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39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

Journals No. 116 Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:00 a.m.

Prayers

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), laid upon the Table, — Report on the Witness Protection Program by the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, pursuant to the Witness Protection Program Act, S.C. 1996, c. 15, s. 16. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-392-7-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security)

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

— No. 392-0638 concerning the public pension system. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-91-01;

— No. 392-0646 concerning transportation. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-11-09;

— No. 392-0649 concerning the situation in Sudan. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-64-06;

— No. 392-0654 concerning world games. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-70-02;

— No. 392-0648 concerning the protection of the environment. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-1-06;

— No. 392-0659 concerning the Food and Drugs Act. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-43-06;

— Nos. 392-0672 to 392-0675 concerning illicit drug use. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-92-01;

— Nos. 392-0708, 392-0735 and 392-0736 concerning aboriginal affairs. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-4-06.

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), laid upon the Table, — Report of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on Canada's state of trade for the year 2008. — Sessional Paper No. 8525-392-31.

Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association concerning its participation at the Ninth Ordinary Session of the Pan-African Parliament, held in Midrand, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe, from May 5 to 9, 2008. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-392-76-02.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Richardson (Calgary Centre), from the Standing Committee on International Trade, presented the Fifth Report of the Committee, "Human Rights, the Environment and Free Trade with Colombia". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-165.

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

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 25 to 34, 36 and 37) was tabled.

Introduction of Private Members' Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Ms. Murray (Vancouver Quadra), seconded by Mr. Murphy (Charlottetown), Bill C-572, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (no GST on bicycles, adult tricycles and related goods and services), was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Mr. Bevington (Western Arctic), seconded by Mr. Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster), Bill C-573, An Act to change the name of the electoral district of Western Arctic, was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Motions

Mr. Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek), seconded by Mr. Comartin (Windsor—Tecumseh), moved, — That the Seventh Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, presented on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 26)

Debate arose thereon.

Mr. Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform), seconded by Mr. Hawn (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence), moved, — That the House do now proceed to the Orders of the Day.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following division:
(Division No. 161 -- Vote n^o 161)
YEAS: 95, NAYS: 75
YEAS -- POUR Abbott Ablonczy Albrecht Allen Ambrose Anders Anderson Baird Bezan Blackburn Boucher Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Carrie Casson Chong Clarke Comuzzi Davidson Day Dykstra Epp Fast Finley Fitzpatrick Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Goldring Goodyear Gourde Grewal Guergis Hanger Harvey Hawn Hearn Hiebert Hill Hinton Jaffer Jean Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret's) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Khan Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Lebel Lemieux Lukiwski MacKay (Central Nova) MacKenzie Manning Menzies Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Nicholson Norlock O'Connor Obhrai Oda Paradis Petit Poilievre Prentice Preston Rajotte Reid Richardson Scheer Shipley Smith Solberg Sorenson Stanton Strahl Sweet Toews Trost Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Wallace Warawa Watson Yelich Total: -- 95
NAYS -- CONTRE André Angus Asselin Atamanenko Bachand Bains Barbot Bélanger Bell (Vancouver Island North) Bell (North Vancouver) Bellavance Bevington Bigras Bonsant Bouchard Bourgeois Brunelle Cardin Carrier Charlton Chow Coderre Comartin Crête Crowder Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley) Davies DeBellefeuille Demers Deschamps Dewar Dosanjh Duceppe Faille Freeman Gagnon Godin Gravel Guimond Jennings Julian Laforest Laframboise Lalonde Lavallée Layton Lee Lemay Lessard Lussier Malo Marleau Marston McDonough McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Ménard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin) Mulcair Nadeau Nash Ouellet Pacetti Paquette Perron Picard Plamondon Redman Roy Siksay Silva St-Cyr Stoffer Thi Lac Tonks Vincent Wrzesnewskyj Total: -- 75
PAIRED -- PAIRÉS Batters Blais Devolin Gaudet Guay Lévesque Skelton St-Hilaire Thompson (Wild Rose) Warkentin

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Lunn (Minister of Natural Resources), seconded by Mr. Thompson (Minister of Veterans Affairs), — That Bill C-5, An Act respecting civil liability and compensation for damage in case of a nuclear incident, be now read a third time and do pass;

And of the motion of , seconded by , — That this question be now put.

The debate continued.

Statements By Members

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, Members made statements.

Oral Questions

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

Presenting Petitions

By unanimous consent, petitions certified correct by the Clerk of Petitions were presented as follows:

— by , one concerning the situation in Sudan (No. 392-0858);

— by , one concerning extradition (No. 392-0859);

— by , one concerning the situation in Sudan (No. 392-0860);

— by , one concerning gasoline pricing (No. 392-0861);

— by , one concerning the protection of the environment (No. 392-0862);

— by , six concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Nos. 392-0863 to 392-0868);

— by , one concerning the Canada Labour Code (No. 392-0869);

— by , three concerning passports (Nos. 392-0870 to 392-0872);

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 392-0873);

— by , seven concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Nos. 392-0874 to 392-0880);

— by , one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 392-0881);

— by , one concerning the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (No. 392-0882);

— by , one concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (No. 392-0883);

— by , two concerning the Canadian Human Rights Act (Nos. 392-0884 and 392-0885);

— by , one concerning the electoral system (No. 392-0886), one concerning genetic engineering (No. 392-0887) and one concerning Kyoto Protocol (No. 392-0888);

— by , one concerning extradition (No. 392-0889);

— by , one concerning immigration (No. 392-0890);

— by , one concerning federal programs (No. 392-0891);

— by , one concerning the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (No. 392-0892) and one concerning prosperity partnership (No. 392-0893);

— by , one concerning prosperity partnership (No. 392-0894), one concerning the Canada Labour Code (No. 392-0895) and one concerning Canada's railways (No. 392-0896).

Questions on the Order Paper

By unanimous consent, Mr. Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform) presented the answer to question Q-267 on the Order Paper.

By unanimous consent, Mr. Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform) presented the returns to the following questions made into Orders for Return:

Q-265 — — With regard to government involvement with the Evergreen Light Rail Transit Project: (a) what funds have been committed to the project; (b) what are the expected costs to the government; (c) which department is responsible; (d) what is the expected timeline; (e) what is the amount of money that will be approved in grants; (f) what amount will be in loans; (g) what consultations have been carried out with (i) the government of British Columbia, (ii) municipal governments, (iii) local residents, (iv) local businesses, (v) local post-secondary institutions; (h) what construction techniques have been committed to the project; (i) what is the expected length of track that is being built; (j) what environmental impact studies have been either commissioned or reviewed; (k) how will merchants along the Evergreen line be compensated for disruption to their businesses; (l) what research is the government using for estimates of ridership along the line; (m) what will be the revenue source if ridership numbers are below those expected; (n) will construction of the line be constructed at grade or below through Port Moody; (o) what efforts have been made to enhance security at stations; (p) will the line be fully integrated with the existing system allowing for continuous travel from Port Moody to Commercial Drive; (q) what efforts have been made to ensure that environmentally sensitive lands, such as Miller Park Ravine are protected; (r) what negotiations have taken place with Canadian Pacific Railway Limited; (s) is the government considering using a P3 model for the project; and (t) does the government have any plans with regard to foreign workers and the project? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-392-265.

Q-277 — — With regard to the tax reductions introduced by the government since the beginning of 2006, how much less in taxes could a retired couple over the age of 65 with combined income of $40,200 (with one spouse having a private pension income of $23,000, $11,490 in income from Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security (OAS) payments, and the other spouse having an income of $5,710 in OAS payments) save as a result of: (a) the introduction of pension income splitting; (b) the increase in the age credit; (c) the increase in the pension income credit; (d) the reduction in the goods and services tax; (e) the increase in the basic personal exemption; (f) the reduction of personal income tax rates; (g) the increase in the refundable medical expense supplement, if eligible expenses are $2,000; (h) the introduction of the public transit tax credit, if the cost of a monthly pass is $42; (i) the increase in the maximum amount eligible for the spouse or common-law partner credit; and (j) the Tax-Free Savings Account? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-392-277.

Government Orders

And of the motion of , seconded by , — That this question be now put.

The debate continued.

Private Members' Business

At 5:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 30(6), the House proceeded to the consideration of Private Members' Business.

Item No. 1 in the order of precedence, standing in the name of Mr. Lemay (Abitibi—Témiscamingue), was called and, not having been proceeded with, in accordance with Standing Order 94(2)(c), was dropped from the Order Paper.

Messages from the Senate

A message was received from the Senate as follows:

— ORDERED: That a message be sent to the House of Commons to inform that House of the following:

That the Senate call on the Government of Canada to negotiate with the Government of the United States of America the immediate repatriation to Canada of Canadian citizen and former child soldier Omar Khadr from the Guantánamo Bay detention facility; and

That the Senate urge the Government of Canada to undertake all necessary measures to promote his rehabilitation, in accordance with this country’s international obligations on child rights in armed conflicts, namely the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(1), papers deposited with the Clerk of the House were laid upon the Table as follows:

— by — Report of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, together with the Auditors' Report, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, pursuant to the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, S.C. 1987, c. 3, sbs. 29(3). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-392-505-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources)

— by — Report of the Canada Foundation for Sustainable Development Technology (including supplements I and II required by the Funding Agreement of March 31, 2005), together with the Auditors' Report, for the year 2007, pursuant to the Canada Foundation for Sustainable Development Technology Act, S.C. 2001, c. 23, sbs. 30(3). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-392-823-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources)

— by — Reports of the Department of Natural Resources for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2). — Sessional Paper No. 8561-392-653-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights)

— by Mr. Toews (President of the Treasury Board) — Reports of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2). — Sessional Paper No. 8561-392-583-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights)

— by — Response of the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109, to the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, "CBC/Radio-Canada: Defining Distinctiveness in the Changing Media Landscape" (Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-69), presented to the House on Thursday, February 28, 2008. — Sessional Paper No. 8512-392-69.

Petitions Filed with the Clerk of the House

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

— by , one concerning the income tax system (No. 392-0897);

— by , eight concerning sex offenders (Nos. 392-0898 to 392-0905);

— by , one concerning the public pension system (No. 392-0906);

— by , one concerning immigration (No. 392-0907), one concerning the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (No. 392-0908) and one concerning museums (No. 392-0909).

Adjournment Proceedings

At 5:31 p.m., by unanimous consent, the question “That this House do now adjourn” was deemed to have been proposed.

After debate, the question was deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, at 5:49 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).