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40th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

Journals No. 113 Thursday, November 19, 2009 10:00 a.m.

Prayers

Statement by the Speaker

The Speaker declared null and void the amendment to Clause 5 in Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (qualification for and entitlement to benefits), as adopted by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, and ordered that it be struck from the Bill as reported and that the Bill be reprinted.

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Lukiwski (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:

— Nos. 402-1031, 402-1064 to 402-1066 and 402-1073 concerning bankruptcy. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-87-02.

Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States Inter-parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 50th Annual Meeting, held in La Malbaie, Quebec, from May 15 to 18, 2009. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-402-59-24.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), presented the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States Inter-parliamentary Group respecting its participation at the 2009 Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 20 to 24, 2009. — Sessional Paper No. 8565-402-59-25.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Miller (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound), from the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, presented the Fifth Report of the Committee (removal of Canada's State Trading Enterprise and Supply Management Systems from the DOHA Agreement). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-402-159.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 34) was tabled.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, in relation to its study of the federal contribution to reducing poverty in Canada, eight members of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skill and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities be authorized to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, Whitehorse, Yukon, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the fall of 2009 and that the necessary staff accompany the Committee.

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, in relation to its study on organized crime, 12 members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights be authorized to travel to Toronto, Ontario, in the fall of 2009 and that the necessary staff accompany the Committee.

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, in relation to its study of Arctic sovereignty, 12 members of the Standing Committee on National Defence be authorized to travel to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the fall of 2009 and that the necessary staff accompany the Committee.

Ms. Chow (Trinity—Spadina), seconded by Mr. Martin (Winnipeg Centre), moved, — That the Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, presented on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 14)

Debate arose thereon.

Mr. O'Connor (Minister of State), seconded by Mr. Calkins (Wetaskiwin), moved, — That the debate be now adjourned.

The question was put on the motion and it was negatived on the following division:
(Division No. 131 -- Vote n^o 131)
YEAS: 115, NAYS: 116
YEAS -- POUR Abbott Ablonczy Aglukkaq Albrecht Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Ambrose Anders Anderson Ashfield Baird Benoit Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boucher Boughen Braid Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Bruinooge Cadman Calandra Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Carrie Casson Chong Cummins Davidson Dechert Del Mastro Dykstra Fast Finley Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Goldring Goodyear Gourde Guergis Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hiebert Hill Hoback Hoeppner Holder Jean Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret's) Kent Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Lebel Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunn Lunney MacKay (Central Nova) Mayes McLeod Menzies Merrifield Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Nicholson O'Connor O'Neill-Gordon Paradis Petit Poilievre Prentice Preston Raitt Rajotte Rathgeber Reid Richards Richardson Ritz Saxton Scheer Schellenberger Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sorenson Storseth Strahl Sweet Thompson Tilson Toews Trost Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wong Woodworth Yelich Young Total: -- 115
NAYS -- CONTRE André Andrews Angus Ashton Asselin Atamanenko Bachand Beaudin Bélanger Bellavance Bevilacqua Bigras Blais Bonsant Bouchard Bourgeois Brison Brunelle Byrne Cannis Cardin Charlton Chow Christopherson Coderre Comartin Cotler Crombie Crowder Cuzner D'Amours Davies (Vancouver East) DeBellefeuille Demers Desnoyers Dewar Dion Dorion Dosanjh Dryden Duceppe Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Easter Eyking Faille Folco Garneau Goodale Gravelle Guarnieri Guay Guimond (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques) Hall Findlay Harris (St. John's East) Hyer Jennings Julian Karygiannis Kennedy Laforest Laframboise Lavallée Layton LeBlanc Lee Leslie Lessard MacAulay Malhi Malo Maloway Marston Martin (Winnipeg Centre) Martin (Sault Ste. Marie) Masse McCallum McGuinty McTeague Mendes Minna Murphy (Charlottetown) Murray Nadeau Ouellet Paquette Patry Pearson Plamondon Pomerleau Proulx Rae Rafferty Regan Rodriguez Rota Roy Savage Savoie Scarpaleggia Sgro Siksay Silva Simson St-Cyr Stoffer Szabo Thi Lac Thibeault Tonks Trudeau Vincent Volpe Wasylycia-Leis Wrzesnewskyj Zarac Total: -- 116

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Chow (Trinity—Spadina), seconded by Mr. Martin (Winnipeg Centre), — That the Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, presented on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 14)

The debate continued.

At 1:13 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 66(2), the Speaker interrupted the proceedings.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by , one concerning the Canada Post Corporation (No. 402-1223);

— by , one concerning transportation (No. 402-1224);

— by , one concerning cruelty to animals (No. 402-1225);

— by , one concerning the situation in Colombia (No. 402-1226);

— by , one concerning the Food and Drugs Act (No. 402-1227).

Questions on the Order Paper

Mr. Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the answer to question Q-449 on the Order Paper.

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

Q-450 — — What are the names and titles of the Official Languages Champions in each department and agency for each year from 2004 to 2009? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-450.

Q-451 — — With respect to language training, for each fiscal year from 2005–2006 to 2008–2009: (a) how much did the government spend in each province and territory to help newcomers learn (i) French, (ii) English; (b) how much did the government give to third parties in each province and territory to help newcomers learn (i) French, (ii) English; and (c) what are the names of the third parties that received funding for this purpose? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-451.

Q-452 — — With regard to Canadians diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): (a) given that the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) showed a more than 60% increase in Canadians diagnosed with ME/CFS between 2001 and 2005, (i) what, if any, funding has been allocated to research this illness in the last four years, (ii) how does the government propose to encourage Canadian research into ME/CFS so that the level of research into this complex, multi-system illness is commensurate with its extent and impact, (iii) what is the government doing to develop strategies and programs to meet the needs of Canadians with ME/CFS; (b) how is the government ensuring that health professionals are aware of the following documents, (i) the Canadian Consensus Document for ME/CFS (ME/CFS: A Clinical Case Definition and Guidelines for Medical Practitioners) developed by an expert panel selected by Health Canada, so that this illness can be diagnosed consistently and accurately, (ii) the Canadian Consensus Document for Fibromyalgia (Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Clinical Case Definition and Guidelines for Medical Practitioners), also developed by an expert panel, so that these illnesses can be appropriately and differentially diagnosed; (c) when will the government perform the following tasks in relation to the Consensus Document for ME/CFS posted on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website, (i) improve the location of the document on the website in order to facilitate location of this document, (ii) post the French version of this document; (d) why is the Fibromyalgia Consensus Document not posted as a guideline on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website; (e) what steps is the government taking to ensure that health professionals, patients, and the public have access to science-based, authoritative and timely information on ME/CFS; (f) how soon will the government post other information related to ME/CFS on government websites; (g) what is the government doing to ensure access to ME/CFS knowledgeable physicians and appropriate health care on a timely basis and how is the government working with the provinces, territories, professional organizations, educational institutions and other stakeholders to meet these needs; (h) how is the government working with stakeholders to deal with other needs of Canadians with ME/CFS shown by the 2005 CCHS including, (i) reducing the levels of unmet home care needs, (ii) reducing the levels of food insecurity, (iii) increasing the sense of community belonging experienced by Canadians with this condition; (i) how will the surveillance report on ME/CFS, prepared from analysis of data collected from the 2005 CCHS, be used to improve the situation for Canadians with ME/CFS; and (j) how will the government monitor the extent and impact of ME/CFS and these other conditions on an annual basis given that questions regarding ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities were dropped from the CCHS after 2005? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-452.

Government Orders

The Order was read for the second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on International Trade of Bill C-57, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Mr. O'Connor (Minister of State) for Mr. Day (Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway), seconded by Mr. Thompson (Minister of Veterans Affairs), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on International Trade.

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.

Question of Privilege

A question of privilege having been raised by Mr. Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore), the Speaker ruled that there was a prima facie case of privilege;

Whereupon, , seconded by , moved, — That the matter of the question of privilege raised by the Member from Sackville—Eastern Shore on November 3rd of this year be now referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Day (Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway), seconded by Mr. Thompson (Minister of Veterans Affairs), — That Bill C-57, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Agreement on the Environment between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on International Trade.

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.

The Order was read for the consideration at report stage of Bill C-291, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (coming into force of sections 110, 111 and 171), as reported by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration without amendment.

Mr. St-Cyr (Jeanne-Le Ber), seconded by Mr. Bigras (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie), moved, — That the Bill be concurred in at report stage.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Accordingly, the Bill was concurred in at report stage.

Pursuant to Standing Order 98(2), Mr. St-Cyr (Jeanne-Le Ber), seconded by Mr. Bigras (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie), moved, — That the Bill be now read a third time and do pass.

Debate arose thereon.

Pursuant to Standing Order 98(2), the Order was dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

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 Mr. Toews (President of the Treasury Board) — Revised response of the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109, to the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, "Public Accounts of Canada 2008" (Sessional Paper No. 8510-402-42), presented to the House on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. — Sessional Paper No. 8512-402-42-01.

— by Mr. Toews (President of the Treasury Board) — Actuarial Report (including cost certificate) on the Pension Plan for the Canadian Forces as at March 31, 2008, and certification of assets of the Pension Plan, pursuant to the Public Pensions Reporting Act, R.S. 1985, c. 13 (2nd Supp.), sbs. 9(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-402-49-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates)

— by Mr. Toews (President of the Treasury Board) — Actuarial Report (including cost certificate) on the Pension Plan for the Public Service of Canada, as at March 31, 2008, and certification of assets of the Pension Plan, pursuant to the Public Pension Reporting Act, R.S. 1985, c. 13 (2nd Supp.), sbs. 9(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-402-221-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates)

— by Mr. Toews (President of the Treasury Board) — Actuarial Report (including certification of assets) on the Regular Force Death Benefit Account as at March 31, 2008, pursuant to the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, R.S. 1985, c. C-17, s. 71(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-402-395-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates)

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 cruelty to animals (No. 402-1228);

— by , three concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (Nos. 402-1229 to 402-1231).

Adjournment Proceedings

At 6:30 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 7:00 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).