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40th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

Journals No. 29 Thursday, March 12, 2009 10:00 a.m.

Prayers

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. 402-0004, 402-0027 and 402-0067 concerning asbestos. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-4-02;

— No. 402-0008 concerning the Criminal Code of Canada. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-11-02;

— No. 402-0009 concerning radio and television programming. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-18-02;

— Nos. 402-0010, 402-0046, 402-0047, 402-0074, 402-0075 and 402-0087 concerning the situation in Sri Lanka. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-28-01;

— No. 402-0011 concerning the National Capital Commission. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-3-03;

— Nos. 402-0012 to 402-0015 concerning cruelty to animals. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-29-01;

— No. 402-0021 concerning the Employment Insurance Program. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-12-03;

— Nos. 402-0023, 402-0031, 402-0032 and 402-0080 to 402-0082 concerning natural health products. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-30-01;

— No. 402-0026 concerning the situation in Sudan. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-5-03;

— Nos. 402-0029, 402-0048, 402-0049, 402-0088, 402-0105, 402-0117 and 402-0119 concerning the democratic process. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-31-01;

— No. 402-0044 concerning the textile industry. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-32-01;

— Nos. 402-0068, 402-0102 and 402-0142 concerning the income tax system. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-19-03;

— Nos. 402-0076 and 402-0077 concerning prosperity partnership. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-402-14-02.

Introduction of Government Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Mr. Nicholson (Minister of Justice), seconded by Mr. Hill (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons), Bill C-19, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (investigative hearing and recognizance with conditions), was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Szabo (Mississauga South), from the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, presented the Third Report of the Committee (privileges, powers and immunities of the House of Commons relating to the Mulroney Airbus settlement). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-402-41.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 9) was tabled.

Introduction of Private Members' Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Ms. Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North), seconded by Ms. Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe), Bill C-341, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (feminine hygiene products), was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was resolved, — That the Third Report of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, presented earlier today, be concurred in.

Accordingly, it was resolved, — Given that, in accordance with Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the Committee on Thursday, November 22, 2007, the Committee considered the Mulroney Airbus Settlement;

Given the principle of parliamentary privilege is enshrined in Section 9 of the Bill of Rights, 1689, Section 18 of the Constitution Act 1867, and Section 4 of the Parliament of Canada Act;

Given that witnesses who appeared before the Committee were given assurances that any proceedings would be protected by parliamentary privilege, thereby prohibiting the use of testimony in any proceeding outside of the House of Commons;

And given that the Senior Counsel, Nancy Brooks, on behalf of the Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry into Certain Allegations Respecting Business and Financial Dealings Between Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney has requested, by a letter dated March 6th, 2009, leave of the House of Commons to refer in Commission proceedings to testimony that was given before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, as reported on by the Committee in its report of April, 2008;

The House moves that the privileges, powers and immunities of the House of Commons, as provided by Section 18 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and Section 4 of the Parliament of Canada Act, include freedom of speech and debate as set out, among other places, in Section 9 of the Bill of Rights, 1689, which provides “that the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament, ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament”;

That the privileges, immunities and proceedings and all evidence, submissions and testimony by all persons participating in the proceedings of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics continue to be protected by all the privileges and immunities of this House, as mentioned in the Fourteenth Report (38th Parliament, 1st Session) of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs adopted by the House of Commons on November 18, 2004.

That this privilege prohibits, in a court of law or other proceeding, the tendering or receipt of evidence by way of direct evidence, cross-examination or submissions, of questions asked or statements, submissions or comments made in a parliamentary proceeding;

And that the House of Commons’ privilege of freedom of speech and debate precludes receipt of such transcripts by any other proceeding, including a commission of inquiry, for such purposes.

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, during the debate tonight on the motion to concur in the First Report of the Standing Committee on Status of Women, no quorum calls, requests for unanimous consent or dilatory motions shall be received by the Speaker; at the end of the time remaining for the debate, or when no Member rises to speak, the motion shall be deemed adopted.

Mr. Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek), seconded by Mr. Siksay (Burnaby—Douglas), moved, — That the Third Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, presented on Thursday, February 26, 2009, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 2)

Debate arose thereon.

At 1:31 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 66(2), the Speaker interrupted the proceedings.

The question was put on the motion and, pursuant to Standing Order 45, the recorded division was deferred until Monday, March 23, 2009, at the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by , one concerning the situation in Colombia (No. 402-0204);

— by , one concerning Canadian citizenship (No. 402-0205);

— by , one concerning pornography (No. 402-0206);

— by , one concerning asbestos (No. 402-0207);

— by , one concerning the situation in Sri Lanka (No. 402-0208);

— by , one concerning cruelty to animals (No. 402-0209) and one concerning the Criminal Code of Canada (No. 402-0210);

— by , one concerning cruelty to animals (No. 402-0211) and one concerning federal programs (No. 402-0212);

— by , one concerning the fishing industry (No. 402-0213).

Questions on the Order Paper

Mr. Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the answers to questions Q-4, Q-6, Q-7, Q-9 to Q-11, Q-18 to Q-21, Q-32 and Q-36 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 return to the following questions made into Orders for Return:

Q-1 — — With respect to the Building Canada Fund (BCF): (a) in order of economic priority projects approved to date, (i) where are they located, (ii) who are the partners involved, (iii) what is the federal contribution, (iv) what is the partners' contribution, (v) what is the total estimated cost, (vi) what were the criteria used in ranking the importance of the project, (vii) what is the benefit to Canadians, (viii) what is the number of jobs created during the construction period and number of permanent jobs created after completion of the project, (ix) what are the results of any environmental assessments and impact studies of the project; (b) what are the environmental projects approved in order of priority to date, (i) where are they located, (ii) who are the partners involved, (iii) what is the federal contribution, (iv) what is the partners’ contribution, (v) what is the total estimated cost, (vi) what are the criteria used in ranking the importance of the project, (vii) what is the benefit to Canadians, (viii) what is the number of jobs created during the construction period and permanent jobs created after completion of the project, (ix) what are the results of any environmental assessments and impact studies of the project; (c) from the Public Private Partnership Fund which is a component of the BFC, (i) what are the number of projects approved, (ii) what are the locations of the projects, (iii) what is the cost per project, (iv) what is the federal contribution, (v) what is the private partner contribution, (vi) what is the benefit of the project, (vii) what is the demonstrated need for the project, (viii) what is the number of jobs created during construction, (ix) what is the number of permanent jobs to be created after completion; (d) under the Gateways and Border Crossing Fund, another component of the BCF, (i) what are the approvals to date of funding expenditures under this program, (ii) what are the criteria for the approval and anticipated outcomes, (iii) what is the priority ranking of the expenditure approval, (iv) what are the results of any environmental assessment, (v) what is its policy, (vi) what is its governance, (vii) what were the technology and marketing assessments used in determining the funding approval; and (e) under the Provincial-Territorial Base Funding component in the BCF, (i) what are the amounts given to each province and territory since the creation of this funding, (ii) what is the amount of funding used for safety-related rehabilitation of infrastructure in each province and territory, (iii) what are the projects where the improvements were made, (iv) what are the expenditures involved and the projected outcome of each improvement, (v) what is the amount of funding that has been used on non-core national highway system infrastructure and where, (vi) what is the amount of each provinces’ and territories’ matching contribution compared to the federal contribution for a total project cost? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-1.

Q-5 — — With respect to Canada's mission in Afghanistan and the transfer of detainees by the Canadian Forces (CF): (a) what is the total number of detainees transferred by the CF to other entities since the beginning of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, (i) on an annual basis, (ii) over the total length of the mission; (b) of the number in (a), what is the breakdown by (i) citizenship, (ii) sex, (iii) age; (c) to which entities have the detainees been transferred; (d) to which locations have the detainees been transferred; (e) what is the total number of detainees currently held by the CF; (f) of the number in (e), what is the breakdown by (i) citizenship, (ii) sex, (iii) age; (g) what is the total number of reports and allegations of abuse of prisoners captured by the CF filed by (i) the CF, (ii) Corrections Canada, (iii) RCMP since February 1, 2008; and (h) what are the titles of each report on Afghan detainees produced by Canadian officials and their publication date? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-5.

Q-8 — — With respect to the government’s actions to detect, prevent and treat Lyme disease in Canada: (a) by what standard is the accuracy of Lyme disease testing conducted at the National Microbiological Laboratories evaluated; (b) when was the most recent independent evaluation of the proficiency of this testing conducted, by whom and what were the results; (c) what are the current criteria for determining whether a geographical area is deemed to be endemic for Lyme-infected ticks; (d) what is the projected schedule of field study with regard to such endemic areas; (e) with respect to the recommendations of the National Conference on Lyme Disease hosted by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in March 2006, (i) have the committees to develop new guidelines on surveillance, clinical and laboratory criteria been formed and, if so, when have they met, (ii) what stakeholder groups have participated in the development of new guidelines, what form has that participation taken, and when did it occur; (f) what is the government's strategy to protect canadians from the increase in incidents of Lyme disease anticipated by PHAC; (g) what is PHAC's strategy to increase (i) physicians' and other health professionals' awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease, (ii) the canadian public's awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease; (h) what measures has the PHAC taken in conjunction with provincial health authorities to increase professional and public awareness; (i) what are PHAC's measurable targets for the future increase of awareness and diagnostic accuracy of Lyme disease; (j) does Health Canada recommend the screening of blood for Lyme disease or co-infections such as babesiosis, as done in the United States and, if not, why not; and (k) what research projects into lyme borelia and tick-borne co-infections, their epidemiology, their possible role in the occurence of other diseases, and their treatment are currently being funded by the government and have been government funded during the past five years? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-8.

Q-16 — — With respect to the distribution of jobs in the government and all federal organizations in the National Capital Region: (a) how many jobs have there been on the Quebec side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004; and (b) how many jobs have there been on the Ontario side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-16.

Q-17 — — With respect to the square meters occupied by the federal government and all federal organizations in the National Capital Region: (a) how many square meters have been used on the Quebec side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004 and; (b) how many square meters have been used on the Ontario side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-17.

Q-22 — — With regard to the National Parole Board and the Department of Public Safety: (a) what mechanisms are put in place to ensure a fair and culturally responsive approach to the parole board's administration; (b) are there specific considerations taken into account when Aboriginals appear before the parole board; (c) what mechanisms are put in place to ensure that there is suitable Aboriginal representation on the parole board; and (d) currently, what percentage of parole board members are Aboriginal? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-22.

Q-23 — — Given that the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have recognized the security implications of climate change and have acted accordingly: (a) has the Prime Minister or any of his Ministers been briefed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Department of National Defense or Communications Security Establishment Canada on the security implications of climate change on Canada; (b) have security and government officials from the United Kingdom and the United States shared their information on this matter with the Canadian government; (c) as this is a matter of public record in the United Kingdom and the United States why has it not been disclosed in Canada; and (d) what has been the government response to the potential security issue that you have been alerted to by the British, U.S. or Canadian officials? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-23.

Q-24 — — With regard to the forestry industry in British Columbia (BC): (a) what specific steps has the government taken to reduce the dependency of the BC industry on the United States construction business and to facilitate and expand the sale of BC lumber to Asia; (b) for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 what is the specific breakdown of the $400 million promised in the 2006 budget to deal with the mountain pine beetle and to stimulate new economic opportunities for lumbering-dependent communities and job retraining for forest industry workers in (i) terms of exact funds to communities for economic re-adjustsments together with the names of the communities, (ii) what are the projects and funds spent on pine beetle research and alleviation, (iii) what are the specific projects and funds spent on job retraining initiatives; (c) what money was transferred to the BC government for fire prevention initiatives for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, and to pine beetle ravaged communities which are at prime risk for summer forest fires; and (d) what specific initiatives and funds has the government allocated over 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to the at “risk for fire” aboriginal communities in BC's interior? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-24.

Q-25 — — With respect to grants and federal funding allocated or transferred by the Department of Canadian Heritage to arts and culture festivals in the province of British Columbia: (a) what was the total spending given to the province, broken down by festivals for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008; (b) what is the projected allocation of grants and federal funding for the years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; and (c) specifically to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, what amount was given or is projected to fund, broken down by program, all cultural Olympiad programs, all bilingual initiatives and the francophone village and cultural events, for the fiscal years 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-25.

Q-26 — — With respect to the British Columbia salmon fisheries industry: (a) what concrete steps has the government undertaken to the development and implementation of an ocean's management strategy given that the 10 year Ocean Management Plan sunsets this year and what particular steps have been taken with regard to conservation, including a precautionary approach to management of the salmon fisheries; (b) what steps have been taken to allocate the First Nations of British Columbia a 50% share of all fisheries, and to increase treaty settlement funds to enable purchase or buy-back licenses and allow for relocation; (c) considering the devastation the mountain pine beetle has caused to the salmon industry through erosion of watersheds, what actions has the government taken to mitigate the damage to salmon spawning beds; and (d) how much money has the government given to revitalize the salmon industry, in particular the sport fishing industry in British Columbia, which contribute a large part to the salmon industry? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-26.

Q-27 — — With respect to tax treatments offered to the fishermen from Atlantic Canada and Quebec: (a) were the fishermen who accepted the Atlantic Fisheries Groundfish Retirement Package and who permanently gave up their fishing licences in the years 1999 and 2000 advised in writing by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to report, at the time of filing their income tax, that the retirement lump-sum payment was to be counted as revenue from a capital gain and, if so, (i) why, (ii) why did the Department of Fisheries and Oceans issue this advice, (iii) how many fishermen did the Department of Fisheries and Oceans give that advice to; (b) why did Revenue Canada or the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency agree to give certain other fishermen a different tax treatment than the one outlined above, for the same retirement years; (c) how many fishermen received that different tax treatment; (d) why did the Minister of National Revenue and the Federal Minister of Fisheries advise these former fishermen (or their survivors in the case of deceased former fishermen) to appeal to the Regional Director of Taxation in St. John’s for a review; (e) has the Regional Director of Taxation informed the affected individuals that he will not accept their appeals and, if so, why; and (f) did Revenue Canada or the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency reach an out-of-court settlement in 2007 with a certain number of fishermen who had appealed their tax treatment and, if so, (i) why, (ii) why were the fishermen involved in that out-of-court settlement required to sign a secrecy or non-disclosure document, (iii) how many fishermen were involved in that out-of-court settlement? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-27.

Q-28 — — With regard to the Building Canada Fund (BCF): (a) what projects have been awarded funding; (b) for each of these projects, what was (i) the dollar share of project costs funded by the government, (ii) the percentage share of project costs funded by the government, (iii) the content and specifications of the project, (iv) the location of the project; (c) what are the government's plans to accelerate infrastructure spending under the BCF; (d) how much funding has been or will be allocated for each province and territory; and (e) what is the cost-sharing formula for cost-shared projects with other orders of government? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-28.

Q-29 — — With regard to 5 Wing Goose Bay, for each of the fiscal years 2004-2005 through 2008-2009 inclusive: (a) what was the total amount spent, or for the current year budgeted to be spent, by the Department of National Defence (DND) or the Canadian Armed Forces in respect of 5 Wing Goose Bay, indicating for each fiscal year the operational budget, capital budget, payroll, and other expenses; (b) what specific measures, if any, have been taken towards the establishment of a rapid reaction battalion and unmanned aerial vehicle squadron at 5 Wing Goose Bay; (c) what is the operational requirement for 5 Wing Goose Bay referred to by the former Minister of National Defence and when was it instituted; and (d) what specific marketing initiatives has DND undertaken with regards to attracting clients to 5 Wing Goose Bay, stating (i) who has undertaken this marketing for or on behalf of DND, (ii) what are the budgeted or actual expenditures for these marketing initiatives? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-29.

Q-30 — — With regard to the installation of cell phone communications towers and the electro-magnetic fields and radio-frequency radiation they emit: (a) when was a federal permit awarded to install a cell phone tower at Saint-Joachim church located at 2 Saint-Anne, Pointe-Claire, Quebec, H9S 4P5; (b) who is the service provider who applied for and was awarded the permit; (c) what justification was given by the service provider for requiring a cell phone tower permit for that particular location; (d) what are the technical specifications of the cell phone tower for which a permit was awarded; (e) what limits or conditions, if any, were attached to the permit; (f) do technical specifications and other permit conditions vary according to the nature of the surrounding environment, specifically as regards to whether schools, hospitals, or residential units are located in the vicinity; (g) what requirements were placed on the City of Pointe-Claire in regards to consulting local residents before a federal permit was awarded for the Saint-Joachim cell phone tower, and were these general requirements applicable to all municipalities in Canada or were all or some conditions specific to this particular tower; (h) how many other permits have been awarded in the past for installation of cell phone towers in Pointe-Claire, where are these located, and who are the providers who operate the towers; (i) what evidence has the government used to establish that cell phone towers are not a threat to human health generally and to the health of vulnerable populations like children specifically; (j) in establishing allowable risks associated with cell phone towers does the government apply a maximum acceptable threshold of risk that incorporates the precautionary principle as laid out in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (signed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) and, if not, what other standards, if any, of precaution are reflected in the applied risk threshold; and (k) is the government aware of literature or studies, including the most recent, that suggest there is risk, especially for children, associated with the close proximity of schools, hospitals, or residential units to cell phone towers and, if so, on what basis has the government dismissed these findings? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-30.

Q-31 — — With regard to the two rerouted March 2008 Cubana Airlines flights flying from Havana and Varadero, Cuba to Montréal and the December 2008 Air Canada flight flying from Vancouver to Toronto that were stranded on the tarmacs of the Ottawa and Vancouver International Airports, respectively: (a) has the government investigated any or all of these incidents and, if so, what conclusions have been drawn regarding the cause of the passengers being held on a plane without enough food and water; (b) what steps or procedures were followed by the airport authority to finally deplane the passengers; (c) could any of these steps or procedures have been taken earlier and, if not, what constraints prevented these steps or procedures from being taken earlier; (d) are there currently any policies, laws, or regulations that set out a time limit for how long a plane with passengers can be held on the tarmac and, if not, has the government developed any recommendations for such policies, laws, or regulations; (e) is the government aware of any existing procedures, established voluntarily by airport authorities, to be followed in situations where a plane with passengers is left on the tarmac for a considerable period of time; (f) is there an accountability mechanism whereby tarmac delays above a reasonable threshold must be reported to the government; (g) to what extent, if any, was the RCMP involved in resolving any or all of these incidents; (h) if the RCMP was involved, what specific steps did they take to resolve any or all of these incidents; and (i) are there potential civil or criminal liabilities arising from these events? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-31.

Q-33 — — With regard to the HMCS Chicoutimi crew personnel who were on board during the October 2004 HMCS Chicoutimi fire: (a) what post-trauma services were offered to the personnel and following which timeline the services were offered; (b) what is the total number of hours of sick-leave taken post accident by month up to and including today's date; (c) how many individuals have applied for disability pensions or long-term disability directly related to this accident; and (d) how many were approved for disability pensions or long-term disability directly related to this accident to date? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-33.

Q-34 — — With regard to the anthrax vaccine administered to Canadian Forces (CF) serving in the Gulf War: (a) did the government complete independent testing on the safety of the vaccine; (b) did the government complete a study on the health of CF personnel who receive the vaccine; and (c) has the government continued to monitor or undertaken any follow up studies on the health of CF personnel who received the vaccine? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-34.

Q-37 — — With regard to the federal emergency preparedness funding to the provinces and territories over the last five years for firefighting equipment: (a) how much funding has the government contributed to those specific projects which involved the purchase of firefighting equipment through the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP); (b) what is the specific breakdown of the government's emergency preparedness contributions, by province and territory; and (c) other than the JEPP program, what other funding has been made available to the provinces, territories and municipalities to specifically support the purchase of firefighting equipment? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-402-37.

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration at report stage of Bill C-2, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the States of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Republic of Iceland, the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway and the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Swiss Confederation, as reported by the Standing Committee on International Trade with an amendment;

And of Motion No. 1.

Mr. Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster), seconded by Mr. Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore), moved Motion No. 1, — That Bill C-2 be amended by deleting Clause 33.

The debate continued on Motion No. 1.

The question was put on Motion No. 1 and, pursuant to Standing Order 45, the recorded division was deferred until later today, at the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders.

The Order was read for the second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights of Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants).

Mr. Nicholson (Minister of Justice), seconded by Mr. O'Connor (Minister of State), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

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.

Messages from the Senate

A message was received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following Bill to which the concurrence of the House is desired:

Bill S-3, An Act to amend the Energy Efficiency Act.

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Nicholson (Minister of Justice), seconded by Mr. O'Connor (Minister of State), — That Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

The debate continued.

Deferred Recorded Divisions

Government Orders

Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the House proceeded to the taking of the deferred recorded division at report stage of Bill C-2, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the States of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Republic of Iceland, the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway and the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Swiss Confederation, as reported by the Standing Committee on International Trade with an amendment.

The House proceeded to the taking of the deferred recorded division on Motion No. 1 of Mr. Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster), seconded by Mr. Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore), — That Bill C-2 be amended by deleting Clause 33.
The question was put on Motion No. 1 and it was negatived on the following division:
(Division No. 28 -- Vote n^o 28)
YEAS: 27, NAYS: 201
YEAS -- POUR Allen (Welland) Atamanenko Bevington Charlton Chow Christopherson Comartin Crowder Cullen Davies (Vancouver East) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Godin Gravelle Hughes Julian Layton Leslie Maloway Marston Martin (Winnipeg Centre) Martin (Sault Ste. Marie) Masse Rafferty Savoie Siksay Stoffer Wasylycia-Leis Total: -- 27
NAYS -- CONTRE Abbott Ablonczy Aglukkaq Albrecht Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambrose Anderson Andrews Ashfield Bagnell Bains Beaudin Bélanger Bennett Benoit Bernier Bezan Bigras Blackburn Blaney Block Bouchard Boucher Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Brunelle Byrne Cadman Calandra Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Cannis Carrie Carrier Casson Chong Clarke Clement Coady Coderre Cotler Cuzner D'Amours Davidson Day DeBellefeuille Dechert Del Mastro Demers Desnoyers Devolin Dhaliwal Dion Dorion Dreeshen Dufour Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Duncan (Etobicoke North) Dykstra Easter Eyking Faille Fast Finley Fletcher Fry Galipeau Gallant Garneau Glover Goodale Goodyear Gourde Grewal Guarnieri Guergis Guimond (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques) Hall Findlay Harper Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hiebert Hill Hoback Hoeppner Holder Jean Jennings Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Kania Karygiannis Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret's) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Laframboise Lake Lauzon Lebel Lee Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunn Lunney MacKenzie Malhi Malo Mayes McColeman McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) McTeague Ménard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin) Mendes Menzies Merrifield Miller Minna Moore (Fundy Royal) Murphy (Charlottetown) Murray Nicholson Norlock O'Connor O'Neill-Gordon Obhrai Oda Oliphant Pacetti Paquette Paradis Patry Payne Pearson Petit Poilievre Prentice Preston Proulx Raitt Rajotte Rathgeber Regan Reid Richards Richardson Rickford Rodriguez Russell Saxton Scarpaleggia Scheer Schellenberger Shea Shipley Silva Simms Simson Smith Sorenson St-Cyr Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Szabo Thompson Tilson Toews Trost Trudeau Tweed Uppal Valeriote Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Vincent Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilfert Wong Woodworth Wrzesnewskyj Yelich Young Zarac Total: -- 201

Pursuant to Standing Order 76.1(9), Mr. Day (Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway), seconded by Mr. Hill (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons), moved, — That the Bill be concurred in at report stage.
The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following division:
(Division No. 29 -- Vote n^o 29)
YEAS: 201, NAYS: 27
YEAS -- POUR Abbott Ablonczy Aglukkaq Albrecht Allen (Tobique—Mactaquac) Allison Ambrose Anderson Andrews Ashfield Bagnell Bains Beaudin Bélanger Bennett Benoit Bernier Bezan Bigras Blackburn Blaney Block Bouchard Boucher Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Newmarket—Aurora) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Brunelle Byrne Cadman Calandra Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Cannis Carrie Carrier Casson Chong Clarke Clement Coady Coderre Cotler Cuzner D'Amours Davidson Day DeBellefeuille Dechert Del Mastro Demers Desnoyers Devolin Dhaliwal Dion Dorion Dreeshen Dufour Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Duncan (Etobicoke North) Dykstra Easter Eyking Faille Fast Finley Fletcher Fry Galipeau Gallant Garneau Glover Goodale Goodyear Gourde Grewal Guarnieri Guergis Guimond (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques) Hall Findlay Harper Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hiebert Hill Hoback Hoeppner Holder Jean Jennings Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Kania Karygiannis Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret's) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Laframboise Lake Lauzon Lebel Lee Lemieux Lobb Lukiwski Lunn Lunney MacKenzie Malhi Malo Mayes McColeman McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) McTeague Ménard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin) Mendes Menzies Merrifield Miller Minna Moore (Fundy Royal) Murphy (Charlottetown) Murray Nicholson Norlock O'Connor O'Neill-Gordon Obhrai Oda Oliphant Pacetti Paquette Paradis Patry Payne Pearson Petit Poilievre Prentice Preston Proulx Raitt Rajotte Rathgeber Regan Reid Richards Richardson Rickford Rodriguez Russell Saxton Scarpaleggia Scheer Schellenberger Shea Shipley Silva Simms Simson Smith Sorenson St-Cyr Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Szabo Thompson Tilson Toews Trost Trudeau Tweed Uppal Valeriote Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Vincent Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilfert Wong Woodworth Wrzesnewskyj Yelich Young Zarac Total: -- 201
NAYS -- CONTRE Allen (Welland) Atamanenko Bevington Charlton Chow Christopherson Comartin Crowder Cullen Davies (Vancouver East) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Godin Gravelle Hughes Julian Layton Leslie Maloway Marston Martin (Winnipeg Centre) Martin (Sault Ste. Marie) Masse Rafferty Savoie Siksay Stoffer Wasylycia-Leis Total: -- 27
Accordingly, the Bill, as amended, was concurred in at report stage and ordered for a third reading at the next sitting of the House.

Private Members' Business

At 5:56 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 30(7), 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 Citizenship and Immigration of Bill C-291, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (coming into force of sections 110, 111 and 171).

Mr. St-Cyr (Jeanne-Le Ber), seconded by Ms. Demers (Laval), moved, — That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

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.

Concurrence in Committee Reports

Pursuant to Standing Order 66(2), the House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Demers (Laval), seconded by Mrs. Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert), — That the First Report of the Standing Committee on Status of Women, presented on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 1)

The debate continued.

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 acquaint that House that the Senate has passed Bill C-10, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on January 27, 2009 and related fiscal measures, without amendment.

Royal Assent

A message was received informing the Commons that Her Excellency the Governor General signified Royal Assent by written declaration to the following Bill:

Bill C-10, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on January 27, 2009 and related fiscal measures — Chapter No. 2.

Concurrence in Committee Reports

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Demers (Laval), seconded by Mrs. Lavallée (Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert), — That the First Report of the Standing Committee on Status of Women, presented on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 1)

Pursuant to Order made earlier today, the question was deemed put on the motion and adopted.

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 — Orders in Council approving certain appointments made by the Governor General in Council, pursuant to Standing Order 110(1), as follows:

— P.C. 2009-232. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-2-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food)

— P.C. 2009-229 to P.C. 2009-231. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-3-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage)

— P.C. 2009-217 to P.C. 2009-228. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-14-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration)

— P.C. 2009-211 to P.C. 2009-214. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-9-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Finance)

— P.C. 2009-192. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-10-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans)

— P.C. 2009-194, P.C. 2009-200 and P.C. 2009-201. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-8-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development)

— P.C. 2009-190 and P.C. 2009-193. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-4-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates)

— P.C. 2009-196, P.C. 2009-197 and P.C. 2009-202 to P.C. 2009-210. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-16-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities)

— P.C. 2009-286. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-17-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on National Defence)

— P.C. 2009-195. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-29-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources)

— P.C. 2009-233. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-402-32-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs)

— by — Erratum concerning the report on the administration and operation of the Canada Health Act for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 (Sessional paper No. 8560-402-458-01), pursuant to the Canada Health Act, R.S. 1985, c. C-6, s. 23. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-402-458-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Health)

Adjournment Proceedings

At 7:48 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 8:02 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).