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Monday, March 12, 2012 · sitting No. 94

House limits debate on immigration bill after 18th time allocation motion

The House spent the largest share of the sitting on government motions to allocate time for second reading of Bill C-31, the protecting Canada's immigration system act. Peter Van Loan moved the motion and Jason Kenney defended it as necessary to deliver on an election commitment, while Joe Comartin and Kevin Lamoureux condemned it as an unprecedented restriction on debate.

Question period was dominated by exchanges over robocalls in the 2011 election. Nycole Turmel pressed the government to order a public inquiry, and Pierre Poilievre countered that Liberal MP Frank Valeriote had admitted making illegal calls and should apologize.

The government also introduced back-to-work legislation for Air Canada operations, with Lisa Raitt citing risks to the economy and March break travellers and Yvon Godin accusing the government of undermining collective bargaining rights.

Decided that day

  • C-10 received royal assent
  • C-33 introduced
  • Senate amendments to Bill C-10 passed
  • Motion on future elections amended and passed
  • Motion on Bill C-31 passed

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 · 2012-03-12

Government (Conservative)OppositionOver the day: government 47%, opposition 53% of the words spokenPrivate membersGovernment businessGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 11:0513:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:00Last speech 23:25Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 12 h 20 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
62Bills advance amid lengthy emergency debateThe House granted royal assent to Bill C-10 and introduced C-33 while devoting the largest block of time to an emergency debate. Several recorded votes passed on immigration and election motions, though Question Period produced almost no direct answers.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

Breast Density Awareness Act

Hedy Fry moved an amendment to Bill C-314 requiring the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Initiative to collect and distribute information on screening for women with dense breast tissue.

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Government Appointments

Jamie Nicholls and Olivia Chow listed recent Conservative appointments to port and parole boards and asked when the government would stop treating them as patronage rewards; Denis Lebel replied that all appointees possessed the required qualifications.

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Search and Rescue

Jack Harris and Scott Simms questioned delays in acquiring search and rescue aircraft and the new protocol that tells callers the coast guard will initiate contact; Peter MacKay said investments continue and weather and asset availability are always considered.

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Health

Anne Minh-Thu Quach and Chris Charlton demanded a national strategy after chemotherapy drug shortages; Colin Carrie said the shortages stemmed from provincial sole-source contracts and Health Canada was assisting provinces to identify alternatives.

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Aboriginal Affairs

Linda Duncan asked why the government had not allocated enough funds for full aboriginal participation in the Northern Gateway review; John Duncan answered that millions of dollars had already been committed to fulfill the duty to consult.

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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. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMrs. Nycole Turmel (NDP) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer ignores the question about Conservative responsibility and instead attacks the Liberal member for Guelph.The Liberal member for Guelph admitted to using fake names and numbers for his robocalls.
  2. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMrs. Nycole Turmel (NDP) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.Answer evades the call for a public inquiry and pivots to unsubstantiated claims about Liberal involvement.What we do know is that the Liberal member for Guelph has admitted to making illegal calls and breaking the law.
  3. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMrs. Nycole Turmel (NDP) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.Answer sidesteps the demand for accountability and instead accuses the Liberal member of illegal robocalls.we now know that the member for Guelph paid for illegal robocalls that concealed the fact that the calls came from his Liberal campaign.
  4. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.Answer deflects from questions about Conservative scripts and database access by focusing solely on Liberal actions.what we have learned, and this is what the Liberal leader must respond to, is that the Liberal leader provided training sessions for Liberal members
  5. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.Answer avoids addressing Conservative coordination or database access and instead labels the question a smear while accusing Liberals.it is the unsubstantiated smear campaign of the NDP.
  6. misdirected
    41st General ElectionBob Rae (Liberal) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). rhetorical question.Answer rejects the call for a royal commission by citing Liberal training materials and accusing them of illegal calls.Or, Mr. Speaker, we could just go to liberalist.ca and we could observe on page 105 where it advises the Liberals that they should pick a caller ID for the robocall
  7. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMr. Frank Valeriote (Liberal) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.Answer ignores the question about Conservative cooperation and instead claims the Liberal member confessed to breaking the law.it is not uncommon, when confronted by substantiated evidence, where folks will in fact confess when they have broken the law.
  8. misdirected
    41st General ElectionBob Rae (Liberal) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). rhetorical question.Answer evades the demand for a royal commission by accusing the Liberal leader of conducting a smear campaign.The leader of the Liberal Party should rise and apologize to all Canadians for his party's unlawful behaviour.
  9. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMr. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.The answer ignores the question on legislation changes and instead attacks the Liberal Party for law-breaking.The problem is that the Liberal Party refuses to obey the law.
  10. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMr. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) asked Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.The answer deflects by accusing Liberals of illegal calls rather than addressing the request for an inquiry or legislation.However, we now know that the hon. member for Guelph , a Liberal, broke the law.
  11. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMs. Irene Mathyssen (NDP) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the Liberal member for Guelph instead of addressing the question about targeting seniors or holding an inquiry.He has acted in a fashion that is disgraceful, deceptive and dishonest.
  12. misdirected
    41st General ElectionMs. Irene Mathyssen (NDP) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.The answer shifts to defending Conservative policies on seniors and attacks the opposition smear campaign rather than addressing targeting seniors.We know now that the liberal member for Guelph conducted illegal robocalls into his riding.
  13. partly answered
    Elections CanadaMr. David Christopherson (NDP) asked Tim Uppal (Conservative). substantive question.The answer affirms support for the motion but pivots to accusing Liberals of illegal calls instead of committing to the timeline.the government has been clear. We support the motion that was before the House last week.
  14. deflected
    Government AppointmentsMr. Jamie Nicholls (NDP) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). substantive question.The answer defends the appointees' qualifications but does not address stopping patronage appointments.These people have all the administrative qualifications needed to sit on boards of directors.
  15. deflected
    Government AppointmentsMs. Olivia Chow (NDP) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). loaded question.The answer highlights job creation and appointee skills but avoids addressing the patronage appointments question.All appointees are great Canadians who have the skills and experience necessary to ensure that Canada does not trail in this global economy
  16. answered
    Air CanadaMr. Yvon Godin (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly explains the government's intent to introduce legislation to prevent disruption at Air Canada.That is why today our government will take further action to protect the travelling public.
  17. deflected
    Air CanadaMr. Yvon Godin (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The answer discusses conciliation services but avoids addressing the promise not to intervene or rights violation.We are faced right now with a strike and a lockout at Air Canada, which is an incredibly important piece of our economy and incredibly important to the travelling public.
  18. misdirected
    41st General ElectionCarolyn Bennett (Liberal) asked Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the Liberal Party instead of addressing the specific fraud allegation or PM responsibility.The Liberal member for Guelph paid for illegal robocalls that concealed the fact that the calls came from the Liberal campaign.
  19. deflected
    41st General ElectionMs. Judy Foote (Liberal) asked Peter Van Loan (Conservative). substantive question.The answer denies allegations and questions relevance to government business rather than committing to investigation.I really fail to see what this has to do with the administration of government business.
  20. partly answered
    41st General ElectionMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Tim Uppal (Conservative). substantive question.The answer notes Elections Canada's role but does not address government actions to protect integrity.the member very well knows that voter registration is the responsibility of Elections Canada, not political parties
  21. deflected
    National DefenceMs. Christine Moore (NDP) asked Peter MacKay (Conservative). substantive question.The answer pivots to past investments and opposition votes instead of clarifying job cuts.On each and every occasion, the member opposite and his party voted against those investments.
  22. deflected
    National DefenceMr. Matthew Kellway (NDP) asked Peter MacKay (Conservative). substantive question.The answer emphasizes investments and criticizes opposition votes without reassuring on job cuts.what we can expect from the member opposite, as we have seen throughout his time and his party's time here, are continued votes against every investment we make
  23. deflected
    National DefenceMr. Matthew Kellway (NDP) asked Julian Fantino (Conservative). substantive question.The answer avoids the price question and reiterates budget adherence without specifics.A contract has not been signed for replacement aircraft, and we have set a budget for replacement aircraft and have been clear that we will operate within that budget.
  24. partly answered
    Search and RescueMr. Jack Harris (NDP) asked Peter MacKay (Conservative). substantive question.The answer affirms priority and mentions some actions but does not address specific delays or northern/helicopter gaps.We have made investments. We continue to do so.
  25. partly answered
    Aboriginal AffairsMs. Linda Duncan (NDP) asked John Duncan (Conservative). substantive question.The answer affirms the duty to consult but does not address the specific call for direct consultation or respond to the 2010 warning.A part of that review involves aboriginal consultation.
  26. partly answered
    Aboriginal AffairsMs. Linda Duncan (NDP) asked John Duncan (Conservative). substantive question.The answer confirms some funding but avoids committing to full and fair participation or addressing the reported shortfall.we are funding aboriginal participation in order to fulfill our duty to consult.
  27. misdirected
    HealthMs. Anne Minh-Thu Quach (NDP) asked Mr. Colin Carrie (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's understanding of jurisdiction instead of addressing the request for a national strategy on drug shortages.if you read between the lines, it is clear that the NDP does not understand provincial areas of jurisdiction and wants to encroach on these areas.
  28. misdirected
    HealthMs. Chris Charlton (NDP) asked Mr. Colin Carrie (Conservative). substantive question.The answer deflects by criticizing an NDP filibuster rather than addressing the call for government leadership on drug shortages.at the health committee last week the NDP member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord filibustered and prevented the committee members from voting on a motion to look at this issue.
  29. deflected
    Search and RescueMr. Scott Simms (Liberal) asked Peter MacKay (Conservative). substantive question.The answer discusses general response factors but does not address the specific protocol or non-functional helicopters mentioned.The issue is how the Canadian Forces respond to a ground search and rescue request.
  30. deflected
    Service CanadaGerry Byrne (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.The answer begins to discuss EI modernization but cuts off without addressing the specific question about the seven employees' future roles.as explained before, we are in the process of modernizing and automating the EI system to serve Canadians better.
  31. deflected
    Foreign InvestmentMr. Pat Martin (NDP) asked Christian Paradis (Conservative). substantive question.The answer promotes foreign investment generally but does not commit to a review or intervention on the Viterra takeover.our government understands the importance of attracting foreign investment to our economy.
  32. misdirected
    EmploymentMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's voting record instead of addressing the question about job losses and the minister's silence.if there is any explaining to be done in the House it would be by the NDP and that member for voting against every initiative that we have put forward to help Canadians
  33. deflected
    Intergovernmental AffairsMr. Scott Andrews (Liberal) asked Peter Penashue (Conservative). rhetorical question.The answer sidesteps all listed files by pivoting to a personal remark about the asker.I invited Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to join me to represent Newfoundland and Labrador on this side of the House during the election, but you chose not to.
  34. partly answered
    HomelessnessMs. Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (NDP) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.The response addresses funding constraints and reapplication options without confirming action on the named groups.However, there are often more applications than there is money.
  35. misdirected
    Air TransportationMs. Élaine Michaud (NDP) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). loaded question.The answer insults the member's grasp of the issue rather than addressing the jurisdiction or consultation questions.I think the complexity of this issue is completely beyond the member's grasp.
  36. misdirected
    The BudgetMr. Louis Plamondon (Bloc) asked Ted Menzies (Conservative). loaded question.The answer shifts to demanding an apology from the NDP instead of addressing the budget-leak allegation.My hon. colleague from the NDP very inappropriately pointed out that the Minister of Finance is not here with us today.