House Publications
The Debates are the report—transcribed, edited, and corrected—of what is said in the House. The Journals are the official record of the decisions and other transactions of the House. The Order Paper and Notice Paper contains the listing of all items that may be brought forward on a particular sitting day, and notices for upcoming items.
For an advanced search, use Publication Search tool.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.
39th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 051
CONTENTS
Friday, September 22, 2006
CANADA
House of Commons Debates
VOLUME 141
NUMBER 051
1st SESSION
39th PARLIAMENT
OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)
Friday, September 22, 2006
Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken
Statements by Members
[Statements by Members]
[English]
Canadian Forces
Mr. Speaker, I recently met with a special family in my riding. The Spence family has a long, proud tradition of military service going back several generations. The father, Rick Spence, is a 27 year veteran who serves in our Canadian air force.
His son, Private Michael Spence, is a member of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. Tragically, he was critically wounded serving on operations in Afghanistan. After meeting with his parents, Rick and Christina, I am extremely pleased to report that Michael is in good spirits and responding well to treatment. In fact, he is on the Hill today for the rally.
One thing Michael wanted me to express is that he is only one of thousands of brave Canadian men and women serving in Afghanistan today, and that it is his hope that they receive the honour and full support of all Canadians for the dangerous but important work they are doing. We heard today from President Karzai how essential this work is.
As a 20 year veteran of the armed forces, I salute our brave soldiers who are truly making a difference.
My colleagues and I wish Michael a speedy recovery. We will keep him and his family in our prayers.
China
Mr. Speaker, China is the fourth largest economy in the world, boasting unprecedented economic growth and providing tremendous trade and investment opportunities for Canada. Yet the Conservative government has all but ignored this economic powerhouse.
From the damaging allegations about industrial espionage to the snubbing of China's ambassador to Canada by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the actions of the minority Conservative government are causing the Canadian business community to miss the boat when it comes to trade and investment in China.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Conservative minority government to bolster Canadian trade and investment in China and encourage Chinese companies to invest in Canada.
Business leaders are not alone in their desire for a stronger economic relationship with China. The Asia-Pacific Foundation released an opinion poll last week where Canadians named China, not the United States, as the most important potential export market for Canada.
The Conservatives' actions are being noticed by the Chinese government, which recently shut down negotiations to grant Canada approved destination status, effectively killing a multi-million dollar opportunity to allow Chinese tourists to visit Canada.
China's ambassador has felt the need to say that we need mutual respect. The Conservative government--
[Translation]
Member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles
Mr. Speaker, it is another sad day for Quebec when a member of Parliament echoes the words of the journalist from The Globe and Mail, words that anger all Quebeckers.
The member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles took the same shameful position, suggesting that there is a link between the shootings at the École polytechnique, Concordia University and Dawson College and the integration problems experienced by immigrants to Quebec. Even worse, he added fuel to the fire by stating that the gun registry should be abolished and that the billion dollars spent on the registry should have been used to educate and integrate immigrants. It is scandalous.
Yet the journalist's column was decried and denounced by the Prime Minister himself, the Premier of Quebec, all the other members of Parliament and people throughout Quebec.
A member who claims to represent Quebec's interests should formally apologize for his unworthy and unacceptable remarks in the wake of a tragic event.
[English]
Poverty
Mr. Speaker, I recently organized a round table meeting with some of the leaders of Hamilton's immigrant support organizations to discuss how we can better help settle new Canadians into our community.
One of the key priorities raised is the chronic high unemployment and increasing poverty among immigrant families. Fifty-two per cent of recent immigrants to Hamilton live below the poverty line, a shocking and shameful figure that belies the government's claim to support new Canadians.
This is not the first time Hamilton's poverty has been identified. Last spring the Hamilton Income Security Working Group reported to a United Nations meeting in Geneva that tens of thousands of Hamilton's children are living in poverty. That report made it clear that the responsibility for this urgent and desperate crisis falls to our governments which refuse to help with sufficient affordable housing, promised job opportunities and effective child benefit programs.
Poverty is a cancer in my community and across our country. We owe it to all Canadians current and future to work to eliminate it.
Canadian Forces
Mr. Speaker, commemorating the men and women who are serving, being injured and dying for their country and their mission in Afghanistan is an unceasing reminder of the courage and sacrifice of the members of the Canadian Forces and their families at home.
The mother of one injured soldier from my riding inscribed in her letter to me, “Do not let our members of Parliament forget what these soldiers have died for and have been injured for....There is still much work to do over there”.
On Wednesday I learned that another of my constituents, Private Mike McTeague, was seriously injured in Monday's suicide bomber attack. Mike's father, Sean, has joined him at the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. Mike's brother will join him there in the days ahead.
I invite all members to join with me in expressing our best wishes for Private McTeague's full recovery and our thanks to his family, including the family of the member for Pickering—Scarborough East, for their unyielding courage and support.
[Translation]
Atholville
Mr. Speaker, on September 9, I had the honour of attending the celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the municipality of Atholville.
In every respect, the village of Atholville is second to none. The community has a history marked by one success after another.
The people behind the celebrations deserve all the praise they will receive in the coming year. People like them become models for an entire community and inspire it to achieve excellence.
I would therefore like to congratulate the volunteers who planned the 40th anniversary festivities: chair Gisèle Richard Chiasson, as well as Nicole LeBrun, Suzanne Matte, Françoise Gallant, Jeanette Rioux, Pierre Raymond, Patrick Maltais, Marc-André Savoie, Jean Soucy, Gérard Fallu, Michelle Dion, Gaëtan Cormier, Léonard Poirier, Jacqueline Bard, Georges Giroux, Lucien Chiasson and Judith Thibodeau.
I would also like to thank the mayor, Raymond Lagacé, who hosted the activities on that special day.
[English]
Noah's Ride for the Cure
Mr. Speaker, my wife and I are incredibly proud of our nine year old grandson.
After seeing a family friend go through a very difficult time fighting cancer, Noah came up with the idea of raising money for cancer research by riding his bicycle from Calgary to Edmonton. In August, Noah and his dad, my son Brent, did the ride. They rode 328 kilometres in two days. I had the privilege of driving one of the pilot cars and in the mirror I observed the grit and determination which this marathon exacted from both of them.
This nine year old is an inspiration to us all. In the shadow of Terry Fox, whose picture is on the wall in Noah's room, he did the impossible. He has almost met his fundraising goal of $30,000. Anyone who would like to contribute may still do it. Just go to www.NoahsRide.ca.
Way to go, Noah.
[Translation]
Jewish New Year and Ramadan
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow night marks a very important religious event for the people of Israel and followers of Ishmael. Jews everywhere will celebrate the Jewish New Year, while Ramadan will begin for Muslims.
For Muslims, Ramadan marks the anniversary of the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Mohammed. For Jews, tomorrow marks the anniversary of creation.
These important celebrations represent a special time for people to get together, renew old acquaintances and celebrate the strong ties that unite these communities.
Let us hope that these moments of prayer and reflection will lead all people of the world towards peace, tolerance, justice and mutual understanding.
We in the Bloc Québécois extend our best wishes to the Jewish and Muslim communities during this time of celebration.
[English]
Afghanistan
Mr. Speaker, I am one of many Canadians who has been treated well abroad simply because I am Canadian. In high school I had the opportunity to spend a year in the Netherlands as a rotary exchange student where I enjoyed a never-ending series of warm receptions, especially from older people, as a consequence of Canadian sacrifices made during World War II.
About 10 years ago I had the opportunity to live in South Korea for a year and a half. As in Holland, I often received a positive reaction when I said I was Canadian. Once again, I was standing on the shoulders of Canadian soldiers who travelled halfway around the world to fight for freedom and democracy.
I hope that one day, maybe 20 years from now, my son and daughter will have the opportunity to travel and maybe they will choose to go to Afghanistan. At that time I trust they will be warmly received as I was in Holland and Korea. I expect the Afghan people will say, “We appreciate the fact that Canadians were here to help us in our moment of need. It was never easy and it was not always popular, but Canada and Canadian soldiers and aid workers were here when we needed them most. Thank you”.
Howard Stein
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to advise the House of the death yesterday of an extraordinary Canadian, my constituent and friend, Dr. Howard Stein. Howard is survived by his wife, Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, his sons Jaime and Jordan, and his mother Anne.
Howard was an internationally recognized physician, professor and author in rheumatology. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness 17 years ago, and although he had to give up the day to day practice of medicine, he remained active in the medical profession through his writings and teachings at the University of British Columbia.
Howard was determined to devote his remaining years to his family, the community, the health of Canadians and the peace process between Israel and Palestine. In November 2005 Howard Stein was instrumental in organizing Partners in Peace, a series of public dialogues in Vancouver between the Jordanian and Israeli ambassadors to Canada, who have become the best of friends and are continuing Howard's passion and energy toward a peaceful Middle East.
Red Friday Rally
Mr. Speaker, in less than an hour, thousands of proud Canadians will show their support for our brave men and women who serve with honour in our military by attending a massive rally in front of Parliament Hill.
Thousands more are wearing red from coast to coast to show solidarity for those who risk their lives serving Canada abroad every day.
Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, you made an honourable decision to allow the staff on Parliament Hill to wear red ribbons to support our troops. I thank you wholeheartedly for your decision. I invite these employees to pick up a complimentary red ribbon in my office.
A special thanks goes to my friend Lowell Green and 580 CFRA for bringing the Wear Red Fridays rally to the heart of our country.
All members should attend and show their support for our troops who serve in over a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, putting their lives on the line for our freedom.
I am proud to stand foursquare behind them and our freedom. God bless them.
Afghanistan
Mr. Speaker, the House heard today from President Karzai that the way forward for Afghanistan is to move beyond military operations and attack terrorism at its source.
His fine diplomatic speech was as significant for what it did not say. There was no mention of the devastating impact of the counterinsurgency mission leading to the Kandahar quagmire.
Yesterday in the U.S. Karzai was more blunt when he stated, “You do not destroy terrorism by bombing villages”.
President Karzai gave more balanced emphasis to reconstruction, economic development and building civil society than does our government.
This government needs to understand the reality for too many women in Afghanistan: rape, abuse, neglect, poverty, disease, despair, and widowhood.
Canada must support courageous Afghani women who struggle day in and day out against sexism, brutality and intimidation at the hands of the northern alliance, the warlords, the drug lords as well as the Taliban, all of whom are represented in the Afghani government.
The Canadian government spends $9 on military counterinsurgency--
Domestic Workers
Mr. Speaker, today across the world stories of domestic worker abuse must be acknowledged, the victims of which are often women and children. As with all human rights violations, we must stand firmly for the protection of the innocent.
We know that the weaker elements of our society often find themselves abused and oppressed. In this case, many are beaten, abused, held captive and enslaved.
Human Rights Watch reports that this abuse occurs across the globe in many nations. Sadly, these cases are often hidden by the fact that these victims are trapped in seemingly respectable homes.
Today, I call on Canada, as a leader in human rights advocacy, to stand in solidarity with these tortured souls. We have a responsibility to keep them from being swept under the rug.
[Translation]
World Carfree Day
Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with all of the participants who, like me, respected world carfree day today. Many people in Quebec, Canada and around the world—1,500 municipalities in all—took part in this environmental act.
On foot, by bicycle and by bus, many of us arrived on the Hill this morning without our cars. Those who drive hybrid cars have already earned greenhouse gas credits this year. To everyone else who claims to support Kyoto, I challenge you to practice what you preach.
All members of this House should resolve today to reduce their yearly gas consumption by about a third in any way they can, such as carpooling, or using a bicycle or public transit. We must all choose our own method of reducing greenhouse gases. It is our choice.
[English]
Maher Arar
Mr. Speaker, the principal finding of the O'Connor commission determined that Maher Arar was an innocent person and indeed the innocent victim of American, Syrian and Canadian officials. This now warrants the following actions:
First, that the Canadian government apologize to Maher Arar and his family.
Second, that the government compensate Maher Arar for the ordeal of pain and suffering that he and his family endured.
Third, that the government object to the American government for its breach of domestic and international undertakings in the confinement and rendition of Maher Arar to Syria.
Fourth, that we protest to the Syrian government for its torture of Maher Arar.
Fifth, that Canadians officials who gave false and misleading information to U.S. authorities be held accountable.
Sixth, that the Canadian government implements all the recommendations of the O'Connor Commission.
Finally, that the lesson of this inquiry be factored into our anti-terrorism law and policy that we always comport with the rule of law while protecting our human security.
Liberal Party of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals must be wanting to force unwilling Canadians into another election. In the last few days they have cranked up their fear and smear campaign. This has long been a Liberal tactic to deflect from their own misdeeds and lack of substance.
Take for example a recent rant by the member for Beaches—East York purporting to be outraged about imaginary Conservative slights to women.
The House will be interested to know about a very real and recent Liberal slight to women. It was a “boys only” weekend held by the Liberal leadership candidate supported by the member for Beaches--East York. That is right, women were excluded from this event.
Before Canadians listen to trumped up claims about this government, they might want to look at the credibility of Liberal smearmongerers.
Canada's new government is moving sensibly to provide all Canadians, including women, with a better country and a quality way of life. Women can be proud to be part of this positive change for Canada.
ORAL QUESTIONS
[Oral Questions]
[English]
Member for Charlesbourg--Haute-Saint-Charles
Mr. Speaker, diversity, tolerance, accommodation of differences, and the will to live together in peace and respect, these Canadian values are ones that President Karzai wants to engender in Afghanistan.
However, they have been contradicted right here in Canada by a member of the Prime Minister's caucus. The Conservative MP for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles has expressed beliefs that are clearly racist and intolerant. These insults demand the Prime Minister's strong, personal intervention.
When will he expel this member from Canada's new Conservative government?
Mr. Speaker, I can report that the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles has recognized that those comments were inappropriate which is precisely why he has retracted the comments unequivocally and apologized. That is the appropriate action for a member to take when he realizes that he has made inappropriate remarks as is clearly the case in this instance.
Mr. Speaker, this situation does not need pontification. It needs rectification. We do not need to hear any more blather from the parliamentary secretary from Alberta.
We need to hear specifically from the Prime Minister's senior minister from Quebec, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. He is equally authorized to answer questions in the House.
Is he not scandalized by his Conservative recruit from Charlesbourg? Has he not asked the Prime Minister to remove that member both from the Conservative caucus and the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights?
Mr. Speaker, I have in my briefing binder here a long list of remarks made by Liberal MPs that I find offensive. In some instances they apologized for them. If the members opposite would like, I will start quoting those remarks.
However, I think we should set a new tone in this place and accept that when a member makes a mistake and apologizes, and retracts, that it is sufficient. That is what the member has done. He has been big enough to apologize.
I would like to see the opposition House leader be big enough to accept the apology.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, to state that immigrants are responsible for shooting rampages because they are not well-integrated is unacceptable; there is nothing worse than that. That is what we witnessed on TVA last night. These are unacceptable and insulting remarks and intolerant, too. The member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles applied logic like Jan Wong's to explain the shootings in Quebec, most recently the tragic Dawson College incident. Ms. Wong's new disciple is now placing the blame on Quebec's immigrants.
The Prime Minister had stated, and rightfully so, that Ms. Wong's comments were absurd and irresponsible. What is the Prime Minister waiting for to dismiss the “pro-Wong” member?
Mr. Speaker, the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles has already apologized but I find it surprising that the member for Bourassa is raising this issue as he has often got himself into trouble with his harebrained statements. For example, when talking about immigrants he once stated that sometimes he felt like restoring the deportation act and sending back to their country those who spit on the Canadian flag.
Mr. Speaker, I have another question for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and member for Bedrock. The Prime Minister has asked the “pro-Wong” member fromCharlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charlesto represent his government on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Given that the Prime Minister refuses to strip him of his office, can the government confirm that the comments of the “pro-Wong” member from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles represent the government's policy on the rights of immigrants living in Quebec? Why on earth has the Prime Minister not removed this member from the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights?
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear on this point. The member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles has already apologized for his statements.
However, the member from Bourassa made his remarks against immigrants and in favour of deporting immigrants in 1995, and we are still waiting for his apology.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Mr. Speaker, I expect the Conservative members from Quebec to condemn the actions of their colleague, the “pro-Wong” member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.
We should also question the way the political lieutenant, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, chooses his candidates. We know about an e-mail sent last December explaining to Ian Brodie the criteria for choosing these Conservative candidates, and I quote: “Neither IQ level, nor political astuteness are prerequisites to be a candidate”.
Does the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities condemn the “pro-Wong” member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles?
Mr. Speaker, here we go again.
Let us be clear, the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles realized his comments were inappropriate, which is why he withdrew them and apologized.
However, 11 years later, we are still waiting for the member for Bourassa to apologize for suggesting that immigrants should be deported. I am asking again whether the member for Bourassa will apologize for his utterly inappropriate comments.
Taxation
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government, which promised to resolve the fiscal imbalance in the next federal budget, told us that it would share its intentions in the fall budget statement. It is high time.
Can the Minister of Finance acknowledge the extent of the problem right now and give us an idea of the total amount he intends to give back to Quebec and the provinces?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, the Minister of Finance and this government are engaging in consultations with all the provinces on this important issue.
We will bringing forward key proposals on strengthening equalization and territorial funding, formula financing programs, a new approach on long term funding for post-secondary education and training, a new framework for long term funding support for infrastructure programs, a new approach for allocating unplanned federal surpluses and the list goes on. I know the Bloc will be very interested, as will all members of the House, when this proposal comes forward in a few weeks.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, does the minister realize that eliminating the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and Quebec starts with increased transfer payments and equalization reform; and that the final settlement is a new, fairer sharing of the tax base and the end of the federal government's power to spend in Quebec's jurisdictions?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, I know the duly elected Government of Quebec has made it very clear to our government in all consultations what the issues are in Quebec. Quebeckers know, sadly, that the Bloc will not be able to deliver on these programs. Only an elected government in the House of Commons will be able to do that.
[Translation]
Softwood Lumber
Mr. Speaker, when the Bloc Québécois proposed ways to support the forest industry, the Minister of International Trade showed some openness to our ideas, but his colleague, the Minister of Industry, flatly refused to provide any help. It seems the Minister of Finance has also chosen a laissez-faire approach: apparently, the fiscal update will not contain any new tax measures.
Does this mean that the government does not intend to help the forest industry work through the challenges it faces?
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have the opportunity to comment on this issue this morning. I appreciate my colleague's question about the forest industry, which gives us the opportunity to tell Canadians that 90% of the country's forest industry supports the agreement because it will bring back stable employment and give the forest industry a better idea of what to expect from the economic situation. This is why they support us.
The Government of Quebec also supports us, as the Bloc Québécois should know. The FTQ supports us too. The Bloc Québécois supported us during the vote on Monday. This is a very good agreement that brings stability to the industry, which is what the industry wanted.
Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber agreement will not fix everything. As the government is well aware, the industry is facing far more serious problems than the dispute. Furthermore, it is possible that every penny returned will be taxable, despite the fact that the reimbursements include a loss corresponding to the dollar's nearly 50% growth over the past four years.
Is the minister aware that under the current rules, the government is taxing a loss and that this problem must be corrected this year or it will be too late?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that two national governments are supporting the softwood lumber agreement, that all of Canada's three major producing softwood lumber provinces are supporting the agreement and that the Province of Quebec and the Premier of Quebec are supporting the agreement.
The return of the duties that will come back into the industry in Quebec will be what the industry has asked for and what they require in order to build the industry and work toward a stronger North American softwood lumber industry.
Afghanistan
Mr. Speaker, today President Karzai could not have been more clear on the need to move “beyond military operations toward a more balanced mission”. Yesterday, to a U.S. audience, he said that “bombings in Afghanistan are no solution to the Taliban. You do not destroy terrorism by bombing villages”, and yet the government is spending nine times more on the military than we do on aid.
Could the government explain how its plans to escalate our military presence, by first sending in tanks and now by proposing to send in fighter jets, is achieving a balanced objective in Afghanistan?
Mr. Speaker, I cannot explain any better than Hamid Karzai did in this place this morning in a speech for which half the Liberal MPs were not even present to listen to.
The NDP members say that they are in favour of multilateralism but they want to pull out of Afghanistan unilaterally. They say that they are in favour of the United Nations but they are against our participation in the world's most important UN mission. They say that they are in favour of peace and development but they do not want protection so that we can do civil reconstruction and development. They say that they are in favour of human rights and women's rights but they want to remove our soldiers so that those rights will be eliminated by the Taliban. We are tired of the NDP's hypocrisy.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, the solution in Afghanistan cannot be a military solution. President Karzai himself just spoke to us about the need to move beyond military operations.
Yesterday he said that the problem cannot be solved by bombing villages. However, at present, Canada is spending only one dollar on aid and development for every nine dollars spent on military operations.
Can the government tell us how the deployment of tanks and fighter jets is achieving balance in Canada's commitment to Afghanistan?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader's comments on Afghanistan are so ridiculous that it is no surprise that President Karzai refused to meet with him.
Today, the president of Afghanistan clearly expressed the democratic will of his nation to have the security needed to be able to rebuild a civil society and offer aid. Canada, this government, has already increased aid by $1 billion for the next ten years, which is the largest contribution anywhere in the world. We stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.
[English]
Access to Information
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister quoted from a PCO memo and falsely claimed that it revealed that Liberals routinely receive the names of people requesting information under the Access to Information Act.
Today, the media has revealed that this was a misrepresentation, that Liberals did not receive the names of ATIP requesters. That apparently only happens under the new Conservative government.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Hon. Stephen Owen: They all wish that they would be more liberal, Mr. Speaker.
Given that the member has misrepresented the public service and misled this House, will he resign?
Mr. Speaker, I will take the words of our government officials on this matter because they say that this has been a long-standing practice. However, we do not need to just believe them. We can listen to the former information commissioner, John Reid, who, in his report in 1999, explicitly blamed the office of then minister, Art Eggleton, for having systematically leaked the names of requesters of access to information to the political staff of the minister's office. That practice was a violation of the law which we reject and it will not continue under this government.
Mr. Speaker, the government has known for more than six months about this unlawful disclosure to political staff and it has done nothing until this week when it was caught.
Will the government assure the House that all political staff found to have violated the law by the privacy commissioner will be dismissed and will the parliamentary secretary table that memo immediately?
Mr. Speaker, yes, and not only will I table it, I will quote from it again. Yesterday the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet of the Privy Council Office told us that, “This was a discussion only among officials. There was no involvement by political staff and the summary report of the discussion by officials was a practice that predated this government. These types of summary reports were regularly shared with members of the previous government's prime minister's communications office”.
It turns out that the bureaucrats were passing on a bad habit in which they were forced to engage by the previous government, to which this week we have put an end.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, what the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister is not saying is that the reports were released without the names. Names have only been required since the arrival of this new minority Conservative government. This is the truth.
The media now tells us that on March 1, 2006, the PMO was given the option of no longer receiving those emails from the PCO. However, one week later, two more names of individuals employed by the PMO were added. This is proof that the statements of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister were false.
Your—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
[English]
Mr. Speaker, this is the desperation of the Liberals who see that we have finally caught on to yet another one of their scams. She is absolutely wrong, Yes, it is true that two political staff asked to be added to a distribution list, not for names dealing with requesters for information, not for private information or private names, but for the minutes of weekly conference calls dealing with security and pandemic issues.
Yes, our government and our political staff want to ensure we know what is going on to combat pandemics and to maintain national security. Now we will also reverse the practices of the Liberals and protect--
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister has no honour. He is misleading Canadians once again today.
How can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister claim that no one read the email from the PCO when, two weeks earlier, Sandra Buckler had two more names of employees from her office added to the distribution list?
Will the Prime Minister ever assume his responsibilities, and stop misleading this House and all Canadians—
[English]
Mr. Speaker, yesterday and today I presented the opinion of the Privy Council Office that there was a long-standing practice under the previous government, which I just cited verbatim, of furnishing names of applicants for information under the Access to Information Act to political officers of the previous government. Yes, sir, it is true.
[Translation]
I am sorry, but it is true that two political staff asked that their names be added to a list to receive information on pandemics and national security issues.
It is the Liberals that—
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, over a month ago, the American border was closed to exports of Quebec potatoes after golden nematodes were found in a field south of Montreal. Producers took the necessary steps to prevent the nematodes from spreading, including washing their products and equipment.
Will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food comply with Quebec's demands and exert all due pressure on Washington to lift the embargo on exports of Quebec potatoes? He just recently met with his American counterpart, and I imagine they discussed more than just the weather.
Mr. Speaker, the government is very concerned about the presence of this parasite and its impact on the farming industry in Quebec. That is why I have discussed this problem on several occasions with Mike Johans, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and with Mr. Vallières, Minister of Agriculture of Quebec. We are working to minimize the impact of border controls as quickly as possible, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely in order to reassess the need for compensation, as required.
Mr. Speaker, does the minister intend to pay the bill that Quebec is going to send him for purchasing or renting equipment to wash the potatoes and the machinery needed to harvest the potato crop? Will he speed up the analysis and research process so that potato producers, vegetable producers and horticulturalists are not further penalized financially?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, we met again this week directly with the producers who are affected, although many producers are affected, but we met with the ones who have this parasite on the farm. We have met with them with our Agriculture Canada staff. We continue to work with them and agriculture officials from the province of Quebec.
We are investigating to see whether there are any gaps in the coverage between production insurance or other programming to ensure farmers can not only get the crop off this year but can sell it as quickly as possible, regionalizing the problem as quickly as possible so that farmers are not disproportionately affected in Quebec.
[Translation]
Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women told me yesterday, during a very good conversation, that the Women's Program, which expires on September 26, will be extended.
Can the minister confirm here in this House what she said to me, that the program will be extended and therefore maintained? Also—and this is where things get dicey—does she intend to increase the budget as the Standing Committee on the Status of Women asked her to?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, in response to the member's question, the terms and conditions will be under review and will be renewed in a timely fashion. In fact, this represents the grants and contributions that we have been discussing in the House.
I find it very interesting that the status of women did not provide them to my office until this morning. They will be dealt with before the end of today.
[Translation]
Employment Insurance
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development refused to comment on extending the transitional provisions in place for protecting seasonal workers in eastern Quebec, Montmagny-L'Islet and the North Shore, which will expire on October 7, claiming that these provisions are under review. The provisions have been in place for six years.
Will the minister stop hiding behind these excuses because on October 7 seasonal workers will lose eight weeks of benefits if the provisions are not extended? October 7 is in two weeks.
[English]
[Translation]
Access to Information
Mr. Speaker, we recently learned that the Prime Minister's staff committed serious breaches of the Privacy Act. Since then, the minority government, through the Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary, has tried to shift the blame to public servants and the previous government. We now know that the contrary is true, that when asked by public servants to end this practice, the Prime Minister's staff wanted to enhance it.
When will this so-called new government drop its new tendency of trying to intimidate public servants to get them to act in a partisan way?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Liberals are making an honest mistake. I do not know. However, on March 1, two employees of the political staff at the Prime Minister's Office asked to be added to a distribution list for information on pandemics and national security. The name of a journalist was included in a March 15 e-mail after their request. That was when we learned that it was common practice for the former government to reveal and distribute the names of parties requesting information. We have put an end to this practice.
[English]
That is not true, Mr. Speaker. The previous government did not ask for the names of those making requests for information.
Since we have learned staff in the Prime Minister's Office have committed serious breaches of the Privacy Act regarding access to information, the so-called new government has tried to lay the blame at the feet of public servants or the preceding government, its new mantra. We now know it was quite the contrary. When invited by public servants to stop their practice, the Prime Minister's staff instead asked that it be enhanced.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister can bully us all he wants, we will fight back. The problem is the growing tendency of--
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we received this advice from the Privy Council Office, that this was a long-standing practice of the former government. I will table the email that I have quoted from verbatim.
Yesterday, CBC quoted a former Liberal staffer saying that, yes, this was a regular practice of the former government. In 1999 the information commissioner identified the office of Art Eggleton as having engaged in this practice. Yesterday, Commissioner Stoddart, in a conversation with the Treasury Board president, said that there were two complaints about these kinds of leaks coming from the offices of former Liberal ministers. When will they apologize?
Mr. Speaker, today the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister continues to be less than forthright with the House about serious breaches of the privacy laws of the Prime Minister's Office. Yesterday he unjustly smeared the public servants charged with handling ATIP requests. He attempts today again to pull the wool over the eyes of Canadian. Today media reports prove we cannot believe what the parliamentary secretary tells us.
The parliamentary secretary shattered the integrity of the public office he holds. Will he resign?
Mr. Speaker, I will stay here and I will not be intimidated into stopping to identify and throw the light on the corrupt practices of the previous Liberal government, which clearly and according to the public service allowed this practice to become a standard operating procedure under it.
We have been absolutely clear that this government will not tolerate the unveiling of names of requesters of information. We are going to put an end to the Liberal practice.
Mr. Speaker, I find it amazing that a party that campaigned on integrity acts like a bunch of trained seals in supporting the parliamentary secretary, who should be stepping down from his office.
The parliamentary secretary continues to fabricate the facts. As bad, employees in the Prime Minister's Officer are complicit in what the parliamentary secretary is doing in flouting the laws of Canada. The parliamentary secretary's actions, as much as he tries, cannot be covered up.
Will the Prime Minister at least ask the parliamentary secretary to step aside?
Mr. Speaker, there was a pretty big forced resignation of the Liberal government at the hands of the Canadian electorate in January of this year because the Canadian people had enough of the kinds of corruption, law-breaking and violation of our democratic practices in our country.
One of those practices was to systematically leak the names of requesters of information to the political offices of that government, as identified by the information commissioner, as identified yesterday by the PCO. We will put an end to that practice because we are a government that is all about accountability.
Airline Industry
Mr. Speaker, my question concerns an issue that is important to those who work within the airline industry and to those who are passengers on Canada's airlines. My question is for the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
Could the minister please inform the House how this Conservative government is working to address the issue of flight attendant ratios?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is committed to aviation safety, as everyone knows, and recognizes the important contribution that flight attendants make, particularly with respect to the orderly evacuation of aircraft.
Because we are continuing to study this issue, we will not table any changes to the flight attendant ratio in the near future. We will continue, indeed, to consider feedback to help facilitate a decision in this matter that ensures the highest level of security to Canadians.
Afghanistan
Mr. Speaker, we know from talking to Afghan women in Canada and in Afghanistan that the counter-insurgency is making things worse for Afghan women.
Yesterday at the UN General Assembly, speaking in reference to the combat violence, Hamid Karzai said, “That is why today 200,000 of our students who went to school two years ago are no longer able to do so”.
Is it not time for the minister to admit that counter-insurgency is in fact making things worse, not better, for Afghan women?
Mr. Speaker, when I listen to members of the NDP, it is like I am listening to a bunch of diletantes. They come up with one loony idea after another.
We and NATO have to leave the military in Afghanistan to provide security. It is because of the Taliban trying to burn schools that we are there reacting against the Taliban.
If the NDP had its way, the Taliban would return and turn the country into a nightmare.
Mr. Speaker, aside from the minister's personal attacks, Afghan women tell us that life is getting worse, not better. Today I heard from Afghan women in Canada. Only 12% of women in Afghanistan have access to medical care. Many die from complications during pregnancy. Women are still subjected to forced marriage and abduction. We know that we cannot destroy terrorism by bombing villages.
Is it not time to refocus this mission on building peace and bringing real security to all Afghan women, and not waging war?
Mr. Speaker, we are devoting considerable funds and effort to development. We are also devoting a lot of effort to governance. However, we also have to provide security.
If the House wants an example of the Taliban, the most recent case where four of our soldiers died, an old man rode in on a bicycle and blew a bomb off in a bunch of children. The Taliban does not care about human life and they will not care about women if they return.
Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister publicly chastised Jan Wong for making racial slurs regarding immigrants in Quebec, and we agreed. Now we find out that one of his own Quebec MPs has voiced similar views and even suggested that Quebec's treatment of immigrants likely inspired the tragic shootings at Dawson College.
The Conservative caucus is harbouring a member who holds views that the Prime Minister has called absurd, prejudice, irresponsible and without foundation.
When will the Prime Minister of that minority government do the right thing and kick him out of caucus?
Mr. Speaker, the member in question did the right thing. He recognized that the remarks he made were totally inappropriate. He has taken those remarks back. He has apologized for those remarks.
We are still to this day waiting for the Liberal member for Bourassa to apologize for suggesting that Canada should deport immigrants that he does not like.
First, Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, I am not sure if the member did apologize. He may have withdrawn his remarks. It would be nice to hear him say “I am sorry”.
That is simply not good enough, though, on behalf of the Prime Minister. What kind of message does that send about the minority Conservative government's views toward immigrants?
The government member has the honour of sitting on the justice and human rights committee. Will the Prime Minister have that member immediately removed from that committee, and take it one step further and kick him out of caucus?
Mr. Speaker, that member has done what members should do when they say something that is inappropriate. He has retracted his words. He has recognized that they were wrong and inappropriate, that he misspoke.
I wonder why the Liberals had a former cabinet minister, who is sitting on the frontbench over there, who said that immigrants he did not like should be deported. When will he at least apologize, let alone being kicked out of his caucus?
Mr. Speaker, we often hear members of that minority government say that Canada was built by immigrants. It is now obvious the Prime Minister does not have the courage to stand up for immigrants, particularly those who have chosen Quebec as their home. This is scandalous and it must be addressed.
When will the Prime Minister fire the MP for the riding of Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles and send a clear message that racism will not be tolerated?
Mr. Speaker, the member has apologized.
However, speaking of immigration, this is the government that immediately cut the right of landing fee in half, the head tax, that had been imposed by the Liberals on immigrants. This is the government that has created a national agency for the recognition of foreign credentials. This is the government, under the leadership of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, which is doing what it can to attract quality immigrants to help build our country. This is the government that apologized for racist immigration acts of the past like the Chinese head tax, for which the former Liberal government never had the guts to apologize.
Mr. Speaker, as is the tradition of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, he has been stonewalling and Canadians will not stand for it.
The government has not done any favours for immigrants. It should practise what it preaches and stand by a zero tolerance policy against racism and those who perpetuate it.
When will the Prime Minister of the minority government fire the Quebec MP who spewed these absurd, prejudice and irresponsible remarks?
Mr. Speaker, the member raises the issue of immigration. There is no government in history that has a worse record on immigration than the former Liberal government. In 1995 it froze funding for settlement agencies which meant that people arriving here, who had trouble with the language and trouble integrating, received no help from the government.
We reversed that in the budget by announcing $307 million in new funding for settlement agencies to help immigrants get better outcomes. We are a pro-immigration party. We want more immigrants. We want them to have better outcomes.
[Translation]
Program for Older Worker Adjustment
Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development says that she is continuing to examine the feasibility of the Program for Older Worker Adjustment, several unemployed workers from Huntingdon are being told by a departmental employee that the program will be announced in two or three weeks and that he would be pleased to have coffee with them to celebrate.
Rather than having this employee keep an entire community on tenterhooks—a community still reeling from recent plant closures in the area—should the minister not immediately announce the introduction of this program?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, as members know, because I have said it in here on so many occasions, the government truly is concerned about what happens to our displaced workers, our older workers, in various sectors. That is why we are undertaking a feasibility study to examine long term solutions for this sector and we will be making announcements soon.
[Translation]
Teleglobe Canada
Mr. Speaker, Teleglobe Canada—sold to private interests a few years ago—has announced that it will streamline its activities in Canada and move more than 200 employees to India in the next few months.
Is this decision not a red flag for the government and should Canadian laws be reviewed in order to deal with the new economic reality resulting from globalization?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that Canada was built with foreign capital. The coast-to-coast railway was built with money from England and from the U.S. We are open to foreign capital. That being said, Canada does have the Investment Canada Act, which we enforce. This law states that any foreign investment must be reviewed for net benefits to Canada and to Quebec. We respect this law.
Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, on June 15, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services announced that the matter of leasing or buying Minto Developments' JDS Uniphase building would be moved “to a new competitive process”.
Public Works chose to use the advance contract award notice process, which, according to the Auditor General, is not a competitive process.Given that the parliamentary secretary misled the House, why has the Prime Minister not demanded his resignation?
[English]
Agriculture
Mr. Speaker, as part of our platform the Conservative government promised to give western grain farmers the freedom to make their own marketing decisions and the choice of participating in the Canadian Wheat Board.
Could the Minister of Agriculture please tell us what actions he has taken to provide agriculture producers with freedom of marketing choice?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the question because I certainly do not get any questions on agriculture from the Liberals or the NDP. This is a refreshing change.
This summer I met with producers and industry representatives to discuss marketing choice for people to create a vibrant, voluntary Canadian Wheat Board. Last week I appointed Ken Motiuk, a committed advocate of dual marketing choice, to the Canadian Wheat Board. He has the harness on and he is working on behalf of all farmers. Just this past Tuesday I appointed a task force to give the framework for what a voluntary wheat board might look like.
We are moving ahead with marketing choice. It was a campaign promise and farmers deserve it as quickly as possible.
Child Care
Mr. Speaker, the OECD issued an international report on child care and Canada is at the bottom of the list. It recommends that each country should invest at least 1% of the GDP on child care and Canada has an investment of 0.03%.
Given that child care is very much connected with productivity and economic growth, will the minister commit to success rather than failure and support the NDP child care act in the coming debate on Monday?
Mr. Speaker, I am so glad the hon. member brought this report up because this report just underlines the 13 years of neglect by the previous Liberal government when it comes to child care.
I am so very proud of Canada's new government for taking action immediately with our two step, universal child care plan. Parents of children under six are now receiving $100 a month to help toward their child care choices that meet their needs.
Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, communities in my riding are suffering due to a lack of commitment by the government to reform the west coast fishery: two-thirds of the decision-making here in Ottawa but very little on the west coast; enforcement officers that would stop illegal fishing cut to the bone; a licensing system that leaves small fishermen out in the cold, where it costs them more to go to work than they can earn; and the sellout of seasonal processing plant workers because they cannot access EI.
Will the fisheries minister please tell us when he will take concrete action to resolve these long-standing issues for the sake of the west coast fishing industry.
Mr. Speaker, the member will know that this government is continuing a comprehensive Pacific fisheries renewal program. It is a comprehensive program that looks at a number of issues. It enhances compliance and enforcement, salmon enhancement, all the things she is concerned about.
The minister is very concerned about making this a strong and sustainable fishery, unlike the previous government, and we will meet that goal.
Maher Arar
Mr. Speaker, this week the government has been dodging questions about the case of Maher Arar. Parliament has unanimously passed a motion that calls for an apology and the whole country regrets what happened.
Now that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety and the member for Calgary—Nose Hill have had time to reflect, do they regret jumping to conclusions and convicting Mr. Arar at the time? Will they answer the call made today by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister to apologize when something inappropriate is said and to personally apologize without further equivocation? Canadians are tired of this hypocrisy.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to thank Justice O'Connor for the good work that he did on this particular report and all the people who worked with him. We have further said that we want to follow all 23 of the recommendations related to this matter.
If the gentleman would have checked the record he would have seen that back as far as November 4, 2003, we were asking questions. We were asking for a public inquiry. I asked the question then why the government would not spare Canadians millions of dollars and months of delay and simply give Mr. Arar the answers to his fair questions. We are giving him those answers.
Afghanistan
Mr. Speaker, reconstruction in Afghanistan is key to creating lasting security in that country. Our government is committed to helping Afghanistan stand on its own as an independent, stable and prosperous nation.
Could the Minister of International Cooperation please tell the House how the government is supporting development efforts in Afghanistan?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's approach to helping Afghanistan is to help the people help themselves.
Let me share some results that we have attained: 183,000 Afghans now have access to micro-credits, 75% of those are women; 10,000 widows and their families have received food aid; 13,000 communities are involved in the development of 250 schools, 180 community centres, 18,000 wells--
Points of Order
Tabling of Privy Council Office Document
[Points of Order]
Mr. Speaker, there were references in the House both yesterday and today to certain materials produced or provided by the Privy Council Office in respect of the access to information procedure. We have asked for that material to be tabled, both yesterday and again today. We have not seen it, but apparently the media have.
The parliamentary secretary characterizes that PCO information in a particular way, but the media, who have seen the material, say that the parliamentary secretary is exactly wrong, that he has misrepresented the material and may have misled the House.
As a first step in getting to the bottom of this, it is important that the parliamentary secretary do now what he said earlier in question period he would do, and that is to table that PCO document.
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the House leader for the official opposition managed to get to his feet, because he just wasted some time as I already indicated that I would table the document. I am quite happy to do so and I therefore seek unanimous consent to table the e-mail from which I am quoted.
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
[Routine Proceedings]
[English]
Criminal Code
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-352, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (peace officers).
He said: Mr. Speaker, I thank the seconder for helping out on the bill.
This enactment would amend the Criminal Code to impose more severe penalties on a person or persons who assault peace officers and to eliminate the possibility of parole for those who murder peace officers.
We have to send a very strong message out to people who would inflict harm upon the people who protect us that that type of action will simply not be tolerated.
We believe the bill would go a long way in acting as a deterrent to protect the integrity of all peace officers in this country.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Canada Elections Act
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-353, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (date of general election).
He said: Mr. Speaker, this enactment amends the Canada Elections Act to provide that, subject to an earlier dissolution of Parliament, a general election must be held on the third Monday in September in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election, with the first general election after this enactment coming into force being held on Monday, September 21, 2009. This change would allow the Chief Electoral Officer to recommend an alternate day if the day set for polling is not suitable.
This bill would enhance democracy in our country. We would like to see speedy passage of the bill.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Petitions
Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by many people from across the country, including from my riding.
The petition calls on Parliament to immediately halt the deportation of undocumented workers and to find a humane and logical solution to this situation.
Earlier today the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration stated that his government and his party are in support of immigrants. I am hoping that due to these various petitions, he will in fact be supportive of many immigrants who play a vital role in the economy of this country and allow them to stay in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in the House to present a petition on behalf of the constituents of Kitchener—Conestoga and the surrounding Kitchener--Waterloo area.
The more than 200 people who signed the petition are asking the Government of Canada to take all steps necessary to protect our children by raising the age of consent from 14 years of age to 16 years of age.
Mr. Speaker, I have several petitions. The first is from 275 of my constituents from Saskatoon, Blaine Lake, Speers, Hafford, Hague, Martensville, Warman and other towns around my riding.
The petitioners call on the government to raise the age of protection for children from 14 years of age to 16 years of age. They note the support of the Canadian Police Association and many of the provincial governments for increasing the age of protection. They also note the importance of this move in protecting young people from sexual exploitation.
Mr. Speaker, in the second petition 32 petitioners from Saskatoon ask the federal government to build a high quality, accessible and affordable community based child care system and to ensure fair and effective income support for Canadian families.
I am proud to be in a government that is indeed moving forward with equitable and accessible initiatives for child care and income support for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, in the last petition the petitioners draw the attention of the House to the fact that the creation and use of child pornography is condemned by a clear majority of Canadians and that the courts have not, in their view, applied the current child pornography law in a way that makes it clear that such exploitation of children will be met with swift punishment.
The petitioners call on Parliament to protect our children by taking all the necessary steps to ensure that all materials that promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are plainly, clearly and flatly outlawed.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to present a petition from literally thousands of Canadians from all across the three prairie provinces who call upon the government to recognize the will of Parliament in banning trans fats.
The petitioners point out that they want the government to implement the recommendations of the task force which clearly called upon the government to ban trans fats and get them out of our food supply for all of the very obvious public health reasons. Trans fats do in fact cause obesity, heart disease and diabetes, all of which can be prevented by the elimination of these deadly toxins from our food supply.
They call upon the government to follow the lead of Denmark and become the second country in the world to be trans fat free.
Mr. Speaker, I have a 10-page petition. It notes that the Toronto Island Airport is heavily subsidized by taxpayers and has been losing money every year for the last 15 years and that operating an airport is contrary to the tradition of a clean, green, vibrant waterfront and that the Toronto Port Authority is unaccountable and is a rogue federal agency that was created against the wishes of Torontonians.
The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to abolish the Toronto Port Authority, close the island airport and return the waterfront to the people of Toronto.
Questions on the Order Paper
Points of Order
[Points of Order]
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
Earlier this week the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons raised an objection pursuant to Standing Order 39 to question No. 90 from the member for New Westminster—Coquitlam. The basic argument was that the question was too long. On that basis the parliamentary secretary was arguing that it was out of order and should be struck from the list.
The purpose of Standing Order 39 is analyzed in Marleau and Montpetit at page 438 which states that those questions are put on the order paper “with the intent of seeking from the ministry detailed, lengthy or technical information relating to public affairs”.
Standing Order 39 is quite clear. There are certain rules that allow us to place before individual ministers, and in rare cases other members of Parliament, detailed questions for information that we require in order to perform our functions as members of this House.
The question that is being challenged by the parliamentary secretary is the only one on the order paper by the member for New Westminster--Coquitlam. Standing Order 39 allows for up to four questions to be on the order paper at any given time by any given member in the House. This is the only question she has on the order paper at this time. Without question it is lengthy; the question has a number of subsections in it.
There used to be no limit to the number of written questions a member could put on the order paper. About 10 years ago a new rule was introduced that limited the number of questions a member could put on the order paper to a maximum of four at any given time. My colleague is clearly in compliance with that part of the rule in the sense that she only has the one question.
The question is with regard to Afghanistan and the deployment of military resources there. What you have to do, Mr. Speaker, in making your determination as to whether the request from the parliamentary secretary is a reasonable one, is to look at the practice that has grown since the change in the Standing Orders. In particular, I would call to your attention questions that were put forward by Mr. John Cummins, who was a member of the Conservative Party in the last Parliament, and questions--
I rise to remind the hon. member who is experienced in this House that we do not name members of this current House.
I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I am going to have the problem of not knowing which riding he is in: Delta—Richmond East.
In the last Parliament that member put forward two questions at the same time and they were Question Nos. 5 and 7. Those questions, and I am looking at copies of them right now, run on to a length that is longer, or at least as long as Question No. 90 which is the subject of the objection from this government and the parliamentary secretary at this time.
Those questions were in fact subsequently answered. They were on fishery items, I believe. The member was then and is still now quite interested in that topic. He was asking as I believe proper, specific questions, wanting specific answers to specific facts, wanting that detail, all of which seems to be well within the spirit and the wording of Standing Order 39 as is Question No. 90.
The position that is being put forward by the government, and the parliamentary secretary on its behalf, is one that is inconsistent with its own practice in the last Parliament when Conservatives were in opposition. Even the parliamentary secretary could go back and look at some of his questions in the last Parliament. They were fairly lengthy as well. It is inconsistent with the practice that has grown up since Standing Order 39 was changed.
I would argue strongly that the motivation behind this is really about the issue itself and the government being unhappy at having to provide this information from the Departments of National Defence and of International Cooperation.
Just to give an example, this morning in some of the national newspapers in this country in response to information that this same member gathered from the same government in the spring response to written questions, very interesting, factual and needed information came out.
The hon. member was doing her job in asking those questions and that information was necessary for the debate that is going on around that issue in the country. It is just a glaring example of why we need to be able to ask these types of detailed questions. She was very successful in the information she received.
Similarly, to the question she is asking now in Question No. 90, there is information there that the country needs to have as this debate goes on with regard to our deployment of troops and resources in Afghanistan at the current time.
My argument in summation refers to the fact that Standing Order 39 was changed. It limited these questions. She stayed within those boundaries. The questions have to be of reasonable length. If we look at the practice that has grown since the reincarnation of Standing Order 39, she has stayed within the practice that has grown up in that period of time, a practice that the political party now in government followed when they were in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few comments. This matter has already been raised in the House. I believe that the Speaker is taking the matter under advisement. I would add my own comments to this and would challenge the hon. member, who just made that intervention, on his reading of the spirit of the Standing Orders.
I would suggest that the question very clearly, if I can call it a question without pluralizing it, violates the spirit of the Standing Orders. The Standing Orders are there to provide answers to members of Parliament. It is a system that has worked well, but when an hon. member tries to jam 47 questions under the guise and trying to pass it off as one question, this goes far beyond what was contemplated in the Standing Orders. Quite frankly, it is not reasonable and is a violation of the spirit. I believe it is technically out of order as well. Mr. Speaker, I know you will take all that into consideration when looking at this case.
I challenge the hon. member as well. He indicated he believes the government is saying this because the government's motivation is not to answer questions on the subject of Afghanistan. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are here to provide information to hon. members. The member has unfairly characterized the motivation behind what the government is doing. We are here to be reasonable. We are here to provide answers to hon. members.
Quite frankly, I could say the same thing. The motivation behind the hon. member is to highlight the NDP's opposition to what Canada is doing in Afghanistan. I could make that claim if that is what it really wants to do. Again, I do not particularly want to probe that nor do I think the hon. member should draw the conclusion that the government is in any way not forthcoming on this issue.
We are very clear where we stand on the subject of Afghanistan. The President of Afghanistan gave a magnificent address and put very clearly before this nation the reasons why we are there. The government is very pleased to talk about Afghanistan and to provide information, but any time an hon. member tries to pack 47 questions under the guise of one question, surely that is far beyond what is contemplated in the Standing Orders, Mr. Speaker, and I would ask that you take that into consideration in your ruling.
I would like to thank the hon. government House leader and the hon. member for Windsor—Tecumseh for their interventions. Both submissions will be taken under advisement.
Government Orders
[Government Orders]
[English]
Emergency Management Act
The House resumed from September 21 consideration of the motion that Bill C-12, An Act to provide for emergency management and to amend and repeal certain Acts, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
When we last considered this item, the hon. member for Yukon had the floor and he has eight minutes remaining.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to continue my remarks on Bill C-12, An Act to provide for emergency management and to amend and repeal certain Acts.
[English]
Members may recall that in the first part of my speech I started out by saying that Liberals support the bill. It is just a reintroduction of a Liberal bill, with a few changes in the basis of the excellent work that we had done related to security after 9/11. We dedicated $9.5 billion on security. We created a department of public safety and emergency and established a national 24/7 government operations centre.
Then I talked about how we are in a new world now, a world that we have to change. We need bills like this to change emergency measures to keep up with a changing world, since 9/11, since the Montreal shootings, and climate changes. Then there are things like ice storms, dramatic hurricanes and tsunamis that we have had, potential meteorites, and diseases like SARS. It is very important that we change with the times and have administration chains to deal quickly with problems.
I also talked about how important it was to have coordinating efforts with the United States because in geographical disasters a border is artificial. We need the people along both sides of the border to have cogent plans to deal with emergencies quickly. Then I went on to talk about how the bill had neglected in certain instances the territorial governments.
I would like the people in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut to know I am constantly standing up to ensure that they are included. If they have any other issues that they think have been left out, not included, or having problems, they should please contact me as the critic for the north.
This modern management of emergencies is related to an issue that is dear to my heart and I want to talk about it for a while. I am referring to search and rescue and the ability to have search and rescue planes placed north of 60.
Right now all our search and rescue planes are based along the border of Canada and the United States. Certainly, that is where our greatest population is and certainly, that is where the greatest number of incidents occur. However, that does not mean that we should ignore the north.
In fact, half the range of those planes is really not used. They are in a spot where half of the range is not used because half the range would be in the United States, to the south, and some would be out over the oceans, to the south. Whereas, if we had one or two or three, the northern half of the country would be covered. We had actually promised to put four planes north of 60.
Just because most incidents are in the south does not mean we ignore the north. For example, the vast majority of crime in this country is in the south. It does not mean we do not have RCMP in the north. It does a wonderful job in the territories. It does not mean we do not have doctors in the north; they do a wonderful job. It does not mean we do not have food stores in the north because there is a very small population. They all do a wonderful job. Therefore, it is very important that we protect those people.
In the south, arguments could be made that there are a lot more civilian resources available to search for someone in densely populated areas than in the north. In fact, in the north, an accident could be far more critical. We have thousands of flights going over the pole now and a vast increase of activities because of global warming.
The Prime Minister has talked about sovereignty in the north, which is a result of global warming. He should accept that. With all this activity going on an accident there could be far more dangerous and critical than one in the south. There is less civilian capability to get to people, drop supplies, drop something warm, and far more chance of dying of hypothermia either on land or in the water.
I definitely want to continue the argument that I have been making for a long time at the defence committee for search and rescue planes with reasonable coverage north of 60.
I can be reasonable in the sense that I know these are expensive and there is a whole array of services that go with them, mechanics, et cetera. I am not opposed to a compromise so that these planes could have dual functions because there are other military planes in the north that need to be replaced or other planes that are used for various purposes. I do not mind if we have a dual purpose plane in the north that can do search and rescue and can do these other functions. Therefore, northerners and people who are not Canadians but end up having an accident in the north would be far more protected.
I encourage everyone involved to support the contract which we approved in Parliament some three years ago and see to it that it is finally tendered and done so in a manner that will allow us to have search and rescue planes to cover and protect northerners, people in the territories, the same way they presently protect people in the provinces.
The next item I want to speak to is sort of an esoteric part of the bill. I do not think anyone has spoken to it. It would allow businesses to share information to protect critical infrastructure. In the new world, that I spoke about earlier in my speech yesterday, one of the items under attack is infrastructure. Infrastructure is absolutely critical to the smooth functioning of our society, to the health of the economy and the people, and we want to protect it.
A lot of the information that is required to protect that is in private hands. The bill would allow for the cooperation and coordination of businesses to provide that private information to the public sector, so that it can be included in the emergency plans in order for our emergency plans to be comprehensive, make sense and contain all the information necessary.
Some of that information businesses would not normally give because it is protected, confidential and could help their competitors or terrorists who want to attack them. Therefore, there is a provision in the bill that, under these circumstances when it makes sense, would protect information and use it for the purpose for which it is being shared, which is to protect during emergencies.
Finally, in my last minute I would like to talk about the ability the bill gives to the Minister of Public Safety to monitor, evaluate and coordinate federal plans. All the institutions and departments must have a plan, but the reason I strongly support this is that sometimes it falls between the cracks if we do not have someone overall in charge. I will give one example.
The Liberal government put in a policy called a rural lens which means everything that goes through the Government of Canada, every program and every new law, should be looked at through a rural lens. Deputy ministers are required to report every year on that rural lens on what success they have had in promoting things for rural Canada. The member from Prince Edward Island and myself have been great champions of this.
I have asked a number of times in committee and some of the deputy ministers did not even know about it or had no reports. That is why it is important in this bill that theMinister of Public Safety has an umbrella authority over the various plans from the federal departments to ensure they are good and that they work.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Yukon for his thoughtful remarks on Bill C-12.
One thing he raised was that in the north, and in fact much of the hinterland, people are faced with circumstances that we do not consider too much in urban Canada, and that is the threat of forest fires.
I know my friend is aware that I spent many years as a forest ranger in the Yukon territory. Our primary concern was fighting fires and fire management, but we also had a dual function as land use managers. The smaller communities would look to the forest service as their emergency measures operations leaders. It was really the only representation of that aspect of civil society to which they could look.
In a small community such as Dawson City where I lived, there was the school board, the mayor and city council, a couple of RCMP officers and the forest service. When it came to emergencies, or at least emergency measures preparations, people would look to the forest service as having the best capability of implementing whatever measures may be put in their emergency measures plan.
When my colleague mentions the need for more search and rescue, et cetera, one of the things I found useful in the development of those plans, and practising the constant evening rehearsals to be ready for emergency measures, was that we needed sometimes dual purpose functions, and we ran into jurisdictional difficulties.
Does the member see in the bill any opportunity to try to cut through the jurisdictional red tape so the emergency measures team could in fact use tools, airplanes, equipment and trucks that belong to some other jurisdiction without having to deal with red tape, protocol and stepping on the toes of other people from other levels, not of government but of civil society?
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member mentioned that point. This is the intent of the bill. It is a good point to raise in committee, that organizations outside of government such as the firefighting volunteer groups are not specifically mentioned in the bill, but various orders of government are. As I mentioned, it is too bad that the territories were not mentioned because in Yukon forest firefighting is now under Yukon, so it would need that coordination.
In my earlier remarks yesterday, and maybe the member was not here, I mentioned that because of the spruce budworm and global warming, forest firefighting in Yukon has more potential for disaster than ever. We have a huge swath of forest right beside one of our communities that is like a tinderbox ready to burn. This would put that community, and maybe other communities, at risk.
I agree totally with the member that we need this coordination in governments, which is in the spirit of the bill, but maybe there should be references to other organizations. There are some references to local governments, but that should be made quite clear, including the territories.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear that the member for Yukon mentioned the rural lens.
I do not expect, and I will be speaking on it in a moment, that the Canadian government would use measures in the bill for alternative motives, but we have seen that happen in the United States. With the new regulations coming out under its inspection agency, the U.S. claims it is fighting bioterrorism and it is placing fees on agriculture products, animal and plant products. I believe it is $5.25 per truck crossing the border, $5.00 per passenger on planes, $566 for ships and then so much for a railway container.
It is really protectionism in the United States under the guise of security. It is going to cost $77 million and Canadians are going to pay it all. Yet the new government has failed to challenge those measures in the United States to anywhere near the extent it could. It relates in part to what the member has said about the rural lens.
Does the member see any difficulties in the bill where something similar could happen or does that just happen to the friends of the Prime Minister in the United States, who would impose those unnecessary measures on Canadians?
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks.
[English]
All members of Parliament should keep in mind that any time a bill comes up, these types of things may either inadvertently or purposely be included.
To give an example of what he is saying, there is a very broad reference to military in this bill, support for plans and our allies, and that is virtually all it says. It does not say what part in the world nor does it give any definitions of the circumstances. It is great that it is in the bill, but more clarity might lead to the intent and avoid the type of abuse that the member has suggested.
Mr. Speaker, previous speakers have opened the door on any number of interesting aspects of Bill C-12. We cannot look at the context of this actually quite thin and straightforward bill in isolation. By its very nature, it has broad, expansive implications into the very fabric of how we structure ourselves in many aspects of civil society, not the least of which is the point my colleague from Malpeque just made. I thank him for doing that because it segues nicely into some of the concerns and reservations I want to raise about the bill.
We have to use an abundance of caution and be ever vigilant that the things we do in the interests of national security do not trample and interfere on some of the very values by which we define ourselves as Canadians. We also have to be abundantly cautious and use great vigilance to ensure that those who would use the bill to advance other secondary objectives be cautioned now by astute members of Parliament, doing diligence in their study of the bill, that we will not tolerate this.
I want to stop short of impugning motives in the introduction of bills of this nature, but we can learn by example from other countries, certainly our neighbour to the south. I can say without any hesitation at all and without any fear of contradiction that the United States administration has used the national security crisis to achieve other secondary objectives, some of which have been punitive to Canada. I do not think that is telling stories out of school and it is not showing any disrespect to our American neighbours to point out that we are not idiots, we have noticed this.
My colleague pointed out some very helpful specifics in terms of levies and fees and stuff that are administered now to Canadian shippers as they export goods to the United States. An added burden is being put on them to meet the new standards put in place by our American neighbours, under the umbrella of national security, or fear of bioterrorism or any number of enabling themes and motifs they are using in those arguments. There are a number of examples that we could use.
We are very cognizant of personal freedoms and will not allow them to be violated, but let us be equally cautious that people are not using public fear to justify the unjustifiable in any other context. That would certainly apply to the U.S. experience of using the threat of bioterrorism to disadvantage Canadian exporters and essentially to put up what would otherwise be viewed as illegal tariffs and subject to trade sanctions or trade complaints being filed.
None of the parties that I have heard speak to the bill seem to find fault with the idea that emergency measures preparedness needs to be reviewed. The previous Liberal government in the previous Parliament had an almost identical bill, Bill C-78. With very minor tweaking and adjustments, we are seeing it reintroduced to Parliament today.
The times we are living in warrant greater scrutiny of our emergency measures preparedness. The jurisdictional question came up quite clearly in interventions from members of the Bloc. I think we can all agree, when it comes to personal safety and national safety, that there needs to be agreed upon crossover not to show disrespect for any jurisdictional boundaries, but to acknowledge that timeliness is of the essence when people are at risk or under some kind of natural or unnatural external threat.
I can speak from personal experience how, in the event of natural disasters, Canada is quite well served and quite well prepared. I will speak from personal experience in the Red River flood that affected my region as recently as 1997. I see a colleague here from the province of Manitoba from the government side. We can say, without doubt, that as we observed that freak of nature slowly inching toward us, pieces began to fall into place. I should remind people who were not there that the Red River was 50 miles wide. That is an unnatural circumstance for people. I am used to paddling on the Red River with my canoe. The Red River is usually not as far across as this chamber, so for it to be 50 miles wide and advancing relentlessly and steadily toward the city of Winnipeg, we were in a legitimate crisis in slow motion.
I suppose we could argue that perhaps we had the luxury of time to put together an effective emergency measures reaction. It was not like the ice storm that affected Ottawa where overnight the infrastructure, certainly the electrical infrastructure, of Ottawa collapsed. However, I can say with some sense of pride that the people of Ottawa had in place measures and circumstances that served the residents here very well too. I was a member of Parliament then and I watched how this city was able to react and absolutely minimize, not only the inconvenience, but the loss of life, the injury and the risk to services, to property and to people.
What I want to raise with the Red River flood, though, Mr. Speaker, if I could--I hope you feel it is in the context and order of the debate--is that there is a case to be made for collective, cooperative action in the preparation for and administration of emergency services. I cite as an example something that happened in the 1960s in Manitoba that could never happen today, and that is the digging of the Red River floodway, the largest engineering feat in history in terms of volume of earth moved, bigger than the digging of the Suez Canal. It was a public infrastructure initiative where, if we raised something of that scope and magnitude today, we would be laughed out of the room. People would say that we could not afford it, that it would be a waste of taxpayer money, that it would be a boondoggle. They would find 100 reasons to say why it should not be done and maybe they would say that we should let the private sector build it in a public-private partnership and maybe it could get done that way, but probably not because we are so timid now.
We are timid as rabbits when it comes to doing things like building a nation and building great projects. There is no collective vision and no national dream any more. That is the guts that it took. A Conservative premier, I will give him credit, named Duff Roblin simply would not listen to the naysayers and that investment, the largest infrastructure project in the nation's history and in the world at the time, has saved the city of Winnipeg, three, four and five times over. It cost hundreds of millions of dollars at a time when $100,000 meant something but it saved billions. It saved hundreds of thousands of homes and probably thousands of lives because somebody had the guts to show some real leadership, stand up to the naysayers and say that some things are important enough that we have to invest in the future.
To this day we invite Premier Roblin to the edge of the Red River floodway and collectively thank him for being that aggressive and that stubborn and not taking no for an answer. As we speak, that floodway is being widened. We are actually digging it deeper and wider because it is the best thing we ever did as Winnipeggers.
We cannot have enough emergency measure preparedness but it takes a collective wisdom and a collective political courage to implement that kind of collective action. I can just imagine the reaction of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation if we were to here with a proposal and said that we needed, for our own well-being collectively, to undertake an initiative the scope and scale of the Red River floodway. We would be laughed out of the room. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation would set up shop right outside of here and hold a press conference and ridicule us for being a tax and spend party or something. There is justification for that kind of thing when our national well-being is at stake.
I can say too, during the flood of the century in 1997, how heartened I was by not only the mobilization of the citizenship but the mobilization of the military for non-military purposes. The same training that goes into making great soldiers and an effective military unit is applied readily to emergencies such as forest fires, floods, et cetera. No one else has that capacity, whether it is the machinery, the engineering, the technology or the sheer manpower of a couple of thousand fit people who are used to working in a coordinated effort. That is a rare thing. Who else do we look to but the military when that kind of thing takes shape?
The only person who disappointed us was the prime minister of the day when he came to view the flood lines. We were all sandbagging into the middle of the night. The prime minister of the day made his obligatory visit and got his Guccis a little wet walking into some of the sandbag areas. Somebody gave him a sandbag and he said, “What am I supposed to do with this?”, and kind of turned and walked away. We were disappointed that the only person we could not get really interested in the initiative was in fact our own PM. The rest of the electorate was out there, the mayor of Winnipeg, the premier and all the MPs were on the sandbag lines, and I think citizens were glad to see that kind of effective mobilization.
The other thing I am proud of in the city of Winnipeg, in my home riding of Winnipeg Centre, is that it is home to the only level four virology laboratory in the country. We received this in kind of a backhanded way. Back in the mid-1980s, the Mulroney government gave a CF-18 contract to Montreal, even though Winnipeg had a far better bid and a far lower price. We had everything ready to go. It was an absolute slam dunk that the CF-18 contract would come to the people of Winnipeg. However, for political reasons, as happens so often, it had to go to the province of Quebec at a higher price. It was a bad deal for the taxpayer and certainly a slap in the face to western Canada.
I suppose as a booby prize, Jake Epp, the senior minister from Manitoba at the time, brought home the federal virology lab. Quebec received the billion dollar CF-18 contracts, maintaining our jets and promoting and advancing even more its aerospace industry, and we received a disease factory plunked down in a residential neighbourhood in the middle of my riding. We were not too appreciative at the time. It was a laboratory that the city of Ottawa turned down because it did not want ebola virus and every other disease in the country in its backyard, so we wound up with it.
In retrospect, we are delighted to have this level four virology lab and the international expertise that it brings to our community. However, we were concerned about the safety aspects. I can give an example of something that is in the context of an emergency. We were not so concerned about what happened in the laboratory and in the safety of handling the world's deadliest viruses in the context of the laboratory. I have toured the place. It has thick concrete walls and it is bombproof and bulletproof. However, what we questioned was the shipping and transporting of these deadly viruses from one place to the laboratory. That was the weak link in the chain. We were guaranteed this would be done with the utmost highest protocol, that Brinks trucks would be hired and they would travel in convoys, that there would be three of them and only one would be carrying the virus, so there would be decoys in case terrorists wanted to strike the one that was carrying the virus.
What happened was that as soon as our backs were turned, this was contracted out to FedEx. During a traffic accident on the corner of Logan and William where a FedEx truck ran into another car, what spilled out of the back of the van? It was a bunch of anthrax and Newcastle disease virus, which wipes out chicken populations immediately if it gets into the atmosphere.
Anthrax by FedEx is a far cry from Brinks trucks and decoys. I almost fell off my chair. I could not believe what a violation of trust this was. At the time I said, anthrax by FedEx, what is next, ebola virus by bicycle? That would be the only thing more ridiculous than anthrax by FedEx.
We were disappointed and let down in terms of emergency measures preparedness because that could have been a catastrophe. This level four laboratory is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood. It is not on the outskirts of town and it is not in an industrial park. As far as I am from you right now, Mr. Speaker, are occupied homes in a poor end of town. I guess that was some of the thought process, that it did not really matter that much because it was just in a poor end of town. It would not happen in Tuxedo, River Heights or some affluent end of town. They would not put up with a level four disease laboratory with guys shipping anthrax by FedEx but they did not seem to have any hesitation doing it in the middle of my riding, the poorest riding in Canada.
We are conscious of these things. It is a net benefit, I suppose, to the Health Sciences Centre campus that is in the heart of my riding and that this level four disease laboratory serves a national and international function in assessing and analyzing dangerous viruses, whether it is in animals or a threat to people. I should recognize and pay tribute to Dr. David Butler-Jones and Dr. Frank Plummer, the senior officials who run our level four laboratory in Winnipeg and my comments are in no way to show disrespect for the valuable work they do. I just wish they would tighten up their protocol for shipping their bugs around my city.
The last issue I would like to raise in terms of emergency measures and in the context of Bill C-12, which was also raised by my colleague from Yukon which was very helpful, is the issue of global warming. I hope the bill acts as the enabling legislation to allow senior ministers, no matter what their jurisdiction, to contemplate, prepare for and be seized of the issue of the consequences of global warming. On television the other day, I heard a climatologist say, with some sense of pride, that in the next year or two we would be able to sail the Northwest Passage uninterrupted with no icebreakers. He said that it would be open as a shipping lane and he cited the advantage to this.
I remind anyone who is thinking in those terms of the cautionary note of Tim Flannery, the world's leading authority on climate change, who was a guest at our convention in Quebec City not two weeks ago. He cited the fact that if we were ever to have the Northwest Passage open as a shipping lane, every other port in the world would be under four feet of water. He said that there would be no place for those ships to load and unload their product because we would be in a Noah's ark situation here. The world would be underwater and certainly coastal regions.
I raise that perhaps as the ultimate cautionary note as we enter into an analysis of our emergency readiness as a nation. Are we ready for this onslaught that we are bringing upon ourselves with climate change? What concrete steps are ministers of the Crown taking today to prepare ourselves for what could be a self-imposed Armageddon? I am not one of those to stand around with a sign saying “the end is near”, but I say to my colleagues and friends in the House of Commons that the end is near if we do not turn ourselves around and stop this looping effect, this compounding effect of global warming that we are doing to ourselves.
If there is any one single thing we need to do to prepare for emergencies, it is to prepare ourselves for this doom that will be upon us if we do not correct our practices, our man-made polluting of this planet to the point where it will not be habitable any more. We are soiling our own nest to the point where we will not be able to live on this planet and there is no amount of bills and legislation that we can pass that will turn that around without the political will of every minister, of everyone in authority at every level of government in the world in fact. If there has ever been an argument for world cooperation, it surely has to be to save the planet, and that transcends Bill C-12. That will need to be the motif that becomes a thread through all of our actions as elected officials.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg talked about a lot of different issues and only a very few of those really refer to the bill itself.
The bill talks about increasing the cooperation between all jurisdictions in disasters. My hon. colleague made mention of the Red River flood in 1997. It was devastating for the province of Manitoba and for my riding. I was out sand bagging. I made sure I went along with our Canadian soldiers who were also sand bagging and helping the local residents and our province in protecting our assets. We are extremely grateful for that.
It is that type of cooperation among all jurisdictions, Manitoba, all provinces, the federal government and the municipalities, that made it happen.
In my riding just in the last two years we have had two disasters that required EMO services. We had a flash flood that went through Lester Beach, which was extremely devastating and completely unpredictable. There was no way we could have had any preventative measures in tact to prevent what happened. Cars were washed into the river and houses were lifted off their foundations and moved 20 feet or 30 feet.
This year a tornado went through Gull Lake and killed one lady. We had a lot of damage in the community. Houses were completely destroyed. Seasonal residences were completely demolished. We could not even make out what was there before.
Because of those situations we need to ensure that we strengthen the whole Emergency Measures Act. That is why I support the bill.
The member talked about the Red River floodway. The bill is also trying to address the whole issue of being preventative. He mentioned Duff Roblin, the Conservative premier of Manitoba. Back in the sixties he had the vision and the dream to build a giant ditch to divert water. I think only construction of the Panama Canal moved more earth than the Red River floodway in Manitoba to divert water around our capital region and protect the city.
There have been some problems with that, and we have an expansion going on right now. A lot of the negative impacts are happening in my riding. We might sacrifice the city of Selkirk and historic site of Lower Fort Garry because of not taking the extra preventive measures to ensure that we have riverbank stabilization down the entire river right out to the mouth of the Red River into Lake Winnipeg.
When he is talking with his NDP colleagues back at the provincial level in Manitoba, does he feel we need to ensure that we have preventative measures in place so we are not just dealing with mitigations and trying to address things after the fact, after the damage is done, like groundwater contamination, property damage and ongoing infrastructure damage, because of not having that foresightedness?
Mr. Speaker, the member for Selkirk—Interlake has a legitimate point. There is a cautionary tale for anyone who interferes with nature. The flow of a river is not something to be taken lightly. It can have adverse consequences that we might think we can control as engineers, carpenters and builders, but often we are powerless to stop. There is a legitimate caution that nothing we do should adversely affect those downstream.
That goes back as far as the Magna Carta. One of the very first things cited in any kind of written record about how we relate to each other and govern ourselves is the rights of those downstream. Thou shalt not do something that is going to affect the water rights of one's neighbour down the stream.
The city of Selkirk has a legitimate argument as do the people of Manitoba as the Governor of North Dakota seeks to divert Devils Lake through the interbasin transfer of water into the Red River system and to pollute our beloved great inland sea, Lake Winnipeg. That is worth noting in the House of Commons in the context of an emergency measures debate as well.
The state of North Dakota is acting like a rogue state. I think it is acting more like North Korea than North Dakota in its absolute intransigence to listen to the scientists, to listen to reason, to listen to the pleas of its neighbours to the north who have a legitimate grievance. It is not allowed to violate the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act just because it has a water problem in Devils Lake, North Dakota. That lake is full of invasive species that will get into this other whole drainage basin that flows up the Red River to Lake Winnipeg and into Hudson's Bay.
It is a catastrophe waiting to happen. It is a violation against nature. It is a crime against Mother Nature to divert water in this interbasin way. I hope our emergency measures team are ready to cope with this lack of sensitivity from our American neighbours to the south. It is a pressing problem that deserves the attention of the House. I know it has the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his counterpart in the United States, Condoleezza Rice, but we had it on the table for years.
I personally have gone to Washington with Lloyd Axworthy to appeal to American senators from those northern states and said, “Don't do this for heaven's sake. Don't commit this crime against nature”, and they continue to plough ahead with it. It is an emergency for the province of Manitoba.
[Translation]
[English]
Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the hon. member for Winnipeg Centre, has outlined for us what the parameters are when we are dealing with emergency preparedness.
When we dealt with the ice storm in Ottawa and Quebec as well, when I was volunteering to help out the army and others, one of the things that became crystal clear was that we relied upon the front line workers, the men and women, who are nurses, paramedics and people in our military, and we need to support them.
One area that concerns me greatly is the public health issue in emergency preparedness. We do not have enough public health nurses ready to go because we have abandoned public health. We need more capacity.
How can we better prepare ourselves in our communities by involving, training and building more nursing capacity?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been generally lucky that we have been relatively free of catastrophic events. I am 50 years old and very few events stand out like the Ottawa ice storm or the flood of the century in 1997 in Winnipeg.
I am concerned as well that perhaps we are not building a culture of preparedness and not preparing in anticipation of these events. We can be sure that as climate change becomes more and more a reality, radical climatic events are going to happen more frequently. The magnitude of the ice storm itself ground down a great city in a few short hours. We can be assured that there will be similar events all over the world on a more frequent basis. There is no way to ensure against that level of devastation, but we can prepare for the human effect, and that is workers on the ground, public health workers, people who are deputized to leap into action.
I am surprised we do not have the type of emergency measures preparation going on today like we did during the Cold War. Drills would be held now and then in classes and students would be told to dive under their desks. They were told what to do in the event of nuclear fallout.
We do not contemplate disaster and happily go along because we are a peaceful nation and blessed with very few natural catastrophic events in terms of earthquakes, floods, ice storms and hurricanes. Let us not kid ourselves, though. We are bringing this upon ourselves, and we will realize more of these events with a vengeance as climate change becomes more of a reality.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-12, which is an act to provide for emergency management. It is a very important bill.
In summary, the bill is designed to strengthen Canada's readiness to mitigate the impact of, prepare for, prevent and respond to all hazards. It really replaces the Emergency Preparedness Act of 1988 and is virtually identical to Bill C-78 introduced in 2005 by the previous government. Even though there is a new government in place, there is not much new. The Conservatives are still building on the good acts of the previous government. There are exceptions to that, such as where they sold out to big rail in terms of the Canada Transportation Act and they are selling out to big grain under the Canadian Wheat Board Act, but we will leave that for another day.
In short, the Liberal Party welcomes the government's reintroduction of the emergency management bill tabled by the Liberal government in November 2005. The introduction of the bill last year fulfilled a promise made in our national security policy of April 2004.
The act builds on the excellent Liberal record on security since 9/11: one, an investment of over $9.5 billion to strengthen national security, to improve emergency preparedness and to contribute to international security; two, the creation of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness; and three, the establishment of a national 24-7 government operations centre to coordinate federal emergency responses.
Having been a former solicitor general after 9/11, I can certainly vouch for the measures that are taken in this bill. It is a strange thing about us as a country. Canada is a great country. We are tolerant people and we have many benefits, but sometimes we take safety and security a little too much for granted. The Red River floods were mentioned earlier. There is the odd hurricane in the country. In fact, during hurricane Juan in eastern Canada I lost two barn roofs in my own operation. But those events are small compared to what happens in other countries around the world. Then we add some of the terrorist actions that are happening. In fact, the President of Afghanistan spoke about some of those activities this morning.
We have to be vigilant on all fronts in terms of the natural hazards and in terms of the man-made hazards through terrorism and other means. As a former solicitor general I know from having seen things up close how important some of these measures that are proposed in this bill are to the safety, the security and the preparedness for emergency events within Canada.
It is important to review some of the activities that have taken place since 9/11. These measures add to that. I know the government opposite tends not to mention these, but it is important to see what we are building on as we provide greater safety and security for the country.
On October 3, 2003 the deputy prime minister of the day, John Manley, announced the smart border action plan. There was NAFTA a little earlier, but at that point in time he gave a fairly substantive report on it.
I want to outline for Canadians some of the things that have been done through that 30 point plan on which this bill actually builds. Canada and the United States had agreed to develop common standards for biometrics which both countries use and they had agreed to adopt interoperable and comparable technology to read those biometrics. That is still being worked on; progress is constantly being made in that area. There was the announcement of permanent resident cards, a single alternative inspection system, the NEXUS highway system at the border crossings.
The amount of trade that goes on between the United States and Canada is to the tune of between $1.6 billion to $2 billion a day. We saw what happened in the wake of 9/11 when the border system virtually shut down and how it affected both economies. It is important in what we do in terms of emergency preparedness and security measures, that that commercial activity is still able to flow and that residents of both countries can feel secure with those measures in place.
As I said in a question earlier, I am extremely disappointed by the action the United States has taken with the new inspection fees. It is really disguised protectionism under the guise of security. I may talk about that later in a little more depth.
Other measures were taken in the 30 point smart action plan. There was a refugee asylum processing system, a statement of mutual understanding which would allow countries to more effectively exchange information on immigration related issues. That is the way we should be moving, with a processing system that actually looks at the facts instead of the fiction that some congressmen and senators in the United States are talking about, such as putting up the towers as if there were a major immigration system coming from Canada. There is not. For whatever reason, some people around the President of the United States like to operate on the politics of fear and try to blame Canada as if we were part of the problem. We are not.
We have made major steps ahead, as I said, with the expenditure of $9.5 billion to ensure the security of our country, the security of our border and indeed, the security of North America.
There was agreement on a process of managing those refugees and asylum claims. We had improved a better visa policy coordination.
Point seven in the plan was air preclearance. Probably most people in the House have taken advantage of air preclearance at several airports within Canada and the United States. If we go through preclearance, it saves time, it is better for business, it is better for people doing commercial business and it is indeed secure.
We had worked on the advanced passenger information and passenger name record. I agree that is somewhat controversial, and the Minister of Transport certainly knows how controversial it is. I will state unequivocally that even though it is controversial, it is one of those areas we have to look at it in order to give the assurance of security.
I might just move aside from the 30 points for a minute and say that one of the greatest difficulties in my experience in this whole area of security is the balancing of civil liberties and the protection of security in a country. It is a difficult area. There always will be grey areas, but we have to find that balance and it is not always easy to do.
Point nine was the joint passenger analysis units.
We established stronger measures for maritime security and ferry terminals. I have had the opportunity to see some of those in action. Containers are passed through X-ray machines to ensure there is not material in those containers that would have an impact on the country.
We have moved toward compatible immigration databases, immigration officers overseas, international cooperation between Canada and the United States and other countries. We harmonized commercial processing in a number of areas. There is still a lot more work to be done but it was a key point at the time. That was trying to provide clearances away from the border which would give a greater measure of security.
We established a number of joint facilities, common customs data, container targeting at seaports, infrastructure improvements overall, better intelligence in terms of the transportation system, and better critical infrastructure protection.
The member for Edmonton Centre yesterday spoke on this whole area of infrastructure. We are not only talking about roads, highways, water and sewage. In this new era we are talking about communications and related areas and food security. All those infrastructure areas have to be protected in the kind of world we live in today.
Point 22 was better aviation security. We have succeeded in doing that.
Point 23 was integrated border and management enforcement teams. We called them IBETs. There were some 14 established across the country. I have seen them operation. People in Canada and the United States can have great confidence in how those IBETs work. They bring together a cross-section of law enforcement agencies, whether it is the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police, the New York State Police, marine police and so on. They communicate and coordinate in a fashion that will make a difference in terms of the protection of the country's security.
We had established joint enforcement coordination at a number of locations at a cross-border crime forum for the prevention of crimes and the protection of the security of the nation.
We moved ahead with integrated intelligence in areas that we called integrated national security enforcement teams, or INSETs, which I think moved a long way since 9/11. The security bodies, whether it be the CIA, CSIS and others, came together for coordination and cooperation.
I see that time is passing, so I will just mention the other points by name.
There was the agreement to continue cooperation in the removal of deportees; counter-terrorism legislation; freezing of terrorist assets; joint training and exercises between the two countries; biosecurity; and science and technology cooperation.
Those were some of the advances that have in fact been made by the previous government, an expenditure of $9.5 billion. This bill moves forward in some of those areas. The revised act grants new powers to the Minister of Public Safety to exercise national level leadership in emergency management in four areas.
First, coordinating federal responses to emergencies in Canada and the United States. It is extremely important in those areas on this continent that our ministers responsible act concisely and coordinate their efforts.
Second, establishing standardized elements for the Government of Canada in terms of emergency plans. As a country we need to know what our plan is before it happens. That is extremely important.
Third, monitoring and evaluating emergency management plans of federal institutions. If there was an incident in this country, that is absolutely necessary, whether it is a natural, man-made or terrorist act.
Fourth, enhancing cooperations with other jurisdictions through common standards and information sharing. We have made massive moves ahead in that area of cooperation and coordination.
I want to close though in terms of one of the areas that I am disappointed in, as I said earlier. We can see the measures that the Government of Canada has taken in our country and in coordination with other countries around the world, and especially in coordination and cooperation with the United States, to ensure that we live on a safe and secure North American continent.
Yet, the Americans have imposed these fees under the guise of security, which I think are protectionist measures. I am disappointed in that because when we look at the record, this country stands at the front of the line in terms of security and emergency preparedness. This bill will in fact assist in that regard and I support it.
Is the House ready for the question?
Some hon. members: Question.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Royal Galipeau): The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Some hon. member: Agreed.
An hon. member: On division.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Royal Galipeau): I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.
(Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee)
Private Members' Business
[Private Members' Business]
[English]
Canada Labour Code
moved that Bill C-295, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers), be read the second time and referred to a committee.
She said: Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand in the House to debate C-295, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code to prohibit the use of strikebreakers
Strikebreakers, scabs and replacement workers, call them whatever, they have no place in modern labour negotiations. The issue has been coming up in the House for well over 20 years. Similar bills have come close to being passed that would eliminate the use of strikebreakers.
In 2002 and 2005, anti-scab bills were lost by only a handful of votes. It is time for this Parliament to deliver what Canadian workers have been asking for: fairness, justice and equality.
I would like to recognize the work that our party has done over the years for labour rights in Canada. We have fought, since our inception, to bring equity and fairness to workers because what is good for workers is good for all Canadians.
The NDP understands that workers' rights are human rights, that workers have fought for and won the right to form unions, to bargain collectively, to withdraw their labour to achieve gains in the workplace, or to stop destructive practices.
Personally, I feel very strongly about this amendment. Working in the labour movement for over 12 years, I have seen firsthand the devastation that scabs have on a workforce and in communities. I have seen families torn apart and alienated over many years because of an ideology that does not support workers' rights.
Fair wages, a safe workplace, health care and pensions are just some of the things that the labour movement and collective bargaining have achieved. Many of these things are now taken for granted, gains that our forefathers and mothers fought for and even died for, so that future generations would have better working conditions and better lives.
The bill that we are debating today is fundamental to protecting those hard-fought gains. The bill contains a consequence when workers' rights are ignored. Without real deterrents the use of strikebreakers will continue to erode the legacy of generations of past workers.
The bill is similar to another private member's bill currently making its way through the House. I would like to thank my hon. colleagues from the Bloc for the work that they are doing, and have done in the past, standing up for working women and men in Quebec. The province of Quebec understands and respects the rights of workers and has had anti-scab legislation for almost 30 years.
I hope my hon. colleagues will support this bill and give workers across the country the real protection that they deserve.
C-295 is a much stronger amendment to the Canada Labour Code. It would prohibit the use of replacement workers and it has a real deterrent, a consequence if replacement workers are used in a strike or lockout. Without deterrents that will make employers think twice before breaking the law, the amendment is less effective and leaves workers without protection.
I know there will be arguments from other hon. members who disagree with this amendment, so let me say how these changes will benefit workers and their employers, their workplaces, the community and the economy.
Currently, 97% of collective agreements are negotiated without a strike or lockout. That is because most employers know they have a legal responsibility to negotiate with their unionized employees. However, when that does not happen, when an abusive employer ignores that responsibility and strikebreakers are called in, tensions rise in the workplace and on the picket line. Both sides generally get dug into their positions and the strike or lockout is left to drag on. The scabs are generally caught in the middle of what becomes a volatile situation and are often used by the employer.
These situations leave lasting scars on workplaces and communities and sometimes never fully heal. The cost in reduced or lost production can have devastating effects on local economies for many years to come.
By eliminating the practice of scab labour, we are likely to see the amount of strikes and lockouts drop and those that do happen will not last as long.
In Quebec, for example, since adopting anti-scab legislation in its labour code, it has gone from an average of 39 days lost due to strikes down to 15 days. In B.C. there was a 50% drop in the number of days lost in the first year the law was introduced there. In Ontario, where it had anti-scab law in place for only two years, there were similar results.
Shorter lockouts and strikes mean the impact of work stoppages on families and communities is lessened. As strikes and lockouts drag on, other businesses suffer. Workers on strike or locked out do not have the money to spend that they once had. This can have a prolonged impact on small and single industry towns and that impact could last for many years after the dispute.
Scabs are also generally exploited. They tend to be desperate, in need of a job, and can be paid less than unionized workers to do the same job. They have no job security. The conditions they work in are generally worse as health and safety standards, hours or work, as well as other conditions of the collective agreement do not apply to them.
By lowering working standards we are putting workers' safety and possibly other lives in jeopardy. Scab workers bring out the worst in employers and employees. Their use creates strife and malice. Those who do cross a picket line are not quickly forgotten.
C-295 would go a long way toward reducing tension and violence on a picket line. Strikes and lockouts are hard enough without watching day after day someone else goes in to do someone's job. Sometimes tensions and frustrations build until it is expressed in violence.
There is evidence that domestic violence increases during periods of labour unrest. While violence is never excusable, it helps to understand the root cause so we can act to prevent this type of behaviour.
By ending scab labour we will create a more peaceful picket line. Resentment on both sides will not be as strong and therefore productivity and company loyalty will return sooner, making the employee-employer relationship much more healthy and productive.
Others have argued that the current labour code already deals with replacement workers. They point out that the current law, subsection 94(2.1), which reads in part:
No employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall use, for the demonstrated purpose of undermining a trade union’s representational capacity rather than the pursuit of legitimate bargaining objectives, the services of a person who was not an employee in the bargaining unit--
It goes on to state that this current language was created through consultation between labour and management and is therefore fair and balanced.
However, subsection 94(2.1) explicitly allows the use of scabs, replacement workers, as long as the employer is not undermining the collective bargaining process. By their very nature, scabs undermine collective bargaining.
When they are used, there is no incentive for employers to go back to the bargaining table and bargain in good faith with their employees. If there is no ability to use replacement workers at all, the ability to undermine the bargaining process would be diminished.
The Ekati diamond mine strike in the Northwest Territories is a recent example of how employers like BHP Billiton, a multi-billion dollar a year company, took advantage of the current legislation. During negotiations, BHP tried to remove articles that had previously been negotiated and it took the union months to present its case in front of the labour relations board even though BHP was in clear violation of the labour code.
The company continued to operate with replacement workers and there was no significant penalty for trying to undermine the collective bargaining process. Without serious deterrents or consequences there is nothing stopping this type of behaviour from happening again.
Another recent lockout of Telus employees that was allowed to drag on for months causing tension on both sides could have been a lot shorter if the company did not have the ability to use replacement workers. I salute all those workers who hung in there to maintain the gains that they made under very trying circumstances.
We know this legislation can work. In Quebec, there has been virtual silence from employers whenever the labour code is up for review. In my home province of B.C. in 2002, the government left the anti-scab clauses alone in its rewrite of the provincial labour code. It knows, as employers do, that anti-scab legislation works.
Progressive changes at the federal level will send a strong signal to the remaining provincial governments to introduce bills to end the use of replacement workers.
Canada's federal labour laws cover one out of every ten jobs across the country, jobs that play a critical role in our national economy. In today's world, reducing the risk of disruption at our borders, airports and telecommunications networks is vital. This debate has gone on for well over 20 years. I am sure that if we listen closely, we can still hear the sound of the previous debates echoing in the chamber.
As parliamentarians, we must come together and say, no, to the arcane and destructive practices of using scabs, replacement workers and strike breakers. We must do what is in the best interests of working families. We must support this crucial amendment to the Canada Labour Code.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, does the member know that only two provinces in Canada have enacted anti-scab legislation, and after 30 years there are still only two?
Is this because it works so well? Ontario enacted such legislation in 1993, then had to repeal it in 1995.
[English]
Mr. Speaker, yes, I recognize that only two provinces in the country have anti-scab legislation, but Ontario did not have to get rid of its legislation. It could have kept it and I think it would have seen a lot less friction in its negotiations and strikes.
I know many workers in the provinces are working very hard and lobbying their provincial governments as well as the federal government to bring anti-scab legislation to every provincial labour code and to this federal body as well.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with much of what the hon. member for Vancouver Island North said in her presentation. As a member of Parliament from British Columbia, I agree that the worker replacement legislation in British Columbia has worked very well.
She properly recognizes that replacement workers are often vilified, exploited and mistreated in many ways. I would very respectfully ask the member to not refer to replacement workers as scabs. She talks of scab labour. This is a highly derogatory term, which I believe, in the interest of calm and respectful relationships between employers and employees, should not be used when referencing employee replacement legislation.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate my colleague from Vancouver Island North on her bill.
My question is this: could she underline the importance of an anti-scab law to the social climate in labour-management negotiations during a labour dispute?
[English]
Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well about labour disputes. I believe he is very much in support of anti-scab legislation as we have talked about this. Where tensions already exist in the workplace and they come to a head, one side decides to either lock out their employees or the employees decide to walk out. Those tensions carry over into the community, homes and families. As I mentioned, there has been a documented increase in domestic violence and also violence on picket lines.
Mr. Speaker, first, we are on the threshold of quite an important moment in the House, with two very important bills on this same matter in front of the House. There is actually the possibility, despite the opposition of a minority government, that the House might do the right thing and put in place laws to protect workers in the contract negotiation process.
I want to congratulate my friends from the Bloc.
[Translation]
They introduced their own bill. It is very important. We also have ours.
[English]
The New Democrats have been behind this legislation for many years and we look forward to its passage in the House.
I would ask the member to reflect on some of the impacts, if she has the time to comment, or maybe other members can comment later in the debate. I have stood on picket lines as bus loads of workers were rushed through, workers who were being exploited by the plant owners. These contacts are absolutely terrible and do not need to be in place nor do they need to happen. It is time for worker protection now and this law can do it.
Mr. Speaker, I have also been on a picket line and have seen replacement workers go in to do our jobs. It is very stressful situation, but it is also demeaning to the replacement workers and everyone who is involved in the situation.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleague from Vancouver Island North for becoming involved in the democratic process and for making the effort to introduce a bill. However, I do not share her opinion, and I will explain why.
The Government of Canada carefully examined Bill C-295 and determined that we cannot support this bill, which amends the Canada Labour Code to prohibit the use of replacement workers in sectors under federal jurisdiction.
The Government of Canada reached this conclusion after taking a careful look at the bill and in light of two very basic principles. First, does the proposed legislation maintain the fragile balance needed in labour-management relations, which are so vital to Canada's economic and social performance? Second, is there evidence to support the idea that such a law would benefit workers? The answer to these two questions is no.
Labour-management relations have repercussions on both management and unions, and any law that concerns those relations must take both parties' aspirations into account. I would just like to mention that the repercussions of labour-management relations go far beyond the two parties' concerns. I will explain.
Labour-management relations affect Canada's economic and social performance. They affect production, employment, salary gains, profits, individual incomes, productivity and competitiveness, to name just a few of the main aspects of an economic and social system. A government must keep this broader picture in mind when making appropriate laws in the area of labour-management relations. There is a basic principle that should always be taken into account. This principle calls for a balance between the aspirations of unions and those of management and requires that the greater national interest always be kept in mind.
The second principle—the principle of evidence—is equally important. Before a law is amended, there should be clear evidence that the change will be beneficial. What is important here is balance. The current system is in line with the two principles I have described.
The Canada Labour Code was amended in 1999, barely seven years ago, in an attempt to modernize our legislation and improve collective bargaining. During consultations, balance was achieved, and it was approved by unions and employers alike.
In fact, both sides presented legitimate arguments regarding the issue to be considered and, in a fair and transparent manner, the government took the time to examine all arguments before enacting the legislation, which, still to this day, respects the interests of both parties as well as national interests.
The provisions regarding replacement workers in the Canada Labour Code that were enacted in 1999 are balanced, work well, and do not need to be amended. The current provisions reflect the approach agreed upon by stakeholders within the unions following extensive consultation when Part I of the Canada Labour Code was amended in 1999. The current provisions take into account not only the interests of those two sides, but also national interests.
Bear in mind that this legislation regulates the federal private sector, which includes all the main industries of the infrastructure that ensures the proper functioning of our economy, such as air, rail, sea and ground transportation, to name a few. For those who may not be familiar with the details of the current system, allow me to explain how the existing legislation brings a balanced approach to the issue of replacement workers.
Current provisions do not impose a general prohibition on replacement workers, but they do ban the use of replacement workers if the intent is to undermine a union's representational capacity.
The employees in a union or an employee association, if they feel wronged, can file a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board if they believe the employer is indeed using an unfair labour practice.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board has the mandate and expertise to resolve such problems, which they review quite quickly.
What are the problems with this bill? Allow me to explain how the situation would change if this bill were enacted. If passed, this bill would disrupt the balance of the interests, a disruption that would hinder the effectiveness and efficiency of the collective bargaining process.
The main economic leverage of the unions during the collective bargaining process is their right to strike. The employer's countervailing power is not the right to a lockout; it is the right to try for a short period to continue to operate its business with a certain limited capacity during a work stoppage until the problems are resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. Such is the true test of the economic force that stems from the results of the appropriate collective bargaining for the economic situation of the day.
A total ban on the use of replacement workers would paralyze the economic right of employers to operate in a slow economy and could lead them, unfortunately, to structure their business so as to reduce their dependence on permanent employees for fear of being vulnerable.
This would be inconsistent with the workers' interests and would undermine the fragile balance currently contained in our labour legislation.
The other principle is that of evidence. As I mentioned earlier, there is absolutely no evidence that the proposed change in the bill would help workers.
Allow me to address some essential variables that are clearly important for the workers.
First, there is no evidence that legislation on replacement workers reduces the number of work stoppages. In fact, Quebec continues to have many more work stoppages than Ontario, which does not ban the use of replacement workers. For example, in 2005, Quebec had twice as many work stoppages as Ontario and four times as many as in the federal sector.
Second, there is no evidence that legislation on replacement workers means work stoppages are shorter. For example, the average duration of work stoppages in Quebec was 47 days compared to 38 in Ontario, between 2003 and 2005.
Third, there is no proof that legislation governing replacement workers would reduce the average duration of work stoppages. For example, despite Quebec legislation to that effect, the average work stoppage in that province rose from an average length of 37 days, for the 1975-1977 period, to an average of 47 days for the 2003-2005 period.
Fourth, there is no proof that legislation governing replacement workers reduces the number of days of work lost. For example, Quebec lost 1.5 times the number of working days lost in Ontario, on a comparable basis, during the same period of 2003 to 2005.
Finally, there is no proof that replacement worker legislation has any effect on salaries. For example, Ontario does not have such legislation and British Columbia does; in both provinces, wage settlements in 2005 were marginally lower than in Quebec.
Thus, there is no evidence indicating that prohibiting the use of replacement workers has any of the alleged benefits for workers. First, there are no fewer work stoppages; second, work stoppages that do occur are not any shorter; and third, it has no visible effect on the number of days lost or the amount of salary increases.
To conclude, I would like to reaffirm that principles should dictate our strategic response: the principles of national interests and evidence that justifies the amendment being sought. In both cases, there is no justification for amending the law.
Today, union relations in the federal private sector are the best they have ever been. Last year, over 95% of conflicts governed by the Canada Labour Code were resolved without work stoppages.
Most federally-regulated employers do not hire replacement workers. In many cases, managers or other employees excluded from negotiations are reassigned in order to maintain operations.
Consequently, the Government of Canada cannot support this bill as it does not respect the two major principles for legislative reform: it is not based on evidence and it has no benefit to the national economy.
[English]
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today to Bill C-295, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code, replacement workers.
The House may find that it is experiencing a bit of déjà vu, as the House is also considering Bill C-257, a bill with the same title, same principle and same goal. Nonetheless, I am pleased to speak today and address this important labour issue.
I have a bit of a different perspective than most members on labour issues. I grew up in eastern Europe in the 1950s and 1960s. The House is familiar with the strife, fighting and the unrest that existed in many former Warsaw Pact countries. The transition to communism brought much upheaval to communities all across eastern Europe. We all had to make significant lifestyle changes while living under its powerful grip. Thankfully, my family came to Canada in the 1960s. We came to a land of peace, social security and balance. I am shaped by my childhood experiences, as we all are, and I do not take the social cohesion and solidarity we enjoy in this country for granted.
Peaceful relations between employers and workers are the norm in Canada. This was the case in the 1960s and it still is today. We must do what we can to ensure that we continue to enjoy social security as well as labour, peace and stability.
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines economy as the state of a country or area in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money. We often equate the economy with finances but it is much more than that. It is a human construct of perimeters that include a whole range of human activities.
A stable economy, in my view, brings with it peace, security and an environment in which people may gain a livelihood. People may work, enjoy leisure time, spend time with families and friends, pursue hobbies and engage in sports, academics or whatever they may choose.
No one should underestimate the influence of the labour movement on our day to day activities and our economy in the above sense. Peace and stability in the labour movement ensures that we may enjoy our lives to the fullest extent possible.
I grew up in an environment where this was not possible because of the power of the Communist dogma and the labour unrest and discontent that it entailed. The tensions were high between the working class and the government. Trust me when I say that this is not a situation in which anyone should want to find himself or herself. That is why I chose to speak today.
An act that restricts replacement workers from being hired during a strike or lockout is important. It is important for workers, for employers and, ultimately, for all Canadians.
Anti-replacement worker legislation is presently on the books in British Columbia and Quebec. This is an important policy for ensuring that rights are respected and all stakeholders are brought to the table. Such legislation may help to end strikes or lockouts sooner. It can help bring people together to make compromises and ensures an end to the work disruption, which comes at a later time.
Anti-replacement worker legislation is about encouraging all players to come together to find common ground and find the solution. A lockout or strike inevitably entails tension, hard feelings and stress between workers and management. We must seize the opportunity to help reduce tensions and bring the parties together on some sort of equal footing.
The principle of this legislation and Bill C-257 allows the Canada Labour Code to be a progressive document. We have a duty as parliamentarians to look after both the interests of workers and employers. We can best do this by respecting human rights, ensuring an inclusive environment and a level playing field for all.
I have spent the last few minutes speaking in support of the principle of the bill. It is unfortunate, though, that the House has to deal with Bill C-295. We already have another legislative proposal, Bill C-257 on the order paper. I question why the hon. member for Vancouver Island North introduced Bill C-295 after an almost identical bill was introduced just 13 days prior to her own bill.
As a result, I question the efficiency of the House having to deal with Bill C-295. It would be much more efficient and more conducive to realize the goal of the legislation if we were to all work together and urge our colleagues to support Bill C-257 which was already on the order paper. This way the House could have spoken with one voice on this matter in a much more focused fashion.
Even the leaders of the Canadian Labour Congress want to see one piece of legislation because it means a better chance of something actually getting passed in the House. With anti-replacement legislation already on the order paper, this would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for the hon. member for Vancouver Island North. As she knows, private members do not often get the opportunity to bring the issue that matters to them most to the floor of the House.
As I was lucky to be number eight in the private members' draw, I put a motion on rural route mail delivery before the House. In my view, she could have worked with the member for Gatineau on the replacement worker legislation and introduced another bill or motion on another important issue in her riding. After all, every constituency has several matters that deserve attention. In that way she could have had her anti-replacement worker legislation and addressed another subject of importance to her constituents.
Let us put our support behind workers and employers in a focused fashion and speak with one voice. A legislative proposal of this kind has been before the House several times before. Let us work together in a concrete fashion, like we are urging employers and workers to do, and get Bill C-257 to committee so it can be further studied and we can hear from stakeholders and experts in the field.
I have a riding that is very much engaged with the Canadian economy. A number of head offices and headquarters are located in Oak Ridges—Markham and I have a very low unemployment rate. As a matter of fact, I am pleased to host a business seminar in my riding.
On October 11 in Markham, Public Works and Government Services Canada will be doing a seminar presentation on how to do business with the Government of Canada. I am pleased to host this seminar which would be useful for any enterprise in attempting to promote its goods and services to the Government of Canada.
I congratulate members for raising the issue of replacement workers in the House and I look forward to hearing from my colleagues in the debates that follow.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the NDP member for Vancouver Island North, for her presentation and clarifications. I especially want to thank her for introducing this anti-scab bill.
As hon. members are aware, last June, the Bloc Québécois, represented by my colleague from Gatineau, introduced Bill C-257 in this House. This bill truly prohibits replacement workers, because the existing Canadian legislation does not.
At present, part III of the Canada Labour Code prohibits replacement workers, but an employer just has to keep negotiating with a union, or pretend to be negotiating, in order to hire as many replacement workers as it wants.
This is the tenth time the Bloc Québécois has introduced an anti-scab bill in this House. Some bills died on the order paper, while others were not votable. The second-last bill was defeated by 18 votes and the last bill, in 2005, by 12 votes. We intend to carry the vote in late October. We will do everything in our power to win it.
This House can see that we are in good shape to win the vote on this bill, because the NDP will support us. Moreover, every Liberal member who has spoken in this House has promised to support us. Things are looking good, and we are confident that our Liberal colleagues will eventually decide as a group, this time publicly and officially, to support both the Bloc Québécois bill and the NDP bill.
The Bloc Québécois is in favour of improving conditions for workers, who make a vital contribution to our society's economic well-being and quality of life. Clearly, the Bloc Québécois will support our NDP colleague's bill.
However, because Bill C-257 will be put to a vote first and will pass, we trust that it will not be necessary to hold a second vote on a nearly identical bill. There are slight differences between the two bills, and I would have liked the member for Vancouver Island North to describe them, because our bill seems more comprehensive and appears to cover a greater variety of situations. That said, we support Bill C-295 introduced by the NDP.
The benefits of a bill like this one are well known. Currently, there are two classes of workers in Quebec, one of which falls under the Quebec labour code. They have the right to very effective anti-scab legislation that makes for shorter, less violent disputes and contributes to a more positive work environment. This is perfectly clear because Quebec has had legislation in place since 1977; the facts are obvious.
I would like to cite a few statistics, but one has only to look to see the situation clearly. Anyone who watches TV news reports or reads the newspapers will have noted that over the past 30 years, the longest, most violent, most difficult strikes, those that produce the most arduous labour disputes, are the ones that take place within organizations that fall under federal jurisdiction.
I would like to try to refresh the minister's memory. Vidéotron: an extremely violent strike that lasted 10 months during which many Vidéotron facilities were vandalized. Sécur: more vandalism and another long and difficult dispute that lasted three months.
Cargill: 38 months—that is more than three years. This conflict caused wounds to the community of Baie-Comeau that have yet to heal.
The Radio-Nord Communications strike lasted nearly two years—22 months, to be precise. My favourite—if I can call it that—because it was the most ridiculous of them all, was the labour dispute at radio station CHNC in Bonaventure. It lasted three years. After two years, the 12 replacement workers demanded membership in the union.
Clearly, this is senseless. The replacement worker option leads to just the kind of difficulties and absurd situations as those the Bonaventure radio station experienced. The minister stated his point of view, but I do not agree at all.
The first time that he spoke in this House against the Bloc Québécois' proposed bill, he referred to studies and analyses conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute and the Fraser Institute. Those analyses were strange, to say the least, because they were based on outdated information—the figures were from 1960 to 1999. The studies had been conducted in very large businesses, although the Quebec economy is based primarily on SMEs. There are data much more recent than those of 1999. On the strength of the Fraser Institute study, the Minister of Labour had argued that there was less investing in those provinces that have anti-scab legislation.
We were quick to point out that those two studies made no sense and that investing depends on many other factors besides anti-scab legislation. In any case, the statistics we see do not correspond to this argument.
He found other arguments to justify the fact that he was against the bill. In 1991, the Minister of Labour voted to support an anti-scab bill. I would point out that, at the time, he was a member of the same party, but he had the interests of the workers in his riding at heart. He represents the riding of Jonquière—Alma, which has one of the highest degree of union representation of any riding in Quebec, if not all of Canada.
How is it, then, that he supported anti-scab legislation a few years ago, but he no longer supports it now?
On May 1, 2006, he replied to me in this House that, being theMinister of Labour, he now had to consider the issue from a Canadian perspective. It was very interesting, because he seemed to be in agreement. In his introduction, he said that it was desirable in Quebec, because of its distinct society. I do not agree with that either, because I believe we are a nation. He chose to translate it by "distinct society". Thus, he was saying that Quebec is a distinct society and that anti-scab legislation is part of its traditions, but since he was now a minister, he had to view things from a Canadian perspective.
Is it possible that the Minister of Labour has cashed in his social conscience for a limousine? Would that be possible? I ask the question because it is just too incredible. In 1991, he agreed and today he no longer does because he is the minister.
Does this mean that he would agree if he were a mere MP today? Imagine that the member for Jonquière—Alma, Minister of Labour, truly wishes to defend the interests of the workers in his riding. Then should he not, in caucus and cabinet, seek to convince his colleagues and the ministers of the Conservative Party of the pertinence of an anti-scab bill for which he voted in 1991 and which, he believes, is part of Quebec's traditions? That is what he said last May.
Now he only sees the disadvantages of this legislation. He says it is not based on proof and that it has no advantages. I will not repeat each of his arguments, but it is impossible that there are no advantages. It is impossible that there has been such a law in Quebec for 30 years that has no advantages for workers or for industry. The latter are not complaining and have adapted quite well to this law. I doubt they would go so far as to promote it but they are living quite well with it.
It is an exaggeration to say that there is not a single advantage; it means that it is insignificant.
[English]
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to join in the debate.
I thank my colleague, the hon. member for Vancouver Island North for introducing the bill. Those who know her background will know how proud she is, like myself, to be a product of the Canadian labour movement. She carries those values and important priorities with her to this place. That is why I know that she feels so good about bringing forward this legislation.
The fact there are two pieces of legislation, we can talk about a red herring. We barely lost the vote the last time by a handful of votes which were primarily Liberals. Conservatives were not really expected to be sympathetic to workers and their needs, so there is no shock there. We are very much like-minded with the Bloc on this issue in terms of believing this is important for working people. The Liberals put themselves forward as a party that supposedly cares about workers and yet they divided on this issue. There were enough Liberals opposed that it lost.
The fact that there are two bills here means that we are going to get two hours to talk about this issue and to put the matter forward. Members of the Canadian Labour Congress are here today and are watching very closely. We intend to make sure that the bill carries this time, but if it is not this time, it will be the time after that, or the time after that, or after that, or after that. This fight will not stop until this legislation is brought in and the workers of the country are protected the way they should be.
That is why the member is proud to bring the bill to the House. That is why I am proud to stand here and lend my voice and precious vote to this issue.
Let us also deal with another little bugaboo that is out there. I understand some people do not like the term “scabs”. I appreciate that. It is a vulgar word. It puts terrible images in one's mind. It is a horrible thing to call someone. But let me tell the House, a scab is a scab is a scab. When people take workers' jobs when those workers are fighting to have a decent income so they can put food on the table and take care of their families, those other people deserve to be called scabs. I will always call them scabs. We are not backing off on that.
Let us tackle the issue of whether or not this legislation would do all kinds of damage. If we listen to some we would swear the whole economic roof of the country is going to cave in.
For 30 years it has not just been the PQ in charge in Quebec. There have been Liberals. Of course, we all know that is a nice euphemistic term for all the right wingers under one umbrella. In fact, the current Liberal premier used to be a Progressive Conservative. That was back when there were progressive-type Conservatives. That is a little different. Nonetheless he is very much on the right wing of the political landscape in Canada. Does that premier say that he is going to pull this legislation or change it? No.
What about British Columbia, the other province that has this legislation? It is the same thing, Liberal. Everyone in B.C. who is not an NDPer becomes a Liberal. Did they pull that out when they did a major wrecking job, in my opinion, with major reforms to the labour bill in B.C.? Did they change this? No.
For all the bogeymen that former premier of Ontario Mike Harris used to talk about this legislation containing, in 1994, the first full year of the anti-scab legislation in Ontario, we had record levels of investment in the manufacturing sector in Ontario. One of the most highly unionized sectors in all of Ontario under anti-scab legislation, under an NDP government, and we had record capital investment in the year 1994.
If this legislation did as much harm as everyone says, it would not last another day in Quebec. It would not last another day in B.C. It would not have shown record investment in Ontario. Those are all bogeymen and red herrings meant to deny workers their rights under this bill because quite frankly, the employers do not want it. That is what this is all about.
The other big bugaboo we hear on this issue is that it makes for a fair fight. If the workers decide they are not going to work, it seems reasonable that the employer should be able to hire people to replace them; fair is fair. Nothing could be further from the truth in terms of what is fair.
The inability of workers to earn a wage is their pressure to get back to the bargaining table. The economic pressure of companies not being able to operate and make money brings them to the table. That is the equilibrium that is not right here because while the worker has no ability to earn that income, if the employer can bring in scabs to do the work, then there is no fight. It is a slaughter because economically the company keeps going.
We cannot equate a company's ability or inability to survive economically with moms or dads who have been on the picket line for five or six months. They show up on the picket line at dawn, having just had coffee with their spouse, and try to figure out how they will tell their kids there will not be any presents at Christmas.
I see some of the Conservatives snickering. I am fascinated that they find that funny.
They should go on a picket line where the people have been on strike for four months and there are scabs going in to do their jobs and let us see how many chuckles they get out of that. It is disgraceful.
There is nothing more frightening than being on the picket line after months and months, and not being able to pay bills or meet daily requirements and not know what tomorrow will bring. Then there are people going in every day, taking their jobs and guaranteeing they will still be on that picket line the next day.
Do we wonder why there is violence on the picket line? It is not radicals or union goons who create the violence. It is ordinary working people who finally snap under the pressure because they just cannot face going home another day with no answer as to how they will buy the food they need. It is that basic.
Sometimes some people in this place get a little distant from that real world. That is the real world with millions of Canadians. All they want, all that we want to ensure is that they have the decent protection of labour laws that make it a fair fight. That is all they want. They want to make it a fair fight.
We should give those workers their opportunity to have the best collective agreement that can be fairly negotiated between them and their employers. However, as long as we permit a corporation or a company to continue to operate by bringing in scabs, then we as a nation, with our laws, are imposing a huge injustice on those workers.
Another reason to do this, if we believe in it, is that we only have it in two provinces. That is a good reason to pass it nationally, so those people fighting for it in the other provinces have something to point to. If they can say that we have a national law which is good enough for the national Government of Canada, then it ought to be good enough for their province or their territory. We would be showing leadership and be leading by example.
Let me conclude by saying that this is not asking for a lot. It really is not. That is why it keeps coming back. That is why the Canadian Labour Congress puts its precious dollars into these campaigns. It is all about fairness. If we believe in economic fairness, then we want to believe that every Canadian is entitled to be protected by this legislation, not just those in the provinces of B.C. and Quebec but all Canadians. That is what this place is about, fairness for Canadians, and we have the power.
I implore a handful of Liberals, which is probably what we need right now, to change their minds and their last vote. Maybe they did it because they were government and it was party whipping or whatever. They should find any excuse. But please, I hope they search their hearts and their conscience, and realize that the precious vote they have been given can make a world of difference, a lifetime of difference, to people who otherwise do not have a voice.
The time provided for the consideration of private members' business has now expired and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the order paper.
[Translation]
It being 2:32 p.m., the House stands adjourned until Monday next at 11 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 2:32 p.m.)
APPENDIX
Address
of
His Excellency Hamid Karzai
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
to
both Houses of Parliament
in the
House of Commons Chamber, Ottawa
on
Friday, September 22, 2006
His Excellency Hamid Karzai was welcomed by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, by the Honourable Noël Kinsella, Speaker of the Senate and by the Honourable Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons.
[English]
I call upon the Right Hon. Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, to address this joint session.
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr. Speaker of the Senate, colleagues from both Houses of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Speaker, today it is my great pleasure to introduce His Excellency, President Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan.
[English]
Before I get to his introduction, I know the President will understand and forgive me for taking a few minutes to acknowledge some others, because there are some very important people with us here today. Were in not for them, in fact, President Karzai might not be here.
Afghanistan might still be ruled by tyrants and terrorists. Their courage and their commitment is the steel in Canada's national will to fight against global terrorism and to fight for peace and security in Afghanistan.
They are the wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and comrades of the brave Canadians who are rescuing and rebuilding President Karzai's long-suffering homeland. Among them are veterans of that noble mission, including some who have shed their blood on Afghan soil.
I know everyone in this House will join me in saluting them for their courage and sacrifice.
And now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce to this House the first democratically elected leader in the history of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.
In October 2004, he won a clear majority over 22 other candidates. He took 55% of the over eight million votes cast, and may I say that I am very impressed and more than a little envious of this record of electoral success, but we should not be surprised by it.
[Translation]
A proud Pashtun born in Kandahar, Mr. Karzai speaks six languages and attended universities in Kabul and India. He began participating in his country's political life early on. He has witnessed more upheaval and confrontation than any of us can even imagine. As President, he has faced even more dangers.
[English]
In the 1980s, when he was a student in India, his beloved country was invaded and occupied by the Soviets.
He became an important figure in the Afghan popular resistance movement and helped the mujahedeen drive out the communists.
When the Taliban seized power in the 1990s, Hamid Karzai took a stand for his country once again, but his refusal to collaborate with the fanatical regime was a costly one.
He was forced to live in exile and therefore was not at home when his father was assassinated, almost certainly by agents of the Taliban.
A lesser man might have retreated from public life. However, Hamid Karzai stepped forward again in 2001 to bring political and economic progress to his people after the Taliban were ousted from power by a coalition of countries acting under the mandate of the United Nations.
He embarked on a campaign to persuade the international community to donate resources needed to rebuild his shattered country.
[Translation]
When the leaders of the Afghan tribes met in 2002 to choose a leader and an interim government, Hamid Karzai was there to serve his country yet again.
His electoral success should come as no surprise. He is a symbol of his country's progress in its long journey toward freedom and democracy.
[English]
That is why we should listen very carefully to him today as he tells us about the progress that is being made on security and reconstruction in Afghanistan; about the advance of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law; about the role our defence personnel, diplomats, development workers and tax dollars are playing; and about the challenges that remain.
Mr. President, before you take the podium from me, I would just like to share a personal reflection.
[Translation]
A little over a week ago, a madman opened fire on college students in Montreal. Since then, Canadians have been mourning the young woman who died and praying for the survivors.
Recently, I thought of those students as I was taking my own young children to school. I also thought of the thousands of young children in your country who face that kind of violence and risk every day.
[English]
They face that violence, not from an isolated madman but from the remnants of a regime that once ruled your country, people who oppose any education, particularly any education for girls, people who are prepared to deliberately kill children to achieve their fanatical goals, and we know this is not some theory.
This week we learned sadly in this country of the deaths of four Canadian soldiers, killed by the Taliban, as they stopped to assist Afghan children, in an attack in which scores of young Afghan children were maimed and injured.
Those Canadians, Mr. President, all the Canadians in Afghanistan and I think all Canadians, are thankful for the peace and prosperity that our children enjoy almost as a birthright, and we want to share our blessings with the children of your country.
That is why, at your request, we are in your country.
[Translation]
Mr. President Karzai, here you are among friends.
[English]
Canada's mission to your country has been, over the years, consistently backed not just by our government but by most in this Parliament, most notably by my colleague and sometimes adversary, the hon. Leader of the Opposition. All of us want to help you and your embattled people and we so eagerly await your words.
Colleagues, His Excellency, the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.
[Applause]
Honourable members of Parliament, in Afghanistan, in a very respectful place, you wear your hat, so I will wear my hat as a mark of respect.
[Mr. Karzai spoke in Arabic]
The Right Hon. Prime Minister, hon. Speaker of the Senate, hon. Speaker of the House of Commons, hon. members, ladies and gentlemen.
[Translation]
I thank you very much for this great honour and for welcoming me to the people of Canada's House.
[English]
Honourable members, I stand before you today with deep emotions. It is a pleasure to be among friends in Canada today and to be visiting a great nation that is a model to the rest of us for all that is good.
Yet, I know my visit comes at a time of sadness for a number of families across Canada who have lost loved ones in my country, Afghanistan. I also know that it is a time when many in Canada are pondering their country's role in Afghanistan.
Therefore, in addition to the hon. members, it is to those families and the Canadian public that I wish to address myself today.
If the greatness of life is measured in deeds done for others, then Canada's sons and daughters, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan, stand among the greatest of their generation. On Saturday, four of your fallen soldiers will return home to their final resting place.
They have sacrificed so that we in Afghanistan may have security. They have sacrificed to ensure the continued safety of their fellow Canadians from terrorism.
I know that there are many others who also feel the emptiness and loss of their loved ones. My heart goes to the families, the friends, and the Canadian people at this time of reflection and sorrow for those families.
More than anyone else, Afghans very much understand that these sacrifices are for a great, good cause. It is the cause of all of us as humanity, the cause of security for all, and the cause of peace in the basics of life for Afghan children as, Mr. Prime Minister, you earlier mentioned.
Honourable members, the people of Afghanistan have suffered from over two decades of invasions and destruction. The miseries of the Afghan people began with the invasion of our country in 1979 and continued until the tragedy of September 11, brought to the world by al-Qaeda and its associates.
The freedom loving Afghan people, backed by supporters from what was then referred to as the free world, fought and defeated the invasion, facilitating the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall. These were indeed significant accomplishments of our time, for which Afghans paid dearly. Over one million Afghans lost their lives, another one million were disabled, more than a quarter of our population became refugees in neighbouring countries and elsewhere, and our country's infrastructure was razed to the ground.
Whereas Afghans had fought and won the world's war against communism, the reward that Afghanistan received was abandonment by the international community. We were left with a world of destruction to rebuild and at the mercy of a predatory neighbourhood and bellicose extremist forces that had been brought to Afghanistan. Few cared about the dismal plight of the Afghan people and even fewer thought about the consequences of leaving a country so dangerously vulnerable to foreign extremists.
It was in this environment that al-Qaeda, with supporters in the region and beyond, set up its deadly campaign of terror against Afghans and the whole world. While the Afghan people continued to suffer and while we continued to warn the international community about the danger of international terrorism that was brewing in Afghanistan, the world remained unmoved.
Both our sufferings and our warnings were ignored as if Afghanistan did not exist. Perhaps by the standards of today's world we did not exist, for we had nothing to sell to the world or nothing to buy from the world, so we did not matter.
The tragedy of September 11 showed in a terrible way the flaws of the arguments against helping Afghanistan. For one thing, it showed that, in fact, the cost of ignoring Afghanistan was far higher than the cost of helping it. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought home to many in the West the pain of terror and the fear that we in Afghanistan had been feeling at the hands of foreign-sponsored terrorists for so many years before September 11. And when the international community forces, including Canadians, came to Afghanistan later that year, they came as partners under the banner of a United Nations Security Council Resolution to liberate Afghanistan from the extremist forces which had seized control of our nation many years before that.
The arrival of the international community to our rescue after 9/11, however, was not a partnership solely of military might. Over the last five years, Afghanistan and the international community have developed a remarkable partnership which I would call a cooperation of civilizations, a partnership that extends from enhancing security to developing the rural areas of Afghanistan to providing education and health services to our needy people. Canada, in all respects, has been among the leaders of this partnership.
Thanks to Canada’s contributions, Afghanistan today is profoundly different from the terrified and exhausted country it was five years ago. Today, Afghanistan has the most progressive constitution in our region, which enables the Afghan people to choose their leadership for the first time in their history through democratic elections. Over the past five years, our people have voted in two elections, one for the president and another for parliament.
With the inauguration of Parliament, 28% of women were placed as members of Parliament. All the three branches of the state have been established. More than six million children are going to school today. To bring a comparison, during the time of the Taliban, only 700,000 children went to school; only boys. Today, over six million children go to school; over 35% of them girls, from little girls to adult girls.
Once, five years ago during the rule of the Taliban, people were running away from Afghanistan. We have seen in the past five years that over four and a half million of our refugees have returned to the country, from His Majesty, the former King of Afghanistan, living in Italy, to the political leaders of the country, to the educated elite of Afghanistan in Europe, America and Canada, to the millions of refugees, poor ones, living in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan. They have all come back home.
Afghanistan, Mr. Prime Minister and hon. members of Parliament, because of your help, is once again the home of all Afghans.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear!
Hon. Mr. Hamid Karzai: During this period, we have also disarmed thousands of illegally armed persons, collected thousands of weapons, light and heavy. We have begun to create our national army and our national police. We have achieved fiscal stability. Our economy has grown. When we began in 2001, our income per capita was only $180. Today, it is only $355 but it is twice more than $180. In short, we in Afghanistan have embraced the vision of a prosperous and pluralistic society which Canada so richly embodies.
A democratic nation is not built overnight, nor in one or two elections. A democratic state draws its strength not only from strong state institutions but from the confidence of the people in those institutions and in the democratic process. Afghanistan's democracy will continue to grow, will continue to develop and will continue to gain the confidence of its people but only with patience and with the continued support of Canada and other members of the international community. As we move forward, we will continue to look to Canadian institutions, like this great Parliament, and to Canada's pluralistic traditions to help us move forward.
Despite our phenomenal progress, our new democracy faces serious challenges and threats. Insecurity in parts of our country, as a result of the rise of terrorist activities, is our greatest challenge. Five years ago, Afghans and international forces defeated terrorists within two months because of the power of the international community and the will and desire of the Afghan people. While some terrorists were removed, most of them ran away and took refuge in neighbourhoods beyond our borders.
Unfortunately, it was in those sanctuaries beyond our borders where they were reorganized, trained, financed and provided with ideological motivation to come into Afghanistan, kill our children, kill our teachers, kill the clergy, destroy mosques full of worshippers, destroy schools, destroy clinics, kill international aid workers, attack international security forces and try to bring us defeat.
A year ago, in southern parts of Afghanistan, all schools were open. Today, all over the country, as I speak to you, more than 150 schools are burned by these terrorists and 200,000 children, boys and girls, who went to school last year cannot go to school today because of these attacks. Terrorism sees its ultimate defeat in the prosperity of the Afghan people which is why terrorists attack.
Polio, which was almost eradicated, with only four cases last year, this year 27 cases have been registered by the minister of health and only in those areas of the country where terrorism has come back to strike health workers, children and their parents.
Terrorists are prepared to cross any boundaries and commit horrific acts of violence to try to derail Afghanistan from its path to success. They want the international community to fail, and I emphasize they want the international community to fail in its collective endeavour to help Afghanistan rebuild. That is why they decapitate elderly women in the name of spying for the coalition forces. A 75-year-old woman in Afghanistan rarely goes out of her house and is busy almost all the time with her grandchildren. You cannot imagine that a 75-year-old Afghan lady in the village would be in contact with either the international security forces, with the Afghan government or with any entity outside the walls of her house. However, they would kill her and then label her a spy just to frighten us all into the dark ages.
That is why, again, terrorists are killing international soldiers and civilians who have come to help Afghanistan. Clearly, unless we confront them more decisively, terrorists will continue to attack us everywhere, in Afghanistan and in the rest of the world. We will not succeed in eliminating terrorism unless we seek and fight the source of terrorism wherever it might be and dry its roots.
Our strategy of fighting terrorism in Afghanistan has so far been mainly focused on addressing the symptoms of terrorism, that is, on killing terrorists who come from across our borders. This strategy is bound to fail unless we move beyond the military operations in Afghanistan and to address terrorism's political ideological and financial basis. We must also show that extremism is not used by any country or entity as an instrument of policy.
Unless we go to the roots of terrorism, to where they are trained, where they are equipped and where they get inspiration, in other words, to the sources of terrorism, the world will not be a safer place for all of us, not Afghanistan, nor any other country.
Globally that is true too. If terrorists continue to harm innocent people around the world, which is what we have seen happen from New York, to Bali, to Madrid, to London, then it is our collective duty to stop them at the point of origin, at the breeding grounds before they can reach far and wide.
Fighting terrorism collectively is also tied to our fight against drugs. The menace of narcotics feeds terrorism and threatens the foundation of legitimate economic development in Afghanistan. A combination of factors, mainly a lack of a conducive security environment for our counter-narcotics efforts, absence of a comprehensive alternative livelihoods program and clandestine credit flows to poppy farmers from outside are behind the narcotics trade in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is committed to fighting narcotics, alongside terrorism, with strength and determination and through a combination of law enforcement and economic measures. We expect that the international community will continue to support us in this fight by enabling us to provide meaningful alternative livelihoods to our farmers.
The narcotics problem in Afghanistan is as serious as terrorism. As an Afghan, I know, as do the members of my delegation, that if we do not destroy poppies in Afghanistan, poppies will destroy us. Therefore, trust us when we say that we will fight them and we will because we want a country as good as yours and a parliament as good as yours. We will not have that unless we have destroyed poppies. However, it will take effort in the world and many years of patience before we succeed. I hope you will have the patience to bear with us for that long, perhaps five to ten years.
Honourable members, today, under the United Nations mandate and consistent with the wishes of the Afghan people, your sons and daughters are together with the citizens of more than 35 other nations committed to security for Afghanistan, while more than 60 nations, along with multilateral organizations, have pledged generously to help rebuild our wartorn country and to have a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.
Canada has made a tremendous difference in the lives of millions of Afghans already. I have described only five or six aspects of the improvement of life. I have told you of children going to school. I have told you of millions of refugees coming back. I have told you of parliament coming back. I have told you of women back in parliament and in the workplace. There are hundreds of other examples, ladies and gentleman, honourable members, of where your country is helping us on a daily basis to secure our country, to bring us a better life, better roads, better agricultural production, a thriving civil society and press freedom that is unprecedented in Afghanistan.
Today in our country, where we had no television station five years ago, we have six television stations, private ones, all critical of me. We have more than 300 newspapers, again, almost all of them critical of me. Over 30 radio stations belong to the civil society. There is no part of the media that the government owns and the ones that we own people do not listen to, they do not watch.
Now extend that to the Afghan villages and the access that Afghans in the countryside suddenly have to world news, to the rights that the constitution has given to them and to the awareness that this is the right they have, that the government is nobody to give it to them, that it is theirs. This has come to us because your troops are serving in Afghanistan, because your taxpayer dollars are helping in Afghanistan. That presence of your sons and daughters and your resources has enabled Afghanistan to offer this great virtue to all people.
We are proud, honourable members, to be recipients of your assistance. It has gone a long way, as I mentioned earlier, in addressing the needs of our people, especially with the kind of generosity that you have offered that help.
Mr. Prime Minister, you chose Afghanistan as your first foreign journey and we are grateful for that. You have shown steadfast support for us and for the ideals that we share together through this Parliament and through the government.
I am also grateful, ladies and gentlemen, honourable members, to the two former prime ministers, Prime Minister Chrétien and Prime Minister Martin, for they too committed to Afghanistan and for the Parliament of Canada for having made that possible.
Honourable members of Parliament, those of you who visited Afghanistan, from the Senate and the House of Commons, and those of you who helped Afghanistan through your work in this Parliament should know that this help may seem little to you here, but it multiplies a thousand times when it goes to Afghanistan, for you do not know, sitting in this Parliament, the desperation of the Afghan people, the need for security of the Afghan people and also the danger that the lack of security can bring us here in Canada or in the United States. Therefore, your help to us for building us into the future is much more valuable than perhaps you can imagine. It takes us into the future, a secure future.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is much that we can learn from Canada, from a society that speaks two languages, which is exactly what we do in Afghanistan. When I address the Afghan people, I do exactly as you did today, Mr. Prime Minister. I switch from one language to another. We have learned from your experience: the freedom to all the languages, the recognition of the minority languages. The national anthem of Afghanistan was a year ago in Farsi. Today it is in Pashto, another official language of ours, but the national anthem of Afghanistan, through the modern constitution that we built for us, through your help, recognizes today all the 14 major ethnic groups of Afghanistan and it is in our national anthem to mention all the 14 ethnic groups of Afghanistan. It is a beautiful song. It is not that long. It only takes a minute.
Once again, your presence there and your help there has brought to Afghanistan the stability of a political system that is working toward a better tomorrow, and I thank you for that, too.
Honourable members, in Afghanistan we admire your respect and adherence to the rule of law. That is what we are trying to do in our country, for justice and for human dignity—we feel so stepped upon in Afghanistan by all those invaders—of the Afghan man and woman. We are trying to do that with your help. Most important, we admire your determination to help Afghanistan, at times with the dearest sacrifice that mankind can offer, the lives of your soldiers.
I sometimes think, what if Afghanistan soldiers were serving in Canada, what would the families of Afghanistan think when an Afghanistan soldier died in Canada? Would they justify it? Would they see the value in it? Would they understand it? When I think of the interconnectedness between humanity today, the dangers and the virtues, together, I understand that, yes, it is sad but it is worth it.
Afghanistan also sheds blood there. Every day we lose the lives of our children, we lose the lives of our soldiers, we lose the lives of our teachers. We lost one of our best governors, the most educated of ours, to a suicide bomber. All of that is for a common cause, the cause of security for all of us. It is this cause of security that you are serving in Afghanistan, but in Afghanistan you are not only serving the cause of security for the international community and your country, you are also helping one of the most oppressed societies in the world and its little children.
Thank you.
[Applause]
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker, Your Excellency President Karzai, Mr. Prime Minister, Honourable Senators and members of the House of Commons, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of all the parliamentarians and everyone here today, it is my honour, Your Excellency, to thank you for your visit and for your clear and eloquent speech to this joint session of Canada's Parliament.
[English]
President Karzai, your acknowledgment of the contribution of Canadian men and women to the development of a modern, free and democratic Afghanistan is greatly appreciated. I am confident that our brave Canadian Forces personnel, together with the humanitarian workers presently deployed in your country are pleased that you have had this opportunity to salute, in the Parliament of Canada, their important work.
We are proud of those Canadians who work alongside the Afghan people, together with participants from 37 countries in the NATO and United Nations, to assist the men and women of Afghanistan in building all elements of your civil and national society.
[Translation]
Today, your country is emerging from its dark era of terror and fear. You have adopted a constitution establishing a democratic Islamic government. You have held democratic elections, re-opened the schools and begun to breathe again after years of war and tyranny. Canada is proud to have been able to help you attain these objectives.
[English]
Mr. President, Canada is proud to have assisted the men and women of Afghanistan in accomplishing the goals achieved to date. Together, we have restored hope. Indeed, hope restored, Spem Reduxit, is the very motto of my province of New Brunswick. “Hope Restored” might very well serve as the beacon, as we continue to collaborate with the people of Afghanistan. Our NATO and United Nations colleagues are fully aware that the process of rebuilding Afghanistan has only just begun. We know that the road ahead will be difficult, and we are all too aware of the costs involved.
[Translation]
That is why we are grateful to you, Your Excellency, for addressing the participants of this joint session of Canada's Parliament.
While Canada has a long history of establishing and maintaining peace all around the world, our mission in Afghanistan presents special challenges for the diplomats, police officers, soldiers and development officers.
We are pleased to hear you talk of their contributions and the work that remains to be done.
[English]
The past five years since 9/11 may be only a short time in the order of history, however in that short space of time, Canada and Afghanistan have developed new and lasting ties. Canadians have become aware of Your Excellency’s historic country as never before, and they hope that, through their efforts and sacrifices, Afghanistan will become a safer place, and the world along with it.
We look forward with hope to the day when all peoples will live in the fullness of freedom, a day when we will be able to give priority to mutually celebrating the music, the art and the literature of each other’s cultures.
President Karzai, Your Excellency, your address to this joint session of the two houses of the Parliament of Canada has reassured us that our contributions are bearing fruit. Allow me, therefore, on behalf of all here present, to thank you once again for your address, and to wish you and the people of Afghanistan, Godspeed.
[Applause]
[Translation]
President Karzai, Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Harper, Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Kinsella, members of the diplomatic corps, hon. senators, hon. members, ladies and gentlemen.
[English]
President Karzai, on behalf of the members of the House of Commons, and indeed of all of us in the chamber today, I would like to thank you for having addressed us. As the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's first democratically elected president, you carry with you the dreams and aspirations of your people for a safe and prosperous nation, and that is not an easy burden to shoulder.
The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive, and I have no doubt that at times it is a very difficult and indeed lonely task, but you are not alone, as I hope you know. You and the Afghan people have many friends here in Canada and indeed all over the world. They are eager to see your country rebuild itself and more than willing to help in that connection.
[Translation]
The Parliament of Canada is no exception. Last June, it hosted a group of men and women who work for the National Assembly of Afghanistan who came to attend the Parliamentary Officers' Study Program here in Ottawa. This program shows participants how our Parliament works and compares our practices to their own legislatures.
[English]
All of us who had the privilege to meet and work with these dedicated individuals were struck by their commitment to their nation and to their fellow citizens, as well as their determination to restore to health the phoenix that is Afghanistan, if I may borrow a phrase you yourself have used, Mr. President.
The men and women who participated in this study program are serving the first Parliament elected in more than three decades. The national assembly, composed, like Canada's Parliament, of both an upper and lower house, will celebrate its first anniversary on December 19, 2006. Through their newly elected members, Afghans now have a voice, one which I trust will grow ever stronger with the help of their many friends in the international community.
[Translation]
Mr. President, from what I have read about the history of your country and its people, I understand that poetry is an integral part of life in Afghanistan.
I understand that private poetry competitions are frequently held and almost every family has a poetry collection.
[English]
It was therefore no surprise to learn that you, President Karzai, are also a lover of poetry. I came across one of your favourite poems, and I would like to recite it for all of those in attendance here, first because it is a lovely rhyme, but also because I think it gives us some insight into your own hopes for your country, your own realization that fulfilment is not always easily achieved, but that hope must be kept alive in you and the Afghan people and the friends of Afghanistan, all of whom constitute a large group.
The excerpt is from a poem by Robert Frost called Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
On behalf of all the members of the House of Commons, I thank you again for having visited us today and I wish you good luck and Godspeed in your long journey home.
[Translation]
Godspeed!
[Applause]
APPENDIX
Alphabetical List of Members with their
Constituencies, Province of Constituency
and Political Affiliations;
Committees of the House,
the Ministry and Parliamentary Secretary
Chair Occupants
The Speaker
Hon. Peter Milliken
The Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole
Hon. Bill Blaikie
The Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
Mr. Royal Galipeau
The Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
Mr. Andrew Scheer
Board Of Internal Economy
Hon. Peter Milliken
Ms. Libby Davies
Mr. Michel Guimond
Hon. Jay Hill
Hon. Rob Nicholson
Mr. Joe Preston
Hon. Karen Redman
Hon. Lucienne Robillard
Hon. Carol Skelton
Alphabetical list of Members of the House of Commons
First Session--Thirty Nine Parliament
| Name of Member | Constituency | Province of Constituency | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbott, Jim, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage | Kootenay—Columbia | British Columbia | CPC |
| Ablonczy, Diane, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance | Calgary—Nose Hill | Alberta | CPC |
| Albrecht, Harold | Kitchener—Conestoga | Ontario | CPC |
| Alghabra, Omar | Mississauga—Erindale | Ontario | Lib. |
| Allen, Mike | Tobique—Mactaquac | New Brunswick | CPC |
| Allison, Dean | Niagara West—Glanbrook | Ontario | CPC |
| Ambrose, Hon. Rona, Minister of the Environment | Edmonton—Spruce Grove | Alberta | CPC |
| Anders, Rob | Calgary West | Alberta | CPC |
| Anderson, David, Parliamentary Secretary (for the Canadian Wheat Board) to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Cypress Hills—Grasslands | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| André, Guy | Berthier—Maskinongé | Québec | BQ |
| Angus, Charlie | Timmins—James Bay | Ontario | NDP |
| Arthur, André | Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier | Québec | Ind. |
| Asselin, Gérard | Manicouagan | Québec | BQ |
| Atamanenko, Alex | British Columbia Southern Interior | British Columbia | NDP |
| Bachand, Claude | Saint-Jean | Québec | BQ |
| Bagnell, Hon. Larry | Yukon | Yukon | Lib. |
| Bains, Hon. Navdeep | Mississauga—Brampton South | Ontario | Lib. |
| Baird, Hon. John, President of the Treasury Board | Ottawa West—Nepean | Ontario | CPC |
| Barbot, Vivian | Papineau | Québec | BQ |
| Barnes, Hon. Sue | London West | Ontario | Lib. |
| Batters, Dave | Palliser | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Beaumier, Colleen | Brampton West | Ontario | Lib. |
| Bélanger, Hon. Mauril | Ottawa—Vanier | Ontario | Lib. |
| Bell, Catherine | Vancouver Island North | British Columbia | NDP |
| Bell, Don | North Vancouver | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Bellavance, André | Richmond—Arthabaska | Québec | BQ |
| Bennett, Hon. Carolyn | St. Paul's | Ontario | Lib. |
| Benoit, Leon | Vegreville—Wainwright | Alberta | CPC |
| Bernier, Hon. Maxime, Minister of Industry | Beauce | Québec | CPC |
| Bevilacqua, Hon. Maurizio | Vaughan | Ontario | Lib. |
| Bevington, Dennis | Western Arctic | Northwest Territories | NDP |
| Bezan, James | Selkirk—Interlake | Manitoba | CPC |
| Bigras, Bernard | Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie | Québec | BQ |
| Black, Dawn | New Westminster—Coquitlam | British Columbia | NDP |
| Blackburn, Hon. Jean-Pierre, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec | Jonquière—Alma | Québec | CPC |
| Blaikie, Hon. Bill, The Deputy Speaker | Elmwood—Transcona | Manitoba | NDP |
| Blais, Raynald | Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine | Québec | BQ |
| Blaney, Steven | Lévis—Bellechasse | Québec | CPC |
| Bonin, Raymond | Nickel Belt | Ontario | Lib. |
| Bonsant, France | Compton—Stanstead | Québec | BQ |
| Boshcoff, Ken | Thunder Bay—Rainy River | Ontario | Lib. |
| Bouchard, Robert | Chicoutimi—Le Fjord | Québec | BQ |
| Boucher, Sylvie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | Beauport—Limoilou | Québec | CPC |
| Bourgeois, Diane | Terrebonne—Blainville | Québec | BQ |
| Breitkreuz, Garry | Yorkton—Melville | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Brison, Hon. Scott | Kings—Hants | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| Brown, Bonnie | Oakville | Ontario | Lib. |
| Brown, Gord | Leeds—Grenville | Ontario | CPC |
| Brown, Patrick | Barrie | Ontario | CPC |
| Bruinooge, Rod, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | Winnipeg South | Manitoba | CPC |
| Brunelle, Paule | Trois-Rivières | Québec | BQ |
| Byrne, Hon. Gerry | Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte | Newfoundland and Labrador | Lib. |
| Calkins, Blaine | Wetaskiwin | Alberta | CPC |
| Cannan, Ron | Kelowna—Lake Country | British Columbia | CPC |
| Cannis, John | Scarborough Centre | Ontario | Lib. |
| Cannon, Hon. Lawrence, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | Pontiac | Québec | CPC |
| Cardin, Serge | Sherbrooke | Québec | BQ |
| Carrie, Colin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry | Oshawa | Ontario | CPC |
| Carrier, Robert | Alfred-Pellan | Québec | BQ |
| Casey, Bill | Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley | Nova Scotia | CPC |
| Casson, Rick | Lethbridge | Alberta | CPC |
| Chamberlain, Hon. Brenda | Guelph | Ontario | Lib. |
| Chan, Hon. Raymond | Richmond | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Charlton, Chris | Hamilton Mountain | Ontario | NDP |
| Chong, Hon. Michael, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport | Wellington—Halton Hills | Ontario | CPC |
| Chow, Olivia | Trinity—Spadina | Ontario | NDP |
| Christopherson, David | Hamilton Centre | Ontario | NDP |
| Clement, Hon. Tony, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario | Parry Sound—Muskoka | Ontario | CPC |
| Coderre, Hon. Denis | Bourassa | Québec | Lib. |
| Comartin, Joe | Windsor—Tecumseh | Ontario | NDP |
| Comuzzi, Hon. Joe | Thunder Bay—Superior North | Ontario | Lib. |
| Cotler, Hon. Irwin | Mount Royal | Québec | Lib. |
| Crête, Paul | Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup | Québec | BQ |
| Crowder, Jean | Nanaimo—Cowichan | British Columbia | NDP |
| Cullen, Nathan | Skeena—Bulkley Valley | British Columbia | NDP |
| Cullen, Hon. Roy | Etobicoke North | Ontario | Lib. |
| Cummins, John | Delta—Richmond East | British Columbia | CPC |
| Cuzner, Rodger | Cape Breton—Canso | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| D'Amours, Jean-Claude | Madawaska—Restigouche | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| Davidson, Patricia | Sarnia—Lambton | Ontario | CPC |
| Davies, Libby | Vancouver East | British Columbia | NDP |
| Day, Hon. Stockwell, Minister of Public Safety | Okanagan—Coquihalla | British Columbia | CPC |
| DeBellefeuille, Claude | Beauharnois—Salaberry | Québec | BQ |
| Del Mastro, Dean | Peterborough | Ontario | CPC |
| Demers, Nicole | Laval | Québec | BQ |
| Deschamps, Johanne | Laurentides—Labelle | Québec | BQ |
| Devolin, Barry | Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock | Ontario | CPC |
| Dewar, Paul | Ottawa Centre | Ontario | NDP |
| Dhaliwal, Sukh | Newton—North Delta | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Dhalla, Ruby | Brampton—Springdale | Ontario | Lib. |
| Dion, Hon. Stéphane | Saint-Laurent—Cartierville | Québec | Lib. |
| Dosanjh, Hon. Ujjal | Vancouver South | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Doyle, Norman | St. John's East | Newfoundland and Labrador | CPC |
| Dryden, Hon. Ken | York Centre | Ontario | Lib. |
| Duceppe, Gilles | Laurier—Sainte-Marie | Québec | BQ |
| Dykstra, Rick | St. Catharines | Ontario | CPC |
| Easter, Hon. Wayne | Malpeque | Prince Edward Island | Lib. |
| Emerson, Hon. David, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | Vancouver Kingsway | British Columbia | CPC |
| Epp, Ken | Edmonton—Sherwood Park | Alberta | CPC |
| Eyking, Hon. Mark | Sydney—Victoria | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| Faille, Meili | Vaudreuil-Soulanges | Québec | BQ |
| Fast, Ed | Abbotsford | British Columbia | CPC |
| Finley, Hon. Diane, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | Haldimand—Norfolk | Ontario | CPC |
| Fitzpatrick, Brian | Prince Albert | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Flaherty, Hon. Jim, Minister of Finance | Whitby—Oshawa | Ontario | CPC |
| Fletcher, Steven, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health | Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia | Manitoba | CPC |
| Folco, Raymonde | Laval—Les Îles | Québec | Lib. |
| Freeman, Carole | Châteauguay—Saint-Constant | Québec | BQ |
| Fry, Hon. Hedy | Vancouver Centre | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Gagnon, Christiane | Québec | Québec | BQ |
| Galipeau, Royal, The Acting Speaker | Ottawa—Orléans | Ontario | CPC |
| Gallant, Cheryl | Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke | Ontario | CPC |
| Gaudet, Roger | Montcalm | Québec | BQ |
| Gauthier, Michel | Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean | Québec | BQ |
| Godfrey, Hon. John | Don Valley West | Ontario | Lib. |
| Godin, Yvon | Acadie—Bathurst | New Brunswick | NDP |
| Goldring, Peter | Edmonton East | Alberta | CPC |
| Goodale, Hon. Ralph | Wascana | Saskatchewan | Lib. |
| Goodyear, Gary | Cambridge | Ontario | CPC |
| Gourde, Jacques, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière | Québec | CPC |
| Graham, Hon. Bill, Leader of the Official Opposition | Toronto Centre | Ontario | Lib. |
| Grewal, Nina | Fleetwood—Port Kells | British Columbia | CPC |
| Guarnieri, Hon. Albina | Mississauga East—Cooksville | Ontario | Lib. |
| Guay, Monique | Rivière-du-Nord | Québec | BQ |
| Guergis, Helena, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade | Simcoe—Grey | Ontario | CPC |
| Guimond, Michel | Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord | Québec | BQ |
| Hanger, Art | Calgary Northeast | Alberta | CPC |
| Harper, Right Hon. Stephen, Prime Minister | Calgary Southwest | Alberta | CPC |
| Harris, Richard | Cariboo—Prince George | British Columbia | CPC |
| Harvey, Luc | Louis-Hébert | Québec | CPC |
| Hawn, Laurie | Edmonton Centre | Alberta | CPC |
| Hearn, Hon. Loyola, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | St. John's South—Mount Pearl | Newfoundland and Labrador | CPC |
| Hiebert, Russ, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence | South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale | British Columbia | CPC |
| Hill, Hon. Jay | Prince George—Peace River | British Columbia | CPC |
| Hinton, Betty, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs | Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo | British Columbia | CPC |
| Holland, Mark | Ajax—Pickering | Ontario | Lib. |
| Hubbard, Hon. Charles | Miramichi | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| Ignatieff, Michael | Etobicoke—Lakeshore | Ontario | Lib. |
| Jaffer, Rahim | Edmonton—Strathcona | Alberta | CPC |
| Jean, Brian, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | Fort McMurray—Athabasca | Alberta | CPC |
| Jennings, Hon. Marlene | Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine | Québec | Lib. |
| Julian, Peter | Burnaby—New Westminster | British Columbia | NDP |
| Kadis, Susan | Thornhill | Ontario | Lib. |
| Kamp, Randy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission | British Columbia | CPC |
| Karetak-Lindell, Nancy | Nunavut | Nunavut | Lib. |
| Karygiannis, Hon. Jim | Scarborough—Agincourt | Ontario | Lib. |
| Keddy, Gerald | South Shore—St. Margaret's | Nova Scotia | CPC |
| Keeper, Tina | Churchill | Manitoba | Lib. |
| Kenney, Jason, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister | Calgary Southeast | Alberta | CPC |
| Khan, Wajid | Mississauga—Streetsville | Ontario | Lib. |
| Komarnicki, Ed, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | Souris—Moose Mountain | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Kotto, Maka | Saint-Lambert | Québec | BQ |
| Kramp, Daryl | Prince Edward—Hastings | Ontario | CPC |
| Laforest, Jean-Yves | Saint-Maurice—Champlain | Québec | BQ |
| Laframboise, Mario | Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel | Québec | BQ |
| Lake, Mike | Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont | Alberta | CPC |
| Lalonde, Francine | La Pointe-de-l'Île | Québec | BQ |
| Lapierre, Hon. Jean | Outremont | Québec | Lib. |
| Lauzon, Guy | Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry | Ontario | CPC |
| Lavallée, Carole | Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert | Québec | BQ |
| Layton, Hon. Jack | Toronto—Danforth | Ontario | NDP |
| LeBlanc, Hon. Dominic | Beauséjour | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| Lee, Derek | Scarborough—Rouge River | Ontario | Lib. |
| Lemay, Marc | Abitibi—Témiscamingue | Québec | BQ |
| Lemieux, Pierre | Glengarry—Prescott—Russell | Ontario | CPC |
| Lessard, Yves | Chambly—Borduas | Québec | BQ |
| Lévesque, Yvon | Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou | Québec | BQ |
| Loubier, Yvan | Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot | Québec | BQ |
| Lukiwski, Tom, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Lunn, Hon. Gary, Minister of Natural Resources | Saanich—Gulf Islands | British Columbia | CPC |
| Lunney, James | Nanaimo—Alberni | British Columbia | CPC |
| Lussier, Marcel | Brossard—La Prairie | Québec | BQ |
| MacAulay, Hon. Lawrence | Cardigan | Prince Edward Island | Lib. |
| MacKay, Hon. Peter, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | Central Nova | Nova Scotia | CPC |
| MacKenzie, Dave, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety | Oxford | Ontario | CPC |
| Malhi, Hon. Gurbax | Bramalea—Gore—Malton | Ontario | Lib. |
| Malo, Luc | Verchères—Les Patriotes | Québec | BQ |
| Maloney, John | Welland | Ontario | Lib. |
| Manning, Fabian | Avalon | Newfoundland and Labrador | CPC |
| Mark, Inky | Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette | Manitoba | CPC |
| Marleau, Hon. Diane | Sudbury | Ontario | Lib. |
| Marston, Wayne | Hamilton East—Stoney Creek | Ontario | NDP |
| Martin, Hon. Keith | Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Martin, Pat | Winnipeg Centre | Manitoba | NDP |
| Martin, Right Hon. Paul | LaSalle—Émard | Québec | Lib. |
| Martin, Tony | Sault Ste. Marie | Ontario | NDP |
| Masse, Brian | Windsor West | Ontario | NDP |
| Mathyssen, Irene | London—Fanshawe | Ontario | NDP |
| Matthews, Bill | Random—Burin—St. George's | Newfoundland and Labrador | Lib. |
| Mayes, Colin | Okanagan—Shuswap | British Columbia | CPC |
| McCallum, Hon. John | Markham—Unionville | Ontario | Lib. |
| McDonough, Alexa | Halifax | Nova Scotia | NDP |
| McGuinty, David | Ottawa South | Ontario | Lib. |
| McGuire, Hon. Joe | Egmont | Prince Edward Island | Lib. |
| McKay, Hon. John | Scarborough—Guildwood | Ontario | Lib. |
| McTeague, Hon. Dan | Pickering—Scarborough East | Ontario | Lib. |
| Ménard, Réal | Hochelaga | Québec | BQ |
| Ménard, Serge | Marc-Aurèle-Fortin | Québec | BQ |
| Menzies, Ted, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation | Macleod | Alberta | CPC |
| Merasty, Gary | Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | Saskatchewan | Lib. |
| Merrifield, Rob | Yellowhead | Alberta | CPC |
| Miller, Larry | Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound | Ontario | CPC |
| Milliken, Hon. Peter, Speaker | Kingston and the Islands | Ontario | Lib. |
| Mills, Bob | Red Deer | Alberta | CPC |
| Minna, Hon. Maria | Beaches—East York | Ontario | Lib. |
| Moore, James, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam | British Columbia | CPC |
| Moore, Rob, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Fundy Royal | New Brunswick | CPC |
| Mourani, Maria | Ahuntsic | Québec | BQ |
| Murphy, Brian | Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| Murphy, Hon. Shawn | Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | Lib. |
| Nadeau, Richard | Gatineau | Québec | BQ |
| Nash, Peggy | Parkdale—High Park | Ontario | NDP |
| Neville, Hon. Anita | Winnipeg South Centre | Manitoba | Lib. |
| Nicholson, Hon. Rob, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | Niagara Falls | Ontario | CPC |
| Norlock, Rick | Northumberland—Quinte West | Ontario | CPC |
| O'Connor, Hon. Gordon, Minister of National Defence | Carleton—Mississippi Mills | Ontario | CPC |
| Obhrai, Deepak, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | Calgary East | Alberta | CPC |
| Oda, Hon. Bev, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women | Durham | Ontario | CPC |
| Ouellet, Christian | Brome—Missisquoi | Québec | BQ |
| Owen, Hon. Stephen | Vancouver Quadra | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Pacetti, Massimo | Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel | Québec | Lib. |
| Pallister, Brian | Portage—Lisgar | Manitoba | CPC |
| Paquette, Pierre | Joliette | Québec | BQ |
| Paradis, Christian, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources | Mégantic—L'Érable | Québec | CPC |
| Patry, Bernard | Pierrefonds—Dollard | Québec | Lib. |
| Perron, Gilles-A. | Rivière-des-Mille-Îles | Québec | BQ |
| Peterson, Hon. Jim | Willowdale | Ontario | Lib. |
| Petit, Daniel | Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles | Québec | CPC |
| Picard, Pauline | Drummond | Québec | BQ |
| Plamondon, Louis | Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour | Québec | BQ |
| Poilievre, Pierre, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board | Nepean—Carleton | Ontario | CPC |
| Prentice, Hon. Jim, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | Calgary Centre-North | Alberta | CPC |
| Preston, Joe | Elgin—Middlesex—London | Ontario | CPC |
| Priddy, Penny | Surrey North | British Columbia | NDP |
| Proulx, Marcel | Hull—Aylmer | Québec | Lib. |
| Rajotte, James | Edmonton—Leduc | Alberta | CPC |
| Ratansi, Yasmin | Don Valley East | Ontario | Lib. |
| Redman, Hon. Karen | Kitchener Centre | Ontario | Lib. |
| Regan, Hon. Geoff | Halifax West | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| Reid, Scott | Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington | Ontario | CPC |
| Richardson, Lee | Calgary Centre | Alberta | CPC |
| Ritz, Gerry | Battlefords—Lloydminster | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Robillard, Hon. Lucienne | Westmount—Ville-Marie | Québec | Lib. |
| Rodriguez, Pablo | Honoré-Mercier | Québec | Lib. |
| Rota, Anthony | Nipissing—Timiskaming | Ontario | Lib. |
| Roy, Jean-Yves | Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia | Québec | BQ |
| Russell, Todd | Labrador | Newfoundland and Labrador | Lib. |
| Savage, Michael | Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| Savoie, Denise | Victoria | British Columbia | NDP |
| Scarpaleggia, Francis | Lac-Saint-Louis | Québec | Lib. |
| Scheer, Andrew, The Acting Speaker | Regina—Qu'Appelle | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Schellenberger, Gary | Perth—Wellington | Ontario | CPC |
| Scott, Hon. Andy | Fredericton | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| Sgro, Hon. Judy | York West | Ontario | Lib. |
| Shipley, Bev | Lambton—Kent—Middlesex | Ontario | CPC |
| Siksay, Bill | Burnaby—Douglas | British Columbia | NDP |
| Silva, Mario | Davenport | Ontario | Lib. |
| Simard, Hon. Raymond | Saint Boniface | Manitoba | Lib. |
| Simms, Scott | Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor | Newfoundland and Labrador | Lib. |
| Skelton, Hon. Carol, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification | Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Smith, Joy | Kildonan—St. Paul | Manitoba | CPC |
| Solberg, Hon. Monte, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | Medicine Hat | Alberta | CPC |
| Sorenson, Kevin | Crowfoot | Alberta | CPC |
| St-Cyr, Thierry | Jeanne-Le Ber | Québec | BQ |
| St-Hilaire, Caroline | Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher | Québec | BQ |
| St. Amand, Lloyd | Brant | Ontario | Lib. |
| St. Denis, Brent | Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing | Ontario | Lib. |
| Stanton, Bruce | Simcoe North | Ontario | CPC |
| Steckle, Paul | Huron—Bruce | Ontario | Lib. |
| Stoffer, Peter | Sackville—Eastern Shore | Nova Scotia | NDP |
| Storseth, Brian | Westlock—St. Paul | Alberta | CPC |
| Strahl, Hon. Chuck, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon | British Columbia | CPC |
| Stronach, Hon. Belinda | Newmarket—Aurora | Ontario | Lib. |
| Sweet, David | Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale | Ontario | CPC |
| Szabo, Paul | Mississauga South | Ontario | Lib. |
| Telegdi, Hon. Andrew | Kitchener—Waterloo | Ontario | Lib. |
| Temelkovski, Lui | Oak Ridges—Markham | Ontario | Lib. |
| Thibault, Louise | Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques | Québec | BQ |
| Thibault, Hon. Robert | West Nova | Nova Scotia | Lib. |
| Thompson, Hon. Greg, Minister of Veterans Affairs | New Brunswick Southwest | New Brunswick | CPC |
| Thompson, Myron | Wild Rose | Alberta | CPC |
| Tilson, David | Dufferin—Caledon | Ontario | CPC |
| Toews, Hon. Vic, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Provencher | Manitoba | CPC |
| Tonks, Alan | York South—Weston | Ontario | Lib. |
| Trost, Bradley | Saskatoon—Humboldt | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Turner, Hon. Garth | Halton | Ontario | CPC |
| Tweed, Merv | Brandon—Souris | Manitoba | CPC |
| Valley, Roger | Kenora | Ontario | Lib. |
| Van Kesteren, Dave | Chatham-Kent—Essex | Ontario | CPC |
| Van Loan, Peter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | York—Simcoe | Ontario | CPC |
| Vellacott, Maurice | Saskatoon—Wanuskewin | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Verner, Hon. Josée, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | Louis-Saint-Laurent | Québec | CPC |
| Vincent, Robert | Shefford | Québec | BQ |
| Volpe, Hon. Joseph | Eglinton—Lawrence | Ontario | Lib. |
| Wallace, Mike | Burlington | Ontario | CPC |
| Wappel, Tom | Scarborough Southwest | Ontario | Lib. |
| Warawa, Mark, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment | Langley | British Columbia | CPC |
| Warkentin, Chris | Peace River | Alberta | CPC |
| Wasylycia-Leis, Judy | Winnipeg North | Manitoba | NDP |
| Watson, Jeff | Essex | Ontario | CPC |
| Wilfert, Hon. Bryon | Richmond Hill | Ontario | Lib. |
| Williams, John | Edmonton—St. Albert | Alberta | CPC |
| Wilson, Blair | West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country | British Columbia | Lib. |
| Wrzesnewskyj, Borys | Etobicoke Centre | Ontario | Lib. |
| Yelich, Lynne, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | Blackstrap | Saskatchewan | CPC |
| Zed, Paul | Saint John | New Brunswick | Lib. |
| VACANCY | Repentigny | Québec | |
| VACANCY | London North Centre | Ontario |
Alphabetical list of Members of the House of Commons by Province
First Session--Thirty Nine Parliament
| Name of Member | Constituency | Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
Alberta (28) |
||
| Ablonczy, Diane, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance | Calgary—Nose Hill | CPC |
| Ambrose, Hon. Rona, Minister of the Environment | Edmonton—Spruce Grove | CPC |
| Anders, Rob | Calgary West | CPC |
| Benoit, Leon | Vegreville—Wainwright | CPC |
| Calkins, Blaine | Wetaskiwin | CPC |
| Casson, Rick | Lethbridge | CPC |
| Epp, Ken | Edmonton—Sherwood Park | CPC |
| Goldring, Peter | Edmonton East | CPC |
| Hanger, Art | Calgary Northeast | CPC |
| Harper, Right Hon. Stephen, Prime Minister | Calgary Southwest | CPC |
| Hawn, Laurie | Edmonton Centre | CPC |
| Jaffer, Rahim | Edmonton—Strathcona | CPC |
| Jean, Brian, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | Fort McMurray—Athabasca | CPC |
| Kenney, Jason, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister | Calgary Southeast | CPC |
| Lake, Mike | Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont | CPC |
| Menzies, Ted, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation | Macleod | CPC |
| Merrifield, Rob | Yellowhead | CPC |
| Mills, Bob | Red Deer | CPC |
| Obhrai, Deepak, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | Calgary East | CPC |
| Prentice, Hon. Jim, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | Calgary Centre-North | CPC |
| Rajotte, James | Edmonton—Leduc | CPC |
| Richardson, Lee | Calgary Centre | CPC |
| Solberg, Hon. Monte, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | Medicine Hat | CPC |
| Sorenson, Kevin | Crowfoot | CPC |
| Storseth, Brian | Westlock—St. Paul | CPC |
| Thompson, Myron | Wild Rose | CPC |
| Warkentin, Chris | Peace River | CPC |
| Williams, John | Edmonton—St. Albert | CPC |
British Columbia (36) |
||
| Abbott, Jim, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage | Kootenay—Columbia | CPC |
| Atamanenko, Alex | British Columbia Southern Interior | NDP |
| Bell, Catherine | Vancouver Island North | NDP |
| Bell, Don | North Vancouver | Lib. |
| Black, Dawn | New Westminster—Coquitlam | NDP |
| Cannan, Ron | Kelowna—Lake Country | CPC |
| Chan, Hon. Raymond | Richmond | Lib. |
| Crowder, Jean | Nanaimo—Cowichan | NDP |
| Cullen, Nathan | Skeena—Bulkley Valley | NDP |
| Cummins, John | Delta—Richmond East | CPC |
| Davies, Libby | Vancouver East | NDP |
| Day, Hon. Stockwell, Minister of Public Safety | Okanagan—Coquihalla | CPC |
| Dhaliwal, Sukh | Newton—North Delta | Lib. |
| Dosanjh, Hon. Ujjal | Vancouver South | Lib. |
| Emerson, Hon. David, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | Vancouver Kingsway | CPC |
| Fast, Ed | Abbotsford | CPC |
| Fry, Hon. Hedy | Vancouver Centre | Lib. |
| Grewal, Nina | Fleetwood—Port Kells | CPC |
| Harris, Richard | Cariboo—Prince George | CPC |
| Hiebert, Russ, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence | South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale | CPC |
| Hill, Hon. Jay | Prince George—Peace River | CPC |
| Hinton, Betty, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs | Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo | CPC |
| Julian, Peter | Burnaby—New Westminster | NDP |
| Kamp, Randy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission | CPC |
| Lunn, Hon. Gary, Minister of Natural Resources | Saanich—Gulf Islands | CPC |
| Lunney, James | Nanaimo—Alberni | CPC |
| Martin, Hon. Keith | Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca | Lib. |
| Mayes, Colin | Okanagan—Shuswap | CPC |
| Moore, James, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam | CPC |
| Owen, Hon. Stephen | Vancouver Quadra | Lib. |
| Priddy, Penny | Surrey North | NDP |
| Savoie, Denise | Victoria | NDP |
| Siksay, Bill | Burnaby—Douglas | NDP |
| Strahl, Hon. Chuck, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon | CPC |
| Warawa, Mark, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment | Langley | CPC |
| Wilson, Blair | West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country | Lib. |
Manitoba (14) |
||
| Bezan, James | Selkirk—Interlake | CPC |
| Blaikie, Hon. Bill, The Deputy Speaker | Elmwood—Transcona | NDP |
| Bruinooge, Rod, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | Winnipeg South | CPC |
| Fletcher, Steven, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health | Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia | CPC |
| Keeper, Tina | Churchill | Lib. |
| Mark, Inky | Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette | CPC |
| Martin, Pat | Winnipeg Centre | NDP |
| Neville, Hon. Anita | Winnipeg South Centre | Lib. |
| Pallister, Brian | Portage—Lisgar | CPC |
| Simard, Hon. Raymond | Saint Boniface | Lib. |
| Smith, Joy | Kildonan—St. Paul | CPC |
| Toews, Hon. Vic, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Provencher | CPC |
| Tweed, Merv | Brandon—Souris | CPC |
| Wasylycia-Leis, Judy | Winnipeg North | NDP |
New Brunswick (10) |
||
| Allen, Mike | Tobique—Mactaquac | CPC |
| D'Amours, Jean-Claude | Madawaska—Restigouche | Lib. |
| Godin, Yvon | Acadie—Bathurst | NDP |
| Hubbard, Hon. Charles | Miramichi | Lib. |
| LeBlanc, Hon. Dominic | Beauséjour | Lib. |
| Moore, Rob, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Fundy Royal | CPC |
| Murphy, Brian | Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe | Lib. |
| Scott, Hon. Andy | Fredericton | Lib. |
| Thompson, Hon. Greg, Minister of Veterans Affairs | New Brunswick Southwest | CPC |
| Zed, Paul | Saint John | Lib. |
Newfoundland and Labrador (7) |
||
| Byrne, Hon. Gerry | Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte | Lib. |
| Doyle, Norman | St. John's East | CPC |
| Hearn, Hon. Loyola, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | St. John's South—Mount Pearl | CPC |
| Manning, Fabian | Avalon | CPC |
| Matthews, Bill | Random—Burin—St. George's | Lib. |
| Russell, Todd | Labrador | Lib. |
| Simms, Scott | Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor | Lib. |
Northwest Territories (1) |
||
| Bevington, Dennis | Western Arctic | NDP |
Nova Scotia (11) |
||
| Brison, Hon. Scott | Kings—Hants | Lib. |
| Casey, Bill | Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley | CPC |
| Cuzner, Rodger | Cape Breton—Canso | Lib. |
| Eyking, Hon. Mark | Sydney—Victoria | Lib. |
| Keddy, Gerald | South Shore—St. Margaret's | CPC |
| MacKay, Hon. Peter, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | Central Nova | CPC |
| McDonough, Alexa | Halifax | NDP |
| Regan, Hon. Geoff | Halifax West | Lib. |
| Savage, Michael | Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | Lib. |
| Stoffer, Peter | Sackville—Eastern Shore | NDP |
| Thibault, Hon. Robert | West Nova | Lib. |
Nunavut (1) |
||
| Karetak-Lindell, Nancy | Nunavut | Lib. |
Ontario (105) |
||
| Albrecht, Harold | Kitchener—Conestoga | CPC |
| Alghabra, Omar | Mississauga—Erindale | Lib. |
| Allison, Dean | Niagara West—Glanbrook | CPC |
| Angus, Charlie | Timmins—James Bay | NDP |
| Bains, Hon. Navdeep | Mississauga—Brampton South | Lib. |
| Baird, Hon. John, President of the Treasury Board | Ottawa West—Nepean | CPC |
| Barnes, Hon. Sue | London West | Lib. |
| Beaumier, Colleen | Brampton West | Lib. |
| Bélanger, Hon. Mauril | Ottawa—Vanier | Lib. |
| Bennett, Hon. Carolyn | St. Paul's | Lib. |
| Bevilacqua, Hon. Maurizio | Vaughan | Lib. |
| Bonin, Raymond | Nickel Belt | Lib. |
| Boshcoff, Ken | Thunder Bay—Rainy River | Lib. |
| Brown, Bonnie | Oakville | Lib. |
| Brown, Gord | Leeds—Grenville | CPC |
| Brown, Patrick | Barrie | CPC |
| Cannis, John | Scarborough Centre | Lib. |
| Carrie, Colin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry | Oshawa | CPC |
| Chamberlain, Hon. Brenda | Guelph | Lib. |
| Charlton, Chris | Hamilton Mountain | NDP |
| Chong, Hon. Michael, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport | Wellington—Halton Hills | CPC |
| Chow, Olivia | Trinity—Spadina | NDP |
| Christopherson, David | Hamilton Centre | NDP |
| Clement, Hon. Tony, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario | Parry Sound—Muskoka | CPC |
| Comartin, Joe | Windsor—Tecumseh | NDP |
| Comuzzi, Hon. Joe | Thunder Bay—Superior North | Lib. |
| Cullen, Hon. Roy | Etobicoke North | Lib. |
| Davidson, Patricia | Sarnia—Lambton | CPC |
| Del Mastro, Dean | Peterborough | CPC |
| Devolin, Barry | Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock | CPC |
| Dewar, Paul | Ottawa Centre | NDP |
| Dhalla, Ruby | Brampton—Springdale | Lib. |
| Dryden, Hon. Ken | York Centre | Lib. |
| Dykstra, Rick | St. Catharines | CPC |
| Finley, Hon. Diane, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | Haldimand—Norfolk | CPC |
| Flaherty, Hon. Jim, Minister of Finance | Whitby—Oshawa | CPC |
| Galipeau, Royal, The Acting Speaker | Ottawa—Orléans | CPC |
| Gallant, Cheryl | Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke | CPC |
| Godfrey, Hon. John | Don Valley West | Lib. |
| Goodyear, Gary | Cambridge | CPC |
| Graham, Hon. Bill, Leader of the Official Opposition | Toronto Centre | Lib. |
| Guarnieri, Hon. Albina | Mississauga East—Cooksville | Lib. |
| Guergis, Helena, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade | Simcoe—Grey | CPC |
| Holland, Mark | Ajax—Pickering | Lib. |
| Ignatieff, Michael | Etobicoke—Lakeshore | Lib. |
| Kadis, Susan | Thornhill | Lib. |
| Karygiannis, Hon. Jim | Scarborough—Agincourt | Lib. |
| Khan, Wajid | Mississauga—Streetsville | Lib. |
| Kramp, Daryl | Prince Edward—Hastings | CPC |
| Lauzon, Guy | Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry | CPC |
| Layton, Hon. Jack | Toronto—Danforth | NDP |
| Lee, Derek | Scarborough—Rouge River | Lib. |
| Lemieux, Pierre | Glengarry—Prescott—Russell | CPC |
| MacKenzie, Dave, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety | Oxford | CPC |
| Malhi, Hon. Gurbax | Bramalea—Gore—Malton | Lib. |
| Maloney, John | Welland | Lib. |
| Marleau, Hon. Diane | Sudbury | Lib. |
| Marston, Wayne | Hamilton East—Stoney Creek | NDP |
| Martin, Tony | Sault Ste. Marie | NDP |
| Masse, Brian | Windsor West | NDP |
| Mathyssen, Irene | London—Fanshawe | NDP |
| McCallum, Hon. John | Markham—Unionville | Lib. |
| McGuinty, David | Ottawa South | Lib. |
| McKay, Hon. John | Scarborough—Guildwood | Lib. |
| McTeague, Hon. Dan | Pickering—Scarborough East | Lib. |
| Miller, Larry | Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound | CPC |
| Milliken, Hon. Peter, Speaker | Kingston and the Islands | Lib. |
| Minna, Hon. Maria | Beaches—East York | Lib. |
| Nash, Peggy | Parkdale—High Park | NDP |
| Nicholson, Hon. Rob, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | Niagara Falls | CPC |
| Norlock, Rick | Northumberland—Quinte West | CPC |
| O'Connor, Hon. Gordon, Minister of National Defence | Carleton—Mississippi Mills | CPC |
| Oda, Hon. Bev, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women | Durham | CPC |
| Peterson, Hon. Jim | Willowdale | Lib. |
| Poilievre, Pierre, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board | Nepean—Carleton | CPC |
| Preston, Joe | Elgin—Middlesex—London | CPC |
| Ratansi, Yasmin | Don Valley East | Lib. |
| Redman, Hon. Karen | Kitchener Centre | Lib. |
| Reid, Scott | Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington | CPC |
| Rota, Anthony | Nipissing—Timiskaming | Lib. |
| Schellenberger, Gary | Perth—Wellington | CPC |
| Sgro, Hon. Judy | York West | Lib. |
| Shipley, Bev | Lambton—Kent—Middlesex | CPC |
| Silva, Mario | Davenport | Lib. |
| St. Amand, Lloyd | Brant | Lib. |
| St. Denis, Brent | Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing | Lib. |
| Stanton, Bruce | Simcoe North | CPC |
| Steckle, Paul | Huron—Bruce | Lib. |
| Stronach, Hon. Belinda | Newmarket—Aurora | Lib. |
| Sweet, David | Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale | CPC |
| Szabo, Paul | Mississauga South | Lib. |
| Telegdi, Hon. Andrew | Kitchener—Waterloo | Lib. |
| Temelkovski, Lui | Oak Ridges—Markham | Lib. |
| Tilson, David | Dufferin—Caledon | CPC |
| Tonks, Alan | York South—Weston | Lib. |
| Turner, Hon. Garth | Halton | CPC |
| Valley, Roger | Kenora | Lib. |
| Van Kesteren, Dave | Chatham-Kent—Essex | CPC |
| Van Loan, Peter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | York—Simcoe | CPC |
| Volpe, Hon. Joseph | Eglinton—Lawrence | Lib. |
| Wallace, Mike | Burlington | CPC |
| Wappel, Tom | Scarborough Southwest | Lib. |
| Watson, Jeff | Essex | CPC |
| Wilfert, Hon. Bryon | Richmond Hill | Lib. |
| Wrzesnewskyj, Borys | Etobicoke Centre | Lib. |
| VACANCY | London North Centre | |
Prince Edward Island (4) |
||
| Easter, Hon. Wayne | Malpeque | Lib. |
| MacAulay, Hon. Lawrence | Cardigan | Lib. |
| McGuire, Hon. Joe | Egmont | Lib. |
| Murphy, Hon. Shawn | Charlottetown | Lib. |
Québec (74) |
||
| André, Guy | Berthier—Maskinongé | BQ |
| Arthur, André | Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier | Ind. |
| Asselin, Gérard | Manicouagan | BQ |
| Bachand, Claude | Saint-Jean | BQ |
| Barbot, Vivian | Papineau | BQ |
| Bellavance, André | Richmond—Arthabaska | BQ |
| Bernier, Hon. Maxime, Minister of Industry | Beauce | CPC |
| Bigras, Bernard | Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie | BQ |
| Blackburn, Hon. Jean-Pierre, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec | Jonquière—Alma | CPC |
| Blais, Raynald | Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine | BQ |
| Blaney, Steven | Lévis—Bellechasse | CPC |
| Bonsant, France | Compton—Stanstead | BQ |
| Bouchard, Robert | Chicoutimi—Le Fjord | BQ |
| Boucher, Sylvie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | Beauport—Limoilou | CPC |
| Bourgeois, Diane | Terrebonne—Blainville | BQ |
| Brunelle, Paule | Trois-Rivières | BQ |
| Cannon, Hon. Lawrence, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | Pontiac | CPC |
| Cardin, Serge | Sherbrooke | BQ |
| Carrier, Robert | Alfred-Pellan | BQ |
| Coderre, Hon. Denis | Bourassa | Lib. |
| Cotler, Hon. Irwin | Mount Royal | Lib. |
| Crête, Paul | Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup | BQ |
| DeBellefeuille, Claude | Beauharnois—Salaberry | BQ |
| Demers, Nicole | Laval | BQ |
| Deschamps, Johanne | Laurentides—Labelle | BQ |
| Dion, Hon. Stéphane | Saint-Laurent—Cartierville | Lib. |
| Duceppe, Gilles | Laurier—Sainte-Marie | BQ |
| Faille, Meili | Vaudreuil-Soulanges | BQ |
| Folco, Raymonde | Laval—Les Îles | Lib. |
| Freeman, Carole | Châteauguay—Saint-Constant | BQ |
| Gagnon, Christiane | Québec | BQ |
| Gaudet, Roger | Montcalm | BQ |
| Gauthier, Michel | Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean | BQ |
| Gourde, Jacques, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière | CPC |
| Guay, Monique | Rivière-du-Nord | BQ |
| Guimond, Michel | Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord | BQ |
| Harvey, Luc | Louis-Hébert | CPC |
| Jennings, Hon. Marlene | Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine | Lib. |
| Kotto, Maka | Saint-Lambert | BQ |
| Laforest, Jean-Yves | Saint-Maurice—Champlain | BQ |
| Laframboise, Mario | Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel | BQ |
| Lalonde, Francine | La Pointe-de-l'Île | BQ |
| Lapierre, Hon. Jean | Outremont | Lib. |
| Lavallée, Carole | Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert | BQ |
| Lemay, Marc | Abitibi—Témiscamingue | BQ |
| Lessard, Yves | Chambly—Borduas | BQ |
| Lévesque, Yvon | Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou | BQ |
| Loubier, Yvan | Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot | BQ |
| Lussier, Marcel | Brossard—La Prairie | BQ |
| Malo, Luc | Verchères—Les Patriotes | BQ |
| Martin, Right Hon. Paul | LaSalle—Émard | Lib. |
| Ménard, Réal | Hochelaga | BQ |
| Ménard, Serge | Marc-Aurèle-Fortin | BQ |
| Mourani, Maria | Ahuntsic | BQ |
| Nadeau, Richard | Gatineau | BQ |
| Ouellet, Christian | Brome—Missisquoi | BQ |
| Pacetti, Massimo | Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel | Lib. |
| Paquette, Pierre | Joliette | BQ |
| Paradis, Christian, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources | Mégantic—L'Érable | CPC |
| Patry, Bernard | Pierrefonds—Dollard | Lib. |
| Perron, Gilles-A. | Rivière-des-Mille-Îles | BQ |
| Petit, Daniel | Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles | CPC |
| Picard, Pauline | Drummond | BQ |
| Plamondon, Louis | Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour | BQ |
| Proulx, Marcel | Hull—Aylmer | Lib. |
| Robillard, Hon. Lucienne | Westmount—Ville-Marie | Lib. |
| Rodriguez, Pablo | Honoré-Mercier | Lib. |
| Roy, Jean-Yves | Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia | BQ |
| Scarpaleggia, Francis | Lac-Saint-Louis | Lib. |
| St-Cyr, Thierry | Jeanne-Le Ber | BQ |
| St-Hilaire, Caroline | Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher | BQ |
| Thibault, Louise | Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques | BQ |
| Verner, Hon. Josée, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | Louis-Saint-Laurent | CPC |
| Vincent, Robert | Shefford | BQ |
| VACANCY | Repentigny | |
Saskatchewan (14) |
||
| Anderson, David, Parliamentary Secretary (for the Canadian Wheat Board) to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | Cypress Hills—Grasslands | CPC |
| Batters, Dave | Palliser | CPC |
| Breitkreuz, Garry | Yorkton—Melville | CPC |
| Fitzpatrick, Brian | Prince Albert | CPC |
| Goodale, Hon. Ralph | Wascana | Lib. |
| Komarnicki, Ed, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | Souris—Moose Mountain | CPC |
| Lukiwski, Tom, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre | CPC |
| Merasty, Gary | Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | Lib. |
| Ritz, Gerry | Battlefords—Lloydminster | CPC |
| Scheer, Andrew, The Acting Speaker | Regina—Qu'Appelle | CPC |
| Skelton, Hon. Carol, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification | Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar | CPC |
| Trost, Bradley | Saskatoon—Humboldt | CPC |
| Vellacott, Maurice | Saskatoon—Wanuskewin | CPC |
| Yelich, Lynne, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | Blackstrap | CPC |
Yukon (1) |
||
| Bagnell, Hon. Larry | Yukon | Lib. |
LIST OF STANDING AND SUB-COMMITTEES
(As of September 22, 2006 — 1st Session, 39th Parliament)
| Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Harold Albrecht Steven Blaney Rod Bruinooge Jean Crowder Nancy Karetak-Lindell Marc Lemay Yvon Lévesque Inky Mark Colin Mayes Gary Merasty Anita Neville Todd Russell Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Charlie Angus Gérard Asselin Dave Batters Leon Benoit Dennis Bevington James Bezan Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Nathan Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Pat Martin Tony Martin Irene Mathyssen Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Lloyd St. Amand Brent St. Denis Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Roger Valley Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Sukh Dhaliwal Jason Kenney Jean-Yves Laforest Carole Lavallée Pat Martin Jim Peterson Bruce Stanton David Tilson Dave Van Kesteren Mike Wallace Tom Wappel Paul Zed Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit Maurizio Bevilacqua James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Joe Comartin Paul Crête John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Paul Dewar Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Michel Gauthier Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Michel Guimond Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Derek Lee Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pauline Picard Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Agriculture and Agri-Food |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
David Anderson Alex Atamanenko André Bellavance James Bezan Ken Boshcoff Wayne Easter Jacques Gourde Larry Miller Gerry Ritz Jean-Yves Roy Paul Steckle Robert Thibault Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders Guy André Charlie Angus Dave Batters Leon Benoit Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Serge Cardin Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Joe Comartin Nathan Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Mark Eyking Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Tony Martin Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Gary Merasty Rob Merrifield Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Peter Stoffer Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Canadian Heritage |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Jim Abbott Charlie Angus Mauril Bélanger Sylvie Boucher Ed Fast Tina Keeper Maka Kotto Luc Malo Francis Scarpaleggia Gary Schellenberger Scott Simms Chris Warkentin Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Alex Atamanenko Vivian Barbot Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Jean Crowder Nathan Cullen John Cummins Rodger Cuzner Jean-Claude D'Amours Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Ruby Dhalla Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Hedy Fry Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Nancy Karetak-Lindell Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills Maria Minna James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston Marcel Proulx James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Bev Shipley Bill Siksay Mario Silva Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Peter Stoffer Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Citizenship and Immigration |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Johanne Deschamps Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Meili Faille Raymonde Folco Nina Grewal Rahim Jaffer Jim Karygiannis Ed Komarnicki Bill Siksay Andrew Telegdi Blair Wilson Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Omar Alghabra Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Dawn Black Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Diane Bourgeois Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Olivia Chow David Christopherson Joe Comartin John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Francine Lalonde Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Brian Masse Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Peggy Nash Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston Penny Priddy James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Andy Scott Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Environment and Sustainable Development |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Bernard Bigras Nathan Cullen Mark Eyking John Godfrey Luc Harvey Marcel Lussier Bob Mills Pablo Rodriguez Mario Silva Maurice Vellacott Mark Warawa Jeff Watson Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Omar Alghabra Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Don Bell Leon Benoit Dennis Bevington James Bezan Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Scott Brison Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Joe Comartin Paul Crête Jean Crowder John Cummins Patricia Davidson Claude DeBellefeuille Barry Devolin Stéphane Dion Norman Doyle Ken Dryden Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Mark Holland Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Susan Kadis Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Christian Ouellet Stephen Owen Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Todd Russell Denise Savoie Francis Scarpaleggia Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Lloyd St. Amand Bruce Stanton Peter Stoffer Brian Storseth Belinda Stronach David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Alan Tonks Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Chris Warkentin John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Finance |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Diane Ablonczy Dean Del Mastro Rick Dykstra John McCallum John McKay Massimo Pacetti Brian Pallister Pierre Paquette Michael Savage Thierry St-Cyr Garth Turner Judy Wasylycia-Leis Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit Maurizio Bevilacqua James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Chris Charlton David Christopherson Jean Crowder Nathan Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Barry Devolin Ruby Dhalla Norman Doyle Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Yasmin Ratansi Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Anthony Rota Gary Schellenberger Judy Sgro Bev Shipley Mario Silva Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Brent St. Denis Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth Belinda Stronach David Sweet Paul Szabo Lui Temelkovski Robert Thibault Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Joseph Volpe Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Fisheries and Oceans |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Gérard Asselin Raynald Blais Gerry Byrne John Cummins Rodger Cuzner Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy James Lunney Lawrence MacAulay Fabian Manning Bill Matthews Peter Stoffer Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Catherine Bell Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Raymond Bonin Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Robert Carrier Bill Casey Rick Casson Paul Crête Jean Crowder Nathan Cullen Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Wayne Easter Ken Epp Mark Eyking Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mario Laframboise Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Dominic LeBlanc Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski Dave MacKenzie Inky Mark Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Todd Russell Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Scott Simms Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Foreign Affairs and International Development |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Diane Bourgeois Bill Casey Peter Goldring Albina Guarnieri Francine Lalonde Keith Martin Alexa McDonough Deepak Obhrai Bernard Patry Kevin Sorenson Peter Van Loan Bryon Wilfert Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Claude Bachand Larry Bagnell Navdeep Bains Vivian Barbot Dave Batters Don Bell Leon Benoit James Bezan Dawn Black Steven Blaney Raymond Bonin Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Serge Cardin Colin Carrie Rick Casson Denis Coderre Joe Comartin Irwin Cotler John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Johanne Deschamps Barry Devolin Sukh Dhaliwal Ruby Dhalla Stéphane Dion Norman Doyle Ken Dryden Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Mark Eyking Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Raymonde Folco Hedy Fry Cheryl Gallant John Godfrey Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Mark Holland Michael Ignatieff Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Jim Karygiannis Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Wajid Khan Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Dominic LeBlanc Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Lawrence MacAulay Dave MacKenzie John Maloney Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Pat Martin Brian Masse Colin Mayes John McKay Dan McTeague Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills Maria Minna James Moore Rob Moore Brian Murphy Anita Neville Rick Norlock Stephen Owen Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Yasmin Ratansi Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Pablo Rodriguez Anthony Rota Michael Savage Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Bill Siksay Raymond Simard Scott Simms Joy Smith Caroline St-Hilaire Bruce Stanton Paul Steckle Brian Storseth David Sweet Lui Temelkovski Myron Thompson David Tilson Alan Tonks Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Maurice Vellacott Joseph Volpe Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Blair Wilson Borys Wrzesnewskyj Lynne Yelich |
| Subcommittee on International Human Rights |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Irwin Cotler Jason Kenney Wayne Marston Ted Menzies Maria Minna Kevin Sorenson Caroline St-Hilaire Total: (7) |
| Government Operations and Estimates |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Harold Albrecht Omar Alghabra Navdeep Bains Raymond Bonin Daryl Kramp Diane Marleau James Moore Richard Nadeau Peggy Nash Louise Thibault Mike Wallace Chris Warkentin Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson David Christopherson John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Paul Dewar Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Charles Hubbard Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Jean-Yves Laforest Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Massimo Pacetti Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Denise Savoie Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Paul Szabo Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Joseph Volpe Mark Warawa Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Health |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Dave Batters Carolyn Bennett Brenda Chamberlain Patricia Davidson Nicole Demers Ruby Dhalla Rick Dykstra Steven Fletcher Christiane Gagnon Tina Keeper Rob Merrifield Penny Priddy Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Bonnie Brown Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Chris Charlton Nathan Cullen John Cummins Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Ken Dryden Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Hedy Fry Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Susan Kadis Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Yvan Loubier Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie John Maloney Fabian Manning Inky Mark Keith Martin Brian Masse Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Gary Merasty Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Lloyd St. Amand Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Lui Temelkovski Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Dean Allison France Bonsant Bonnie Brown Patrick Brown Denis Coderre Jean-Claude D'Amours Mike Lake Yves Lessard Tony Martin Geoff Regan Brian Storseth Lynne Yelich Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Carolyn Bennett Leon Benoit Maurizio Bevilacqua James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Raymond Chan Chris Charlton Olivia Chow David Christopherson Jean Crowder Nathan Cullen John Cummins Rodger Cuzner Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Nicole Demers Barry Devolin Sukh Dhaliwal Norman Doyle Ken Dryden Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Raymonde Folco Cheryl Gallant John Godfrey Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Mark Holland Michael Ignatieff Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Nancy Karetak-Lindell Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Guy Lauzon Carole Lavallée Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes Alexa McDonough Ted Menzies Gary Merasty Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills Maria Minna James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Christian Ouellet Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Denise Savoie Gary Schellenberger Andy Scott Bev Shipley Bill Siksay Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Thierry St-Cyr Bruce Stanton David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams |
| Industry, Science and Technology |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
André Arthur Colin Carrie Paul Crête Susan Kadis Jean Lapierre Brian Masse Dan McTeague James Rajotte Bev Shipley Belinda Stronach Dave Van Kesteren Robert Vincent Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Gérard Asselin Larry Bagnell Dave Batters Catherine Bell Don Bell Leon Benoit Maurizio Bevilacqua Dennis Bevington James Bezan Steven Blaney Ken Boshcoff Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Serge Cardin Robert Carrier Bill Casey Rick Casson Raymond Chan Chris Charlton David Christopherson Joe Comartin Jean Crowder Roy Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Claude DeBellefeuille Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Stéphane Dion Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Mark Holland Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Marlene Jennings Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Wajid Khan Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Jean-Yves Laforest Mario Laframboise Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Pat Martin Tony Martin Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes David McGuinty Joe McGuire Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Peggy Nash Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Massimo Pacetti Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston Yasmin Ratansi Geoff Regan Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Anthony Rota Michael Savage Gary Schellenberger Andy Scott Bill Siksay Raymond Simard Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Brent St. Denis Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Robert Thibault Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Roger Valley Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Blair Wilson Lynne Yelich Paul Zed |
| International Trade |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Guy André Leon Benoit Ron Cannan Serge Cardin Mark Eyking Helena Guergis Peter Julian Dominic LeBlanc Pierre Lemieux John Maloney Ted Menzies Lui Temelkovski Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Alex Atamanenko Dave Batters James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Paul Crête Nathan Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Francine Lalonde Guy Lauzon Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Colin Mayes Alexa McDonough Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Justice and Human Rights |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Larry Bagnell Sue Barnes Patrick Brown Joe Comartin Carole Freeman Art Hanger Derek Lee Réal Ménard Rob Moore Brian Murphy Daniel Petit Myron Thompson Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Omar Alghabra Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Raymond Chan Irwin Cotler John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Wayne Easter Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Michael Ignatieff Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Carole Lavallée Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie John Maloney Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Pat Martin Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes John McKay Serge Ménard Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Anita Neville Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Stephen Owen Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Judy Sgro Bev Shipley Bill Siksay Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Joseph Volpe Mike Wallace Tom Wappel Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Borys Wrzesnewskyj Lynne Yelich |
| Subcommittee on Solicitation Laws |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Total: |
| Liaison |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Gary Goodyear Total: (1) |
| Subcommittee on Committee Budgets |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Total: |
| National Defence |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Claude Bachand Carolyn Bennett Dawn Black Robert Bouchard Blaine Calkins John Cannis Rick Casson Ujjal Dosanjh Cheryl Gallant Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Joe McGuire Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Larry Bagnell Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Bernard Bigras Steven Blaney Raymond Bonin Sylvie Boucher Diane Bourgeois Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Robert Carrier Bill Casey Joe Comartin John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Johanne Deschamps Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mario Laframboise Mike Lake Francine Lalonde Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Keith Martin Colin Mayes John McCallum Dan McTeague Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Anita Neville Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Geoff Regan Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Anthony Rota Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Brent St. Denis Bruce Stanton Peter Stoffer Brian Storseth David Sweet Robert Thibault Myron Thompson David Tilson Alan Tonks Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Roger Valley Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Natural Resources |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Mike Allen Catherine Bell Roy Cullen Claude DeBellefeuille Richard Harris Christian Ouellet Christian Paradis Lee Richardson Todd Russell Lloyd St. Amand Alan Tonks Bradley Trost Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Alex Atamanenko Dave Batters Leon Benoit Dennis Bevington James Bezan Bernard Bigras Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Paul Crête Jean Crowder Nathan Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Marcel Lussier Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Colin Mayes David McGuinty Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Official Languages |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Vivian Barbot Sylvie Boucher Paule Brunelle Jean-Claude D'Amours Yvon Godin Luc Harvey Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Brian Murphy Daniel Petit Pablo Rodriguez Raymond Simard Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Alex Atamanenko Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Joe Comartin John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Marlene Jennings Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Maka Kotto Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Jack Layton Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Colin Mayes Alexa McDonough Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Denise Savoie Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Procedure and House Affairs |
|---|
|
Chair: Gary Goodyear |
|
Vice-Chairs: Michel Guimond Marcel Proulx |
|
Yvon Godin Jay Hill Marlene Jennings Tom Lukiwski Stephen Owen Pauline Picard Joe Preston Karen Redman Scott Reid Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Ken Boshcoff Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Joe Comartin Jean Crowder John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Michel Gauthier Peter Goldring Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Monique Guay Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Colin Mayes Réal Ménard Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre James Rajotte Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Mario Silva Raymond Simard Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Subcommittee on Private Members' Business |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Total: |
| Subcommittee on Parliament Hill Security |
|---|
|
Chair: Gary Goodyear |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Gérard Asselin Yvon Godin Joe Preston Marcel Proulx Total: (5) |
| Public Accounts |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
David Christopherson Brian Fitzpatrick Jean-Yves Laforest Mike Lake Shawn Murphy Richard Nadeau Pierre Poilievre Marcel Proulx Yasmin Ratansi David Sweet John Williams Borys Wrzesnewskyj Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Navdeep Bains Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Denis Coderre John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Sukh Dhaliwal Ujjal Dosanjh Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Mark Holland Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Marlene Jennings Peter Julian Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth Paul Szabo Louise Thibault Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Joseph Volpe Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson Lynne Yelich |
| Public Safety and National Security |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Maurizio Bevilacqua Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Raymond Chan Joe Comartin Irwin Cotler Carole Freeman Laurie Hawn Mark Holland Dave MacKenzie Serge Ménard Rick Norlock Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Paul Crête Roy Cullen John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Roger Gaudet Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Derek Lee Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Fabian Manning Inky Mark Wayne Marston Pat Martin Irene Mathyssen Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Bill Siksay Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Tom Wappel Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Subcommittee on the Review of the Anti-terrorism Act |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Gord Brown Joe Comartin Roy Cullen Dave MacKenzie Serge Ménard Rick Norlock Tom Wappel Total: (7) |
| Status of Women |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Patricia Davidson Johanne Deschamps Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Irene Mathyssen Maria Minna Maria Mourani Anita Neville Judy Sgro Joy Smith Bruce Stanton Belinda Stronach Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Catherine Bell Carolyn Bennett Leon Benoit James Bezan Dawn Black Steven Blaney France Bonsant Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Chris Charlton Olivia Chow Irwin Cotler Jean Crowder John Cummins Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Meili Faille Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Hedy Fry Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Jack Layton Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Colin Mayes Alexa McDonough Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Peggy Nash Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston Penny Priddy James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Kevin Sorenson Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Transport, Infrastructure and Communities |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Don Bell Steven Blaney Robert Carrier Ed Fast Charles Hubbard Brian Jean Peter Julian Mario Laframboise David McGuinty Andy Scott Brian Storseth Merv Tweed Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Paule Brunelle Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson Olivia Chow David Christopherson Joe Comartin Paul Crête John Cummins Patricia Davidson Libby Davies Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Roger Gaudet Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Randy Kamp Jim Karygiannis Gerald Keddy Tina Keeper Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Dominic LeBlanc Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Brian Masse Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Peggy Nash Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston Marcel Proulx James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Denise Savoie Francis Scarpaleggia Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Peter Stoffer Belinda Stronach David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Robert Vincent Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Veterans Affairs |
|---|
|
Chair: |
|
Vice-Chair: |
|
Rob Anders Rodger Cuzner Roger Gaudet Betty Hinton Colin Mayes Gilles-A. Perron Anthony Rota Bev Shipley Brent St. Denis Peter Stoffer David Sweet Roger Valley Total: (12) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison David Anderson Claude Bachand Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Dawn Black Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Nicole Demers Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Christiane Gagnon Cheryl Gallant Yvon Godin Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Alexa McDonough Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth Robert Thibault Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
STANDING JOINT COMMITTEES
| Library of Parliament |
|---|
|
Joint Chair: |
|
Joint Vice-Chair: |
|
Representing the Senate:The Honourable SenatorsJanis Johnson Jean Lapointe Donald Oliver Vivienne Poy Marilyn Trenholme Counsell |
|
Representing the House of Commons:Mike Allen Gérard Asselin Colleen Beaumier Blaine Calkins Joe Comuzzi Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gurbax Malhi Fabian Manning Jim Peterson Louis Plamondon Denise Savoie Total: (17) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Vivian Barbot Dave Batters Carolyn Bennett Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Ron Cannan Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson John Cummins Patricia Davidson Dean Del Mastro Barry Devolin Paul Dewar Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ken Epp Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Charles Hubbard Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Maka Kotto Daryl Kramp Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Lawrence MacAulay Dave MacKenzie Inky Mark Colin Mayes Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Rick Norlock Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Garth Turner Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
| Scrutiny of Regulations |
|---|
|
Joint Chair: |
|
Joint Vice-Chair: |
|
Representing the Senate:The Honourable SenatorsMichel Biron John Bryden Pierre De Bané John Eyton Mac Harb Wilfred Moore Pierre Claude Nolin Gerry St. Germain |
|
Representing the House of Commons:Robert Bouchard Ron Cannan Dean Del Mastro Paul Dewar Ken Epp Monique Guay Derek Lee John Maloney Rick Norlock Paul Szabo Garth Turner Tom Wappel Total: (20) |
|
Associate Members Jim Abbott Diane Ablonczy Harold Albrecht Mike Allen Dean Allison Rob Anders David Anderson Dave Batters Leon Benoit James Bezan Steven Blaney Sylvie Boucher Garry Breitkreuz Gord Brown Patrick Brown Rod Bruinooge Blaine Calkins Colin Carrie Bill Casey Rick Casson John Cummins Patricia Davidson Barry Devolin Norman Doyle Rick Dykstra Ed Fast Brian Fitzpatrick Steven Fletcher Cheryl Gallant Peter Goldring Gary Goodyear Jacques Gourde Nina Grewal Helena Guergis Art Hanger Richard Harris Luc Harvey Laurie Hawn Russ Hiebert Jay Hill Betty Hinton Rahim Jaffer Brian Jean Randy Kamp Gerald Keddy Jason Kenney Ed Komarnicki Daryl Kramp Mario Laframboise Mike Lake Guy Lauzon Pierre Lemieux Tom Lukiwski James Lunney Dave MacKenzie Fabian Manning Inky Mark Pat Martin Colin Mayes Réal Ménard Serge Ménard Ted Menzies Rob Merrifield Larry Miller Bob Mills James Moore Rob Moore Deepak Obhrai Brian Pallister Christian Paradis Daniel Petit Pierre Poilievre Joe Preston James Rajotte Scott Reid Lee Richardson Gerry Ritz Gary Schellenberger Judy Sgro Bev Shipley Joy Smith Kevin Sorenson Bruce Stanton Brian Storseth David Sweet Myron Thompson David Tilson Bradley Trost Merv Tweed Dave Van Kesteren Peter Van Loan Maurice Vellacott Mike Wallace Mark Warawa Chris Warkentin Judy Wasylycia-Leis Jeff Watson John Williams Lynne Yelich |
Panel of Chairs of Legislative Committees
The Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole
Hon. Bill Blaikie
The Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
Mr. Royal Galipeau
The Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
Mr. Andrew Scheer
Ms. Dawn Black
Mr. Bill Casey
Mr. John Cummins
Mr. Ken Epp
Mr. Rahim Jaffer
Hon. Diane Marleau
Mr. David McGuinty
Mr. Bernard Patry
Mr. Marcel Proulx
Mr. David Tilson
THE MINISTRY
According to precedence
| Right Hon. Stephen Harper | Prime Minister | |
| Hon. Rob Nicholson | Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | |
| Hon. David Emerson | Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | |
| Hon. Jean-Pierre Blackburn | Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec | |
| Hon. Greg Thompson | Minister of Veterans Affairs | |
| Hon. Marjory LeBreton | Leader of the Government in the Senate | |
| Hon. Monte Solberg | Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | |
| Hon. Chuck Strahl | Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | |
| Hon. Gary Lunn | Minister of Natural Resources | |
| Hon. Peter MacKay | Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | |
| Hon. Loyola Hearn | Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | |
| Hon. Stockwell Day | Minister of Public Safety | |
| Hon. Carol Skelton | Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification | |
| Hon. Vic Toews | Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | |
| Hon. Rona Ambrose | Minister of the Environment | |
| Hon. Michael Chong | President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport | |
| Hon. Diane Finley | Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | |
| Hon. Gordon O'Connor | Minister of National Defence | |
| Hon. Bev Oda | Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women | |
| Hon. Jim Prentice | Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | |
| Hon. John Baird | President of the Treasury Board | |
| Hon. Maxime Bernier | Minister of Industry | |
| Hon. Lawrence Cannon | Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | |
| Hon. Tony Clement | Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario | |
| Hon. Jim Flaherty | Minister of Finance | |
| Hon. Josée Verner | Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | |
| Hon. Michael Fortier | Minister of Public Works and Government Services |
PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES
| Mrs. Sylvie Boucher | to the Prime Minister and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages | |
| Mr. Jason Kenney | to the Prime Minister | |
| Mr. Tom Lukiwski | to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform | |
| Ms. Helena Guergis | to the Minister of International Trade | |
| Mrs. Betty Hinton | to the Minister of Veterans Affairs | |
| Mr. Ed Komarnicki | to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | |
| Mr. David Anderson | (for the Canadian Wheat Board) to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | |
| Mr. Jacques Gourde | to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board | |
| Mr. Christian Paradis | to the Minister of Natural Resources | |
| Mr. Deepak Obhrai | to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Mr. Peter Van Loan | to the Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Mr. Randy Kamp | to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | |
| Mr. Dave MacKenzie | to the Minister of Public Safety | |
| Mr. Rob Moore | to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | |
| Mr. Mark Warawa | to the Minister of the Environment | |
| Mrs. Lynne Yelich | to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development | |
| Mr. Russ Hiebert | to the Minister of National Defence | |
| Mr. Jim Abbott | to the Minister of Canadian Heritage | |
| Mr. Rod Bruinooge | to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians | |
| Mr. Pierre Poilievre | to the President of the Treasury Board | |
| Mr. Colin Carrie | to the Minister of Industry | |
| Mr. Brian Jean | to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities | |
| Mr. Steven Fletcher | to the Minister of Health | |
| Ms. Diane Ablonczy | to the Minister of Finance | |
| Mr. Ted Menzies | to the Minister of International Cooperation | |
| Mr. James Moore | to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics |