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39th PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

Journals No. 63 Monday, March 10, 2008 11:00 a.m.

Prayers

Private Members' Business

At 11:00 a.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 S-203, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals), as reported by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights without amendment.

Pursuant to Standing Order 76.1(5), the Speaker selected and grouped for debate the following motions:

Group No. 1 — Motions Nos. 1 and 2.

Group No. 1

Ms. Nash (Parkdale—High Park), seconded by Mr. Comartin (Windsor—Tecumseh), moved Motion No. 1, — That Bill S-203 be amended by deleting the long title.

Ms. Nash (Parkdale—High Park), seconded by Mr. Comartin (Windsor—Tecumseh), moved Motion No. 2, — That Bill S-203 be amended by deleting Clause 1.

Debate arose on the motions in Group No. 1.

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

Business of Supply

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

Mr. Wilfert (Richmond Hill), seconded by Mr. St. Denis (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing), moved, — That the House take note of the on-going national discussion about Canada's role in Afghanistan.

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.

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 and Minister for Democratic Reform) laid upon the Table, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— Nos. 392-0251, 392-0265, 392-0303 and 392-0350 concerning the issuing of visas. — Sessional Paper No. 8545-392-42-3.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Doyle (St. John's East), from the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, presented the Sixth Report of the Committee (Minister's non-appearance on the Supplementary Estimates (B)). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-81.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 15) was tabled.

Mr. Rodriguez (Honoré-Mercier), from the Standing Committee on Official Languages, presented the Third Report of the Committee, "Leading by Example: Bilingualism in the Public Service and the Renewal of the Action Plan for Official Languages". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-82.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 10 to 14 and 16 to 19) was tabled.

First Reading of Senate Public Bills

Pursuant to Standing Order 69(2), on motion of Mr. Warkentin (Peace River), seconded by Mr. Wallace (Burlington), Bill S-201, An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act and the Bank of Canada Act (quarterly financial reports), was read the first time and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by , one concerning the income tax system (No. 392-0441);

— by , one concerning the Canada Labour Code (No. 392-0442);

— by , one concerning the income tax system (No. 392-0443) and one concerning federal programs (No. 392-0444);

— by , one concerning student loans (No. 392-0445).

Business of Supply

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Wilfert (Richmond Hill), seconded by Mr. St. Denis (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing), in relation to the Business of Supply.

The debate continued.

At 6:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 81(19), the proceedings expired.

Deferred Recorded Divisions

Business of Supply

Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the House proceeded to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of Mr. Layton (Toronto—Danforth), seconded by Mr. Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley), — That the House regrets this government’s failure to live up to Canada’s international climate change agreements, and its refusal to bring forward for debate and vote, the Clean Air and Climate Change Act, the climate change plan called for by a majority vote of the House, and that therefore the House no longer has confidence in this government.
The question was put on the motion and it was negatived on the following division:
(Division No. 62 -- Vote n^o 62)
YEAS: 84, NAYS: 121
YEAS -- POUR André Angus Asselin Atamanenko Bachand Barbot Bell (Vancouver Island North) Bellavance Bevington Bigras Black Blaikie Blais Bonsant Bouchard Bourgeois Brunelle Cardin Carrier Charlton Chow Christopherson Comartin Crête Crowder Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley) Davies DeBellefeuille Demers Deschamps Dewar Dion Duceppe Faille Gagnon Gaudet Godfrey Godin Goodale Guay Guimond Ignatieff Jennings Julian Laforest Laframboise Lavallée Layton Lemay Lessard Lévesque Lussier Malo Marston Martin (Winnipeg Centre) Martin (Sault Ste. Marie) Masse Mathyssen McDonough McGuinty Ménard (Hochelaga) Ménard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin) Mulcair Nadeau Nash Ouellet Paquette Perron Plamondon Priddy Proulx Regan Rodriguez Roy Savoie Scarpaleggia Siksay St-Cyr St-Hilaire Stoffer Thi Lac Thibault (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques) Vincent Wasylycia-Leis Total: -- 84
NAYS -- CONTRE Abbott Ablonczy Albrecht Allen Allison Ambrose Anders Anderson Baird Batters Benoit Bernier Bezan Blackburn Boucher Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Cannon (Pontiac) Carrie Casson Chong Clement Comuzzi Cummins Davidson Day Del Mastro Devolin Doyle Dykstra Emerson Epp Fast Finley Fitzpatrick Flaherty Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Goldring Goodyear Gourde Grewal Hanger Harris 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 Lunn Lunney MacKay (Central Nova) MacKenzie Manning Mark Mayes Menzies Merrifield Miller Mills Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Nicholson Norlock O'Connor Obhrai Oda Paradis Petit Poilievre Preston Rajotte Reid Richardson Ritz Scheer Schellenberger Shipley Skelton Smith Solberg Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Thompson (New Brunswick Southwest) Thompson (Wild Rose) Tilson Toews Trost Tweed Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Williams Yelich Total: -- 121
PAIRED -- PAIRÉS Blaney Freeman Gravel Guergis Lalonde Pallister Picard Prentice

Government Orders

Pursuant to Order made Thursday, March 6, 2008, the House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform), seconded by Mr. Prentice (Minister of Industry), —

Whereas,

the House recognizes the important contribution and sacrifice of Canadian Forces and Canadian civilian personnel as part of the UN mandated, NATO-led mission deployed in Afghanistan at the request of the democratically elected government of Afghanistan;

the House believes that Canada must remain committed to the people of Afghanistan beyond February 2009;

the House takes note that in February 2002, the government took a decision to deploy 850 troops to Kandahar to join the international coalition that went to Afghanistan to drive out the Taliban in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and that this deployment lasted for six months at which time the troops rotated out of Afghanistan and returned home;

the House takes note that in February 2003, the government took a decision that Canada would commit 2000 troops and lead for one year, starting in the summer of 2003, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul and at the end of the one-year commitment, Canada’s 2000 troop commitment was reduced to a 750-person reconnaissance unit as Canada’s NATO ally, Turkey, rotated into Kabul to replace Canada as the lead nation of the ISAF mission;

the House takes note that in August 2005, Canada assumed responsibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar province which included roughly 300 Canadian Forces personnel;

the House takes note that the government took a decision to commit a combat Battle Group of roughly 1200 troops to Kandahar for a period of one year, from February 2006 to February 2007;

the House takes note that in January 2006, the government participated in the London Conference on Afghanistan which resulted in the signing of the Afghanistan Compact which set out benchmarks and timelines until the end of 2010 for improving the security, the governance and the economic and social development of Afghanistan;

the House takes note that in May 2006, Parliament supported the government’s two year extension of Canada’s deployment of diplomatic, development, civilian police and military personnel in Afghanistan and the provision of funding and equipment for this extension;

the House welcomes the Report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan, chaired by the Honourable John Manley, and recognizes the important contribution its members have made;

the House takes note that it has long been a guiding principle of Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan that all three components of a comprehensive government strategy – defence, diplomacy and development – must reinforce each other and that the government must strike a balance between these components to be most effective;

the House takes note that the ultimate aim of Canadian policy is to leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful and more secure and to create the necessary space and conditions to allow the Afghans themselves to achieve a political solution to the conflict; and

the House takes note that in order to achieve that aim, it is essential to assist the people of Afghanistan to have properly trained, equipped and paid members of the four pillars of their security apparatus: the army, the police, the judicial system and the correctional system;

therefore, it is the opinion of the House,

that Canada should continue a military presence in Kandahar beyond February 2009, to July 2011, in a manner fully consistent with the UN mandate on Afghanistan, and that the military mission should consist of:

(a) training the Afghan National Security Forces so that they can expeditiously take increasing responsibility for security in Kandahar and Afghanistan as a whole;

(b) providing security for reconstruction and development efforts in Kandahar;

that, consistent with this mandate, this extension of Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan is approved by this House expressly on the condition that:

(a) NATO secure a battle group of approximately 1000 to rotate into Kandahar (operational no later than February 2009);

(b) to better ensure the safety and effectiveness of the Canadian contingent, the government secure medium helicopter lift capacity and high performance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance before February 2009; and

(c) the government of Canada notify NATO that Canada will end its presence in Kandahar as of July 2011, and, as of that date, the redeployment of Canadian Forces troops out of Kandahar and their replacement by Afghan forces start as soon as possible, so that it will have been completed by December 2011;

that the government of Canada, together with our allies and the government of Afghanistan, must set firm targets and timelines for the training, equipping and paying of the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, the members of the judicial system and the members of the correctional system;

that Canada’s contribution to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan should:

(a) be revamped and increased to strike a better balance between our military efforts and our development efforts in Afghanistan;

(b) focus on our traditional strengths as a nation, particularly through the development of sound judicial and correctional systems and strong political institutions on the ground in Afghanistan and the pursuit of a greater role for Canada in addressing the chronic fresh water shortages in the country;

(c) address the crippling issue of the narco-economy that consistently undermines progress in Afghanistan, through the pursuit of solutions that do not further alienate the goodwill of the local population;

(d) be held to a greater level of accountability and scrutiny so that the Canadian people can be sure that our development contributions are being spent effectively in Afghanistan;

that Canada should assert a stronger and more disciplined diplomatic position regarding Afghanistan and the regional players, including support for the naming of a special envoy to the region who could both ensure greater coherence in all diplomatic initiatives in the region and also press for greater coordination amongst our partners in the UN in the pursuit of common diplomatic goals in the region;

that the government should provide the public with franker and more frequent reporting on events in Afghanistan, offering more assessments of Canada’s role and giving greater emphasis to the diplomatic and reconstruction efforts as well as those of the military and, for greater clarity, the government should table in Parliament detailed reports on the progress of the mission in Afghanistan on a quarterly basis;

that the House of Commons should strike a special parliamentary committee on Afghanistan which would meet regularly with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and National Defence and senior officials, and that the House should authorize travel by the special committee to Afghanistan and the surrounding region so that the special committee can make frequent recommendations on the conduct and progress of our efforts in Afghanistan;

that, the special parliamentary committee on Afghanistan should review the laws and procedures governing the use of operational and national security exceptions for the withholding of information from Parliament, the Courts and the Canadian people with those responsible for administering those laws and procedures, to ensure that Canadians are being provided with ample information on the conduct and progress of the mission; and

that with respect to the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan authorities, the government must:

(a) commit to meeting the highest NATO and international standards with respect to protecting the rights of detainees, transferring only when it believes it can do so in keeping with Canada’s international obligations;

(b) pursue a NATO-wide solution to the question of detainees through diplomatic efforts that are rooted in the core Canadian values of respect for human rights and the dignity of all people;

(c) commit to a policy of greater transparency with respect to its policy on the taking of and transferring of detainees including a commitment to report on the results of reviews or inspections of Afghan prisons undertaken by Canadian officials; and

that the government must commit to improved interdepartmental coordination to achieve greater cross-government coherence and coordination of the government’s domestic management of our commitment to Afghanistan, including the creation of a full-time task force which is responsible directly to the Prime Minister to lead these efforts; (Government Business No. 5)

And of the amendment of Ms. Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam), seconded by Ms. McDonough (Halifax), — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words from “Whereas” to “goals in the region;” and substituting the following:

“That the House call upon the government to begin preparations for the safe withdrawal of Canadian soldiers from the combat mission in Afghanistan with no further mission extensions;

that, in the opinion of the House, the government should engage in a robust diplomatic process to prepare the groundwork for a political solution, under explicit UN direction and authority, engaging both regional and local stakeholders, and ensuring the full respect for international human rights and humanitarian law;

that, in the opinion of the House, the government should maintain the current suspension on the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan authorities until substantial reforms of the prison system are undertaken;

that, in the opinion of the House, the government should provide effective and transparent development assistance under civilian direction consistent with the Afghanistan Compact;”

and by deleting all of the words following: “to ensure that Canadians are being provided with ample information on the conduct and progress of the mission”.

The debate continued.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Clerk of the House

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

— by — Summary of the Corporate Plan Amendment for the period 2007-2008 to 2011-2012 of Farm Credit Canada, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4). — Sessional Paper No. 8562-392-818-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food)

Adjournment

At 11:53 p.m., pursuant to Order made Thursday, March 6, 2008, the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).