultural producers. At the end of the day, this actually backstops our organic industry. It makes sure they have the ability to get the new varieties they need to move forward, to get the yields that they need to make that operation a viable operation.

Therefore, whether we spend five hours or fifty hours, the ultimate end is, the vast majority of farmers in this democracy we call Canada are demanding this sooner rather than later. Let us just get it done and deliver what they are asking for. (1710) [ Translation ] Ms. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (Alfred-Pellan, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is not every day that I participate in a time allocation debate, but the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food really hit a nerve. I come from the Montreal area. I live in Laval, a suburb of Montreal with the most beautiful farmland on the St. Lawrence, close to a metropolis.

I represent the only riding in Canada where you can find a subway station and cows. I am very proud of that. I am also very proud to have grown up among farmers and to know many who live in downtown Montreal and own land outside Montreal. Why did the minister denigrate the farmers who live in Montreal in his speech? He said that he was not interested in hearing from people who live in Montreal. Why is he afraid to hear from farmers who live in Montreal? [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, as usual, the member is twisting the words a bit.

This also makes me wonder why NDP members were so vociferous in the boundary changes of ridings so that they could differentiate between what was rural and what was urban. If the member is proud of the fact that her cows are standing at the subway stop, then so am I. That makes a stronger MP who actually understands better what is going on across this country.

How can the member say it is so important to listen to farmers who live in Montreal and farm out in the country, which is great because we have a lot of them, and say having cows and subways in a riding is important to her, while at the same time her party is fighting to separate rural and urban? It makes no sense, very similar to all of that party's agriculture policy. [ Translation ] Mr. Robert Aubin (Trois-Rivières, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, you can see that I am somewhat surprised. The minister, like 68 other members before him, is playing the same game.

When debating a time allocation motion, he talks about his bill. It might be nice one day to have a debate on a time allocation motion and not on the bill that the minister wants to highlight. Furthermore, I hear him disparaging the speeches by those on this side of the House and saying that he has heard them often enough. If he is hearing them so often, it may be because he has forgotten that this side of the House represents 61% of Canadians and, apparently, 61% of Canadians do not always agree with what the government wants to put in place.

Could this minister rise in the House and tell us at least that he is the minister of 100% of Canadians and that he will respect everyone's right to be heard? [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, the gentleman opposite is actually making my point. Democracy is about having one's say, not necessarily having one's way, regardless of what percentage is represented. At the end of the day, the vast majority of farmers, 99.9% of them, want this now, and we are delivering exactly that for them. The NDP members get a supply day. That is when those members control the debate.

If they want to debate closure, then they should bring it up next Tuesday. We will talk about it all day, right until midnight if that is what they desire. [ Translation ] Mr. Jean Rousseau (Compton—Stanstead, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is a little insulting to hear comments such as those the hon. minister just made to the effect that we have small lobby groups while they have big lobby groups such as Cargill and Monsanto and we have to listen to his lobby groups. Well, our little groups represent people who sometimes work night and day to save their land, and their land is important to them.

It is important to Quebeckers to eat healthy food. Bill C-18 ignores everything that is happening in agriculture in Quebec and Ontario. However, in terms of debate, we can talk a long time about what these time allocation motions mean to democracy. This is the 69th such motion, which makes no sense. Could the minister rise and finally say that he will listen to everyone across Canada? (1715) [ English ] Hon. Gerry Ritz : Mr. Speaker, we have done just that. We did not wait for Bill C-18 to be put together. A tremendous amount of consultation went into putting Bill C-18 together.

We worked with agricultural groups and the provinces across this great land. I agree with the member that farmers are the salt of the earth and they work hard to save their land, but the one thing the member opposite has missed is if farmers want to save their land, the best way to do that is to make sure they have the most innovative tools at their disposal so they have the ability to make a bottom line profit so they can continue to grow that enterprise. I agree with the member on that. To the best of my knowledge, I have never dealt with or met with anyone from Monsanto. [ Translation ] The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith the question necessary to dispose of the motion now before the House. [ English ] Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

Some hon. members: No. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Some hon. members: Yea.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): All those opposed will please say nay.

Some hon. members: Nay.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): In my opinion the nays have it. And five or more members having risen: The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin): Call in the members.

(1755) [ Translation ] (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 166) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Aglukkaq Albas Albrecht Alexander Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Ashfield Aspin Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Lebel Leef Lemieux Leung Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKay (Central Nova) MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz Paradis Payne Poilievre Preston Raitt Rajotte Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Wong Woodworth Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Zimmer -- 145 NAYS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Ashton Aubin Bélanger Bennett Benskin Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Crowder Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dewar Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubé Dubourg Dusseault Easter Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Gravelle Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jacob Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Larose Latendresse Laverdière LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen May McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord) Morin (Laurentides—Labelle) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Mourani Nantel Nash Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Pilon Quach Rafferty Rankin Raynault Regan Rousseau Saganash Sandhu Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) Sitsabaiesan St-Denis Stewart Sullivan Thibeault Toone Tremblay Turmel Valeriote -- 104 PAIRED Nil The Acting Speaker (Mr.

Barry Devolin) : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. It being 5:52 p.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of private members' business as listed on today's order paper.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Private Members' Business [ English ]

An Act to Bring Fairness for the Victims of Violent Offenders Mr. David Sweet (Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, CPC) moved that Bill C-479,

An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (fairness for victims) , be read the third time and passed. Bill C-479. Third reading He said: Mr. Speaker, I say this every time, but it is indeed an honour to stand here at third reading stage of Bill C-479 to make these important and necessary amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. In the time since the chamber debated the bill at second reading, the Prime Minister launched the first ever Canadian victims bill of rights in early April.

I am proud that Bill C-479 works in concert with this historic piece of federal legislation to better protect victims of crime and give them a much stronger voice in our criminal justice system. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing and dedicated leadership of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness when it comes to victims' rights. The Canadian victims bill of rights is just one of many initiatives on which they and their ministries are working.

I extend special thanks to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness , the member for Scarborough Centre , for all of her support at the committee process and in readings of Bill C-479 in the House. I also thank the members who sit on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security for all their comments, questions, and interest. I appreciate every one of them. I would especially like to thank the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, Sue O'Sullivan, for her frank advice before and during the crafting of Bill C-479 .

We are fortunate to have such an experienced, dedicated, and caring Canadian leading this office as our ombudsman. It has been a pleasure to get to know her better over the past couple of years through the process of this bill. I salute the good work she does, and I know the provisions of Bill C-479 will help in the work she and her office do on a daily basis. I would also encourage all of my colleagues to go to the office's website and watch the videos of the victims and their stories. It is very educational about what victims have to endure presently in the process they go through in regard to parole hearings.

As we consider Bill C-479 for third and final reading in the House before it moves to the other place, please allow me to recap what this bill would do. Bill C-479 ,

an act to bring fairness for the victims of violent offenders, would make nine changes to modernize the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, so it can better protect and support victims of violent offenders. Let me please summarize this. The bill would extend mandatory review periods for parole. This means that if an offender convicted of a more serious violent offence is denied parole, the Parole Board would have to review the case within five years rather than the current two years.

It would increase the period to within four years in which the Parole Board must review parole in cases of cancellation or termination of parole for an offender who is serving at least two years for an offence involving violence. It would require that the Parole Board take into consideration the need for victims and victim's families to attend a hearing and observe the proceedings. It would require that the Parole Board consider any victim impact statement presented by victims.

It would require the Parole Board, if requested, to provide victims with information about the offender's release on parole, statutory release, or temporary absence, as well as provide victims with information about the offender's correctional plan, including progress toward meeting its objectives. It is important to remember Constable Michael Sweet, and again I remind the House that he is no relation to me. It is important to remember that case because he was brutally murdered by two brothers and they were sentenced for this terrible, heinous crime. There was only one thing Michael Sweet's family asked for.

Their plea was simple. They said that the offenders committed the crime in public—in other words, they killed the father and husband of the family in public—they were tried in public, and the family simply said the Corrections and Conditio