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42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals

No. 64

Thursday, June 2, 2016

10:00 a.m.



Prayer
Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents
The Speaker laid upon the Table, — Reports of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, 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. 8561-421-627-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h)(v), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics)

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

— No. 421-00191 concerning military medals and decorations. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-45-01;
— No. 421-00194 concerning rail transportation. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-10-03;
— Nos. 421-00196 and 421-00197 concerning unborn children. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-5-05.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by Mr. Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley), one concerning health care services (No. 421-00397);
— by Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands), one concerning the democratic process (No. 421-00398) and one concerning pesticides (No. 421-00399).
Business of Supply

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

Mr. Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley), seconded by Mr. Dubé (Beloeil—Chambly), moved, — That a Special Committee on electoral reform be appointed to identify and conduct a study of viable alternate voting systems to replace the first-past-the-post system, as well as to examine mandatory voting and online voting;

that the Committee be directed to issue an invitation to each Member of Parliament to conduct a town hall in their respective constituencies and provide the Committee with a written report of the input from their constituents to be filed with the Clerk of the Committee no later than November 1, 2016;

that the Committee be directed to take into account the applicable constitutional, legal and implementation parameters in the development of its recommendations; accordingly, the Committee should seek out expert testimony on these matters;

that the Committee be directed to consult broadly with relevant experts and organizations, take into consideration consultations that have been undertaken on the issue, examine relevant research studies and literature, and review models being used or developed in other jurisdictions;

that the Committee be directed to develop its consultation agenda, working methods, and recommendations on electoral reform with the goal of strengthening the inclusion of all Canadians in our diverse society, including women, Indigenous Peoples, youth, seniors, Canadians with disabilities, new Canadians, and residents of rural and remote communities;

that the Committee be directed to conduct a national engagement process that includes a comprehensive and inclusive consultation with Canadians, including through written submissions and online engagement tools;

that the Committee be composed of twelve (12) members of which five (5) shall be government members, three (3) shall be from the Official Opposition, two (2) shall be from the New Democratic Party, one (1) member shall be from the Bloc Québécois, and the Member for Saanich—Gulf Islands;

that changes in the membership of the Committee be effective immediately after notification by the Whip has been filed with the Clerk of the House;

that membership substitutions be permitted, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2);

that, with the exception of the Member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, all other members shall be named by their respective Whip by depositing with the Clerk of the House the list of their members to serve on the Committee no later than ten (10) sitting days following the adoption of this motion;

that the Committee be chaired by a member of the government party; that, in addition to the Chair, there be one (1) Vice-Chair from the Official Opposition and one (1) Vice-Chair from the New Democratic Party, and that, notwithstanding Standing Order 106(3), all candidates for the position of Chair or Vice-Chair from the Official Opposition shall be elected by secret ballot, and that each candidate be permitted to address the Committee for not more than three (3) minutes;

that the quorum of the Committee be as provided for in Standing Order 118, provided that at least four (4) members are present and provided that one (1) member from the government party and one (1) member from an opposition party are present;

that the Committee be granted all of the powers of a standing committee, as provided in the Standing Orders, as well as the power to travel, accompanied by the necessary staff, inside and outside of Canada;

that the Committee have the power to authorize video and audio broadcasting of any or all of its proceedings; and

that the Committee present its final report no later than December 1, 2016.

Debate arose thereon.

Ms. Monsef (Minister of Democratic Institutions), seconded by Mr. Holland (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions), moved the following amendment, — That the motion be amended by:

(a) adding after the words “online voting” the following:

“, and to assess the extent to which the options identified could advance the following principles for electoral reform:
1) Effectiveness and legitimacy: that the proposed measure would increase public confidence among Canadians that their democratic will, as expressed by their votes, will be fairly translated and that the proposed measure reduces distortion and strengthens the link between voter intention and the election of representatives;
2) Engagement: that the proposed measure would encourage voting and participation in the democratic process, foster greater civility and collaboration in politics, enhance social cohesion and offer opportunities for inclusion of underrepresented groups in the political process;
3) Accessibility and inclusiveness: that the proposed measure would avoid undue complexity in the voting process, while respecting the other principles, and that it would support access by all eligible voters regardless of physical or social condition;
4) Integrity: that the proposed measure can be implemented while safeguarding public trust in the election process, by ensuring reliable and verifiable results obtained through an effective and objective process that is secure and preserves vote secrecy for individual Canadians;
5) Local representation: that the proposed measure would ensure accountability and recognize the value that Canadians attach to community, to Members of Parliament understanding local conditions and advancing local needs at the national level, and to having access to Members of Parliament to facilitate resolution of their concerns and participation in the democratic process;”

(b) replacing the words “November 1, 2016” with the words “October 14, 2016”;

(c) adding after the words “engagement tools;” the following: “that the Committee be directed to study and advise on additional methods for obtaining the views of Canadians;” and

(d) replacing the words “, notwithstanding Standing Order 106(3), all candidates for the position of Chair or Vice-Chair from the Official Opposition” with the words “all candidates for the position of Chair or Vice-Chair”.

Debate arose thereon.

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.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the Member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

Business of Supply

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley), seconded by Mr. Dubé (Beloeil—Chambly), in relation to the Business of Supply;

The debate continued.

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

Pursuant to Order made earlier today, the question was deemed put on the amendment and the recorded division was deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, June 7, 2016, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

Private Members' Business

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

The Order was read for the second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Finance of Bill C-240, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (tax credit — first aid).

Mr. May (Cambridge), seconded by Mrs. Caesar-Chavannes (Whitby), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.

Debate arose thereon.

Pursuant to Standing Order 93(1), the Order was dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Acting Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(1), a paper deposited with the Acting Clerk of the House was laid upon the Table as follows:

— by Mr. MacAulay (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food) — Summaries of the Corporate Plan for the period 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 and of the Operating and Capital Budgets and Borrowing Plan for 2016-2017 of Farm Credit Canada, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4). — Sessional Paper No. 8562-421-818-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food)
Adjournment Proceedings

At 6:15 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 38(1), 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 6:45 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).