Parliament AIIndependent · non-official

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012 · sitting No. 81

Commons votes to scrap long-gun registry after extended debate

The House spent the largest share of its sitting on government orders for Bill C-19, the Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act. Members debated the measure at third reading before a final vote that ended the registry.

In question period the NDP pressed the government on planned spending reductions, citing warnings from Moody's and Fitch that rapid cuts could slow growth. Prime Minister Stephen Harper replied that the reductions remain modest and have won broad economic approval.

Further exchanges focused on privacy provisions in proposed lawful-access legislation and on rising costs for the F-35 fighter-jet program, with opposition members questioning both the balance struck between security and civil liberties and the sustainability of the aircraft purchase.

Decided that day

  • Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act bill referred to Justice committee
  • National Strategy for CCSVI Act bill referred to Health committee
  • One bill passed third reading and adopted
  • Two other bills failed at second reading

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 · 2012-02-15

Government (Conservative)OppositionOver the day: government 47%, opposition 53% of the words spokenOral questionsGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 14:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:00Last speech 19:45Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 5 h 45 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
93Bills Advance, Speaker Keeps OrderSeveral bills moved forward through second and third readings with multiple votes recorded. The sitting devoted most of its time to substantive business rather than procedural disputes.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

Pensions

NDP MP Irene Mathyssen asked whether the government would raise the age of eligibility for old-age security from 65 to 67; Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley said changes are required to keep the program sustainable for future generations.

Read the exchange

The Environment

NDP MP Megan Leslie marked the seventh anniversary of the Kyoto protocol and asked when the government would table a science-based emissions-reduction plan; Environment Minister Peter Kent said Canada had withdrawn from the protocol to avoid billions in compliance costs and is pursuing a post-Kyoto agreement that includes all major emitters.

Read the exchange

Citizenship and Immigration

NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan said families in Toronto face multi-year waits for reunification and asked why the government had imposed a moratorium on new parental applications; Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the Liberals left a backlog of more than 110,000 cases that the Conservatives are now clearing by increasing admissions 60 per cent.

Read the exchange

Air Canada

Conservative MP Mike Wallace asked for an update on Air Canada labour talks; Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said both the company and the union had agreed to extended mediation.

Read the exchange