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Wednesday, November 5, 2014 · sitting No. 139

Commons debates CSIS powers in anti-terror bill

The House spent the largest share of its sitting on second reading of Bill C-44, the Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act. Conservative MP Ted Opitz said the bill would protect the identities of CSIS human sources and allow the agency to operate abroad against threats such as the Islamic State. NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault asked why the bill contained no provision for stronger civilian oversight of CSIS.

Question period featured repeated exchanges on taxation and child care. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said income splitting would leave 85 per cent of households with nothing. Employment Minister Jason Kenney replied that nearly half of families with children under 18 would benefit and that the full package would reach four million families.

NDP MP Megan Leslie pressed Finance Minister Joe Oliver on youth employment after the Bank of Canada governor's comments. Oliver said Canada would retain one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the G7 and listed existing training programs.

Decided that day

  • C-17, C-501, C-10, C-36 and C-6 received royal assent
  • One bill passed second reading and was referred to committee
  • One bill failed 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 · 2014-11-05

Government (Conservative)OppositionOver the day: government 48%, opposition 52% of the words spokenQuestion PeriodRoutine proceedingsGovernment businessPrivate members▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 14:0515:0016:0017:0018:0019:00Last speech 19:55Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 5 h 50 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
64Bills Become Law After Brief SparringSeveral bills received royal assent and one advanced through second reading while another failed. Most time was spent on substantive topics with few procedural interruptions.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

Citizenship and Immigration

NDP MP Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe asked Immigration Minister Chris Alexander to confirm that the government had restored the pre-2012 interim federal health program as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal. Alexander said the government would appeal the ruling.

Read the exchange

CBC/Radio-Canada

NDP MP Pierre Nantel said nine of the twelve CBC board members were Conservative backers and accused the government of directing job cuts. Heritage Minister Shelly Glover replied that appointments followed a merit-based process and that CBC operates at arm's length.

Read the exchange

Aboriginal Affairs

NDP MP Romeo Saganash said 61 per cent of aboriginal youth in their twenties had not completed high school and asked Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt to reopen talks with the Assembly of First Nations. Valcourt said the government had invested more than $10 billion since 2006.

Read the exchange

Champlain Bridge

Liberal MP Sean Casey objected to any plan to rename the Champlain Bridge after Maurice Richard. Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel said the government would not pit historical figures against each other and would build the new bridge on schedule.

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Railway Safety Act

NDP MP Hoang Mai noted that federal spending on rail safety had fallen from $38 million in 2012 to $33 million in the most recent year and asked Conservative MP Joyce Bateman about the effect on level crossings. Bateman said her private member's bill addressed safety at remaining crossings.

Read the exchange

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
    Manufacturing IndustryMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Joe Oliver (Conservative). substantive question.The answer focuses on overall jobs and growth instead of manufacturing losses.More than 1.1 million net new jobs have been created since the recession.
  2. deflected
    EmploymentMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Joe Oliver (Conservative). loaded question.Avoids agreeing or disagreeing, pivots to government achievements.Canada will remain one of the G7 countries with the lowest rate of youth unemployment.
  3. misdirected
    EmploymentMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Joe Oliver (Conservative). loaded question.The response attacks the NDP instead of addressing the youth unemployment issue directly.the NDP has been voting against every job creation measure for youth that we have put forward.
  4. deflected
    Child CareMs. Libby Davies (NDP) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Responds by promoting their benefit instead of addressing the specific promise or question.We created the universal child care benefit that is providing benefits to nearly 2 million Canadian families with kids.
  5. partly answered
    Child CareMs. Libby Davies (NDP) asked Candice Bergen (Conservative). loaded question.Provides a number but attributes to provinces and shifts to their policy.They have created over 175,000 more child care spaces, which is in their jurisdiction.
  6. deflected
    TaxationMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Calls the premise rubbish and highlights benefits without addressing the 85% claim directly.the premise of the question is absolute rubbish.
  7. misdirected
    TaxationMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Defends by referencing opponent's past position rather than answering.I want to remind the leader of the Liberal Party of his own finance critic's commitment
  8. deflected
    TaxationMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Promotes their view and attacks Liberal instead of engaging with the criticism.The Liberal Party's policy is clear: it wants to take away all these tax cuts, advantages and benefits for children and families
  9. misdirected
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMs. Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). substantive question.The answer corrects the premise then pivots to attacking the NDP's understanding of refugees rather than confirming compliance.We have a question for the NDP: do the New Democrats understand the real meaning of refugee?
  10. misdirected
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMs. Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). substantive question.The answer claims compliance but immediately shifts to accusing the NDP of disrespecting Canadians and seeking better care for fraudulent claimants.The NDP wants to give better health care benefits than those Canadians receive to people whose refugee protection claims have been rejected or found to be fraudulent.
  11. misdirected
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMr. Andrew Cash (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the member's respect for Canadians and English usage instead of addressing the court's ruling or changes to social assistance.
  12. misdirected
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMr. Andrew Cash (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). substantive question.The answer insists health care remains in place and accuses the member of misleading Canadians rather than explaining how the program was restored.The hon. member should stand in the House, acknowledge that he has been misleading Canadians and acknowledge that he is asking for better health care for fraudulent claimants
  13. deflected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Pierre Nantel (NDP) asked Shelly Glover (Conservative). loaded question.The answer defends the appointment process without addressing board members' political ties or day-to-day interference claims.They were made as part of a rigorous and transparent process.
  14. misdirected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Pierre Nantel (NDP) asked Shelly Glover (Conservative). loaded question.The answer expresses shame at the attack on one board member and lists credentials instead of addressing the nine-of-twelve appointments or cuts.Shame on that member for insulting his competencies.
  15. deflected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Shelly Glover (Conservative). substantive question.The answer reiterates arm's-length status and funding but does not address board stacking or specific job cuts.CBC operates at arm's length from this government.
  16. misdirected
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). loaded question.The answer highlights resettlement numbers and attacks the NDP for seeking care for failed claimants rather than explaining the shift from the Nansen award era.
  17. answered
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). loaded question.Answer directly refutes the premise of attacks on refugees and addresses the health care claim.there is no attack on refugees.
  18. deflected
    TaxationMs. Chrystia Freeland (Liberal) asked Joe Oliver (Conservative). loaded question.Answer ignores youth unemployment and pivots to family benefits while attacking the opposition.The opposition wants to take that $1,200 out of their pockets.
  19. partly answered
    TaxationScott Brison (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Answer addresses income splitting limits and benefits but not the single-parent exclusion in the riding.This has a $2,000 limit on the benefit of income splitting.
  20. answered
    TaxationScott Brison (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). loaded question.Answer directly counters with benefit amounts for single parents and overall coverage.In fact, the remarkable support for families announced by our Prime Minister last week will deliver $1,500 in benefits to a single parent on an income of $30,000
  21. answered
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMs. Hélène Laverdière (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). substantive question.Answer explains the policy rationale tied to public health protection.we will do whatever is required to protect public health in our country
  22. partly answered
    Citizenship and ImmigrationMs. Hélène Laverdière (NDP) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). substantive question.Answer addresses the specific case by noting legal status and privacy limits but not the broader policy.The legal process for completing an adoption is not over yet in this case.
  23. deflected
    Aboriginal AffairsMr. Romeo Saganash (NDP) asked Bernard Valcourt (Conservative). loaded question.Answer blames the Assembly of First Nations and lists programs without addressing reopening discussions.our government was really disappointed that the Assembly of First Nations dropped the ball
  24. deflected
    Aboriginal AffairsMs. Jean Crowder (NDP) asked Bernard Valcourt (Conservative). loaded question.Answer cites total spending but avoids the question of current underfunding and new schools.since 2006, our government has invested over $10 billion to support elementary and secondary education
  25. deflected
    PovertyMs. Jinny Jogindera Sims (NDP) asked Candice Bergen (Conservative). substantive question.The answer promotes existing tax measures instead of addressing support for Motion No. 534.I would expect the opposition to support that so that we can continue to help children who are experiencing poverty.
  26. misdirected
    PovertyMs. Francine Raynault (NDP) asked Candice Bergen (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the NDP plan and motives rather than explaining refusal of the day care proposal.The only plan that the NDP has is very expensive, and it would take money out of their pockets.
  27. deflected
    Child CareMs. Peggy Nash (NDP) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer defends stay-at-home parents instead of addressing the TD Bank report or income splitting effects.On the contrary, we know that fathers and mothers who work with their young children at home are important and productive workers who help future generations grow.
  28. misdirected
    Child CareMs. Peggy Nash (NDP) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP mentality and denigrates their view of families rather than discussing workforce participation data.This is the problem with the NDP approach. It denigrates those families and their choices.
  29. partly answered
    Champlain BridgeMr. Sean Casey (Liberal) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). rhetorical question.The answer rejects pitting historical figures but then pivots to bridge construction without addressing the name change request.It is wrong to pit historical figures against each other, and our government would never do that.
  30. partly answered
    Co-operativesMauril Bélanger (Liberal) asked Ed Holder (Conservative). substantive question.The answer mentions a four-point action plan but does not explain why co-ops are excluded from the listed funding programs.our government has launched a four-point action plan to support the growth and innovation of co-operatives across Canada.
  31. deflected
    Champlain BridgeMr. Hoang Mai (NDP) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). substantive question.The answer calls the premise false and criticizes the NDP voting record instead of addressing toll or tendering transparency.The NDP voted against the hundreds of millions of dollars we are putting into maintaining the bridge, and then they say that Champlain is important to them.
  32. answered
    Champlain BridgeMr. Hoang Mai (NDP) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly confirms the toll, P3 model, and timeline details that were asked about.When we made the announcement, we also said that there would be a toll and public transit and that the bridge would be built through a public-private partnership.
  33. deflected
    Foreign AffairsMr. Francis Scarpaleggia (Liberal) asked Deepak Obhrai (Conservative). substantive question.The answer avoids explaining Canada's non-ratification and instead promises a future response.As to answering the member's question, I will get back to him in due course.
  34. partly answered
    TaxationMr. Murray Rankin (NDP) asked Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay (Conservative). loaded question.The answer supplies audit and treaty statistics but does not address the specific 1% collection rate or OECD commitment mentioned.From 2006 to March 31 of this year, CRA audited over 8,600 international tax cases.
  35. deflected
    Canadian HeritageMs. Annick Papillon (NDP) asked Shelly Glover (Conservative). substantive question.The answer discusses general 150th anniversary planning without addressing funding or a timeline for the tall ships event.We are still waiting for an announcement, and we encourage all municipalities and provinces, as well as all organizations, to plan their events in order to celebrate this occasion with tremendous pride.
  36. partly answered
    Foreign AffairsMs. Elizabeth May (Green) asked Deepak Obhrai (Conservative). substantive question.The answer confirms awareness and that human rights are raised but offers no assurance of specific action on Dr. Wang's case.These issues have been raised in the context of our open and frank relationship with China.