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Monday, May 5, 2008 · sitting No. 88

House advances Canada Marine Act changes after lengthy debate

The House devoted the largest share of its time to government orders on Bill C-23, which amends the Canada Marine Act along with related statutes. Liberal MP Larry Bagnell opened the debate by noting the bill's similarity to its predecessor, Bill C-61, and stressed the need for port security investments. NDP MP Olivia Chow argued the changes would reduce infrastructure funding for cities and shield the unelected Toronto Port Authority from accountability, while Conservative MP Brian Jean countered that the measures enjoyed unanimous support from port authorities and marine industry groups.

Question period featured sharp exchanges over Elections Canada investigations into Conservative Party financing practices and the government's decision to close the CAIRS access-to-information registry. Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe pressed the Prime Minister on whether senior party officials had informed him of the in-and-out transfers, while Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintained the practice followed precedents set by the Bloc and that the registry was an expensive Liberal creation designed for centralized control.

Members also questioned the government's response to the cyclone in Burma and its refusal to extend Insite's supervised-injection exemption without further study. International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda announced $2 million for humanitarian agencies, and Health Minister Tony Clement said additional research would guide the Insite decision before the June 30 deadline.

Decided that day

  • C-55 was introduced

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

No CPAC Question Period upload is on file for this day. CPAC’s channel goes back to December 2019.

Who held the floor · 2008-05-05

Government (Conservative)OppositionOver the day: government 42%, opposition 58% of the words spokenPrivate membersGovernment businessQuestion Period▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 11:0512:0013:0014:00Last speech 15:00Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 3 h 55 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
38Bill introduced, answers mostly evadedThe House devoted most speaking time to substantive topics such as the Canada Marine Act and Elections Canada, yet Question Period produced few direct answers. Only one bill advanced and no votes were held.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this

Other moments

Food and Drugs Act

Bloc Québécois MP Bernard Bigras said 91 per cent of Quebeckers support mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods and thanked the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for introducing Bill C-517.

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Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act

NDP MP Dennis Bevington moved seven report-stage amendments to Bill C-5 that would delete several clauses and alter financial-security requirements for nuclear operators.

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Charles Caccia

Liberal MP Maria Minna paid tribute to former Liberal MP and environment minister Charles Caccia, who died over the weekend after a long career that included nine re-elections in Davenport.

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Montreal International

Bloc Québécois MP Réal Ménard asked the government to reverse its decision to end recurring funding for Montreal International, which has attracted nearly $6 billion in investment over 12 years.

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Ontario Economy

Liberal MP John McCallum accused Finance Minister Jim Flaherty of telling the world that Ontario is the last place to invest, at a time of manufacturing job losses.

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Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

  1. deflected
    Access to InformationStéphane Dion (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer explains the registry's origin but avoids addressing the hiding accusation by attacking the prior government.It was called the product of a political system in which centralized control was an obsession.
  2. deflected
    Access to InformationStéphane Dion (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer repeats prior justification and adds a personal attack on the asker rather than addressing consultation or motives.I am not surprised the hon. member likes a centralized system.
  3. deflected
    Access to InformationStéphane Dion (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer again cites cost and control obsession without engaging the secrecy or hiding claims.The registry was, and I quote, "the product of a political system in which centralized control is an obsession".
  4. misdirected
    Access to InformationMr. Michael Ignatieff (Liberal) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). substantive question.Answer pivots to criticizing the opposition's past actions instead of explaining the registry shutdown.we know all about the opposite party, when it was in government, wanting to control the access to information.
  5. misdirected
    Access to InformationMr. Michael Ignatieff (Liberal) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). loaded question.Answer shifts to unrelated transparency examples and attacks Liberals rather than addressing the database or Louis XIV comparison.for the first time Canadians can see how their taxes are being spent by the CBC, by the Wheat Board and by Canada Post.
  6. deflected
    Elections CanadaMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.Answer describes the in-and-out method historically but does not state when the Prime Minister was informed.the so-called in and out method has been around for a long time.
  7. misdirected
    Elections CanadaMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer accuses the Bloc of the same practice and attacks its leader instead of addressing whether the Prime Minister was informed.the leader of the Bloc Québécois is the one who went to the courts to force his own candidates to participate in the so-called in and out scheme.
  8. misdirected
    Elections CanadaMr. Michel Guimond (Bloc) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer attacks the Bloc candidate's finances rather than addressing the minister's claimed ignorance or the email.That is why we call the hon. member the son of in and out.
  9. misdirected
    Elections CanadaMr. Michel Guimond (Bloc) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer ignores the specific question about Pontiac and the national scheme and instead attacks the Bloc with unrelated past quotes.That is why we call the Bloc leader "the father of in and out".
  10. deflected
    Elections CanadaJack Layton (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.Answer addresses the in-and-out issue by claiming all parties did it but does not respond to the loss-of-faith question.clearly, all the parties have been engaging in the same practices, as permitted by the law, for some time now.
  11. misdirected
    Elections CanadaJack Layton (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). loaded question.Answer pivots to defend access-to-information record and ignores the broader trust and in-and-out accusations.What this government brought in was access to information for the Canadian Wheat Board, for the CBC and for dozens of other agencies and crown corporations.
  12. misdirected
    Elections CanadaMarlene Jennings (Liberal) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer evades the minister’s knowledge question by attacking Liberals with their own in-and-out examples.That was $3,300 in and $3,300 out: in, out, legal.
  13. misdirected
    Elections CanadaMarlene Jennings (Liberal) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer again sidesteps the minister’s role by citing Liberal in-and-out transactions instead.$5,000 in, $5,000 out. In, out, it was legal for them.
  14. deflected
    Government PoliciesKen Dryden (Liberal) asked Peter Van Loan (Conservative). rhetorical question.Answer ignores the one-voice critique and launches an attack on past Liberal conduct.The voices that matter most to the Prime Minister are the voices of Canadians; the voices of Canadians who told us they had enough of unaccountable Liberals in office
  15. deflected
    Government PoliciesKen Dryden (Liberal) asked Peter Van Loan (Conservative). rhetorical question.Answer shifts focus to accusing the Liberal leader of silencing his own caucus rather than addressing the Prime Minister’s control.In this session of Parliament, over a quarter of the time he has told his members of Parliament they cannot stand up and vote on behalf of their constituents.
  16. deflected
    Access to InformationMrs. Carole Lavallée (Bloc) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). loaded question.Answer defends the CAIRS decision by criticizing the previous Liberal system and does not address the transparency motive.CAIRS is the product of a political system in which centralized control is an obsession.
  17. deflected
    Access to InformationMrs. Carole Lavallée (Bloc) asked Vic Toews (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the prior system rather than addressing whether it will be reinstated.why would we reinstate a program that blocks access to information, that centralizes control?
  18. answered
    Montreal InternationalMr. Réal Ménard (Bloc) asked Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly explains the new funding approach and the request for a transition plan.We clearly indicated to the organization that we now wish to fund one-off projects with measurable results.
  19. answered
    Quebec City ArmouryMs. Christiane Gagnon (Bloc) asked Josée Verner (Conservative). substantive question.The answer explicitly states the tender does not affect rebuilding plans and cites recent reporting.This does not call into question the rebuilding of the armoury.
  20. misdirected
    Ontario EconomyJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Jim Flaherty (Conservative). substantive question.The answer ignores the policy question and instead attacks the questioner personally.
  21. misdirected
    EthicsJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.The answer evades the ownership and recusal questions by accusing the opposition of lies and demanding an apology.The lies and smears that we hear from that side of the House are simply unacceptable.
  22. deflected
    Montreal InternationalDenis Coderre (Liberal) asked Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Conservative). loaded question.The answer restates the one-off project policy without addressing the specific accusation about Montreal.we are supporting one-off projects and no longer providing recurring funding.
  23. partly answered
    Montreal InternationalDenis Coderre (Liberal) asked Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Conservative). substantive question.The answer addresses the transition plan requirement but does not confirm or deny renewal of funding.People there know full well that they have to present us a with a transition plan.
  24. partly answered
    HealthMs. Libby Davies (NDP) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). substantive question.The answer confirms a decision will be made by the deadline but pivots to unrelated funding announcements.the extension ends on June 30 and the government will make a decision before that time.
  25. deflected
    HealthMs. Libby Davies (NDP) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). loaded question.Answer promotes more research without addressing the basis for the Insite decision.We are the government that actually wants more research and has commissioned more research.
  26. partly answered
    Foreign AffairsBob Rae (Liberal) asked Maxime Bernier (Conservative). substantive question.Answer describes current consular support but offers no plan for return.we are currently assessing Mr. Abdelrazik's situation.
  27. answered
    Foreign AffairsBob Rae (Liberal) asked Maxime Bernier (Conservative). loaded question.Answer directly states the UN listing as the barrier to return.Mr. Abdelrazik is temporarily unable to return to Canada because he is on the UN list of terrorists suspected of being affiliated with al Qaeda, the Taliban or even Osama bin Laden.
  28. answered
    BurmaLarry Bagnell (Liberal) asked Bev Oda (Conservative). substantive question.Answer commits specific funding and calls for access as requested.CIDA will respond by setting aside $2 million to support international humanitarian organizations such as the UN, the International Red Cross and the World Food Program.
  29. partly answered
    BurmaLarry Bagnell (Liberal) asked Bev Oda (Conservative). substantive question.Answer repeats the $2 million pledge but ignores the additional specific requests.we have set aside $2 million to help in the international effort.
  30. deflected
    BurmaMs. Diane Bourgeois (Bloc) asked Maxime Bernier (Conservative). substantive question.Answer restates existing sanctions without new concrete enforcement measures.the sanctions we imposed on the military junta are the strictest in the world.
  31. misdirected
    Olympic GamesMr. Pierre Paquette (Bloc) asked Helena Guergis (Conservative). loaded question.Answer attacks the Bloc's effectiveness instead of addressing uniform sourcing.that is an example of the ineffective presence of the Bloc in the House of Commons?
  32. deflected
    Public SafetyMr. Jean-Claude D'Amours (Liberal) asked Mr. Dave MacKenzie (Conservative). substantive question.Answer notes the request and eligibility rules without providing the requested guarantees.There are eligibility requirements that will be covered here and we will continue to work with the Province of New Brunswick.
  33. deflected
    BurmaMr. Paul Dewar (NDP) asked Maxime Bernier (Conservative). substantive question.The answer restates that sanctions are strict without addressing the lack of monitoring or enforcement mechanism raised.These sanctions are proof of our government's commitment to promoting freedom, promoting human rights, and promoting the rule of law around the world, and especially in Burma.
  34. deflected
    BurmaMr. Paul Dewar (NDP) asked Maxime Bernier (Conservative). substantive question.The answer avoids the question on stopping investments and instead indirectly criticizes the asker while repeating prior claims.I wish that my colleague could do something, as we are doing, to change the regime, to get the military junta out of Burma, and to help give the people a democracy that respects the rule of law and human dignity.
  35. misdirected
    The EnvironmentMs. Joyce Murray (Liberal) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.The answer shifts to attacking the questioner's past record instead of addressing prosecution under the Migratory Birds Convention Act.While I am on my feet I could ask the member opposite a question. Does she not agree that it is unacceptable to dump raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean like she did when she was minister of the environment in British Columbia?
  36. partly answered
    Public TransitMs. Louise Thibault (Independent) asked Gary Lunn (Conservative). substantive question.The answer mentions returning gas tax funding to municipalities but then pivots to criticizing the Liberals rather than expanding on regional transit support.We are actually giving some of the gas tax funding back to those municipalities.