Parliament AIIndependent · non-official

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Tuesday, February 24, 2015 · sitting No. 178

Liberals move motion on physician-assisted dying as court deadline nears

The House spent the largest portion of the sitting on a Liberal motion calling for a special committee to consult experts and recommend a legislative response to the Supreme Court ruling striking down the prohibition on physician-assisted dying. Justin Trudeau moved the motion and defended it against Conservative questions about committee powers and jurisdiction. The government indicated it would not support the motion and pointed instead to the justice committee.

Question period featured repeated exchanges on Bill C-51. Thomas Mulcair pressed the prime minister on the adequacy of SIRC oversight and the pace of committee study while Stephen Harper defended the bill and accused the NDP of delaying needed security measures.

Mulcair also questioned whether the prime minister had spoken directly with Egypt's president about Mohamed Fahmy while Harper said the case had been raised at all levels.

Decided that day

  • C-47 advanced to second chamber
  • S-221 and C-18 received royal assent
  • Motion recognizing Supreme Court ruling on prohibition failed

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 · 2015-02-24

Government (Conservative)OppositionOver the day: government 44%, opposition 56% of the words spokenGovernment businessGovernment businessGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 10:0512:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:00Last speech 21:55Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 11 h 50 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
70Bills Pass Amid Supply and Anti-Semitism DebatesThe House granted royal assent to two bills and sent another to the second chamber after mostly substantive debate. One motion failed and Question Period answers were largely deflected.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

Taxation

Nathan Cullen said reports showed the plan to double TFSA limits would cost tens of billions and benefit only the wealthiest while Kevin Sorenson replied that 11 million Canadians, mostly low- and middle-income, hold the accounts.

Read the exchange

Infrastructure

Adam Vaughan said a dozen cities including Toronto and Vancouver received no federal infrastructure money last year and Denis Lebel replied that the government had launched the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history.

Read the exchange

Food Safety

Don Davies listed five countries that had banned Canadian beef after the Alberta cases and Gerry Ritz said the affected markets represented only three per cent of exports.

Read the exchange

Aboriginal Affairs

Mylène Freeman called for a national public inquiry and K. Kellie Leitch said the government had an action plan and would send federal representatives to the upcoming meeting but would not launch an inquiry.

Read the exchange

Quebec Bridge

Denis Blanchette asked the government to honour its promise to repaint the bridge and Lisa Raitt said Ottawa had offered $75 million but CN must also contribute.

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
    Foreign AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer claims action at the PM's level but evades confirming direct personal contact with el-Sisi as specifically asked.This has been raised at all levels by the Government of Canada, including at my level, with the Egyptian government.
  2. deflected
    Foreign AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer repeats the claim of action at all levels without addressing whether the PM spoke directly to el-Sisi.once again, we have raised this at all levels, and we will continue to do so in ways we believe are effective.
  3. misdirected
    Public SafetyThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the Egypt comparison instead of addressing the request for lengthy study and expert input on Bill C-51.The idea of comparing the situation with this bill and the situation in Egypt is ridiculous.
  4. misdirected
    Public SafetyThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's Egypt comparison and quotes SIRC selectively rather than addressing whether SIRC provides adequate oversight.the leader of the NDP just compared human rights in Canada with human rights in Egypt, so that tells us a bit where he is coming from on this.
  5. answered
    Assisted SuicideThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly states respect for court decisions and intent to consult before responding to the assisted dying ruling.the government said quite clearly that we respect decisions of the courts.
  6. partly answered
    Assisted SuicideMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer addresses consultation and the justice committee but does not commit to supporting the proposed special committee.There is a committee of the House of Commons, the justice committee, that has a mandate to study this, should it so choose.
  7. partly answered
    Assisted SuicideMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer notes the one-year timeline and ongoing review but provides no specific plan to meet the deadline.We are reviewing the decision and consulting with Canadians.
  8. deflected
    Assisted SuicideMr. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) asked Stephen Harper (Conservative). substantive question.The answer restates respect for the court and consultation plans without answering the yes-or-no question on the notwithstanding clause.We are going to take a look at this decision and consult with Canadians before deciding how to respond.
  9. misdirected
    Public SafetyMr. Randall Garrison (NDP) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the opposition leader instead of addressing the request for a full committee study.We should show them respect, a thing that the leader of the opposition has not been able to do.
  10. misdirected
    Public SafetyMr. Randall Garrison (NDP) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer demands an apology and attacks the opposition rather than committing to a full study or addressing oversight flaws.I am asking him to apologize and to respect the people who protect Canadians.
  11. partly answered
    Public SafetyMs. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (NDP) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer lists bill measures and expresses hope for committee debate but does not commit to hearing specific experts.I hope that we will be able to debate them in committee.
  12. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (NDP) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer restates existing mechanisms and defends agents without addressing the call for stronger oversight.The people who protect us should not be treated like criminals.
  13. partly answered
    Food SafetyMr. Don Davies (NDP) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). substantive question.The answer notes ongoing engagement and the small trade share but does not detail actions to reverse the bans.The CFIA and the market access secretariat continue to engage our trading partners to ensure that markets stay open
  14. deflected
    Food SafetyMr. Malcolm Allen (NDP) asked Rona Ambrose (Conservative). substantive question.The answer highlights past investments and rankings while ignoring the specific budget cut and market loss claims.The Conference Board of Canada rates our food safety system as number one against 17 OECD countries.
  15. misdirected
    Food SafetyMs. Ruth Ellen Brosseau (NDP) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the opposition's voting record instead of outlining plans to protect producers from the new restrictions.Of course, the opposition voted against that.
  16. deflected
    International TradeMs. Laurin Liu (NDP) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). substantive question.The answer discusses general industry support and record returns without addressing job creation in trade policy or specific agreements.The last two years in a row we have had record returns in our agricultural sector
  17. deflected
    TaxationMr. Nathan Cullen (NDP) asked Kevin Sorenson (Conservative). loaded question.Answer promotes TFSA benefits to middle income and attacks opposition instead of addressing the cost or wealth concentration claim.Some 11 million Canadians have TFSAs, with the vast majority of those Canadians and those accounts going to low and middle-income earners.
  18. deflected
    TaxationJudy Sgro (Liberal) asked Kevin Sorenson (Conservative). loaded question.Answer repeats TFSA talking points and opposition attacks without engaging the PBO fiscal critique or benefit distribution.Nearly half of those with TFSAs earn less than $42,000.
  19. misdirected
    InfrastructureMr. Adam Vaughan (Liberal) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). substantive question.Answer shifts to national G7 stats and overall plan size instead of explaining why listed cities received no funds.since 2006, Canada has led G7 countries in total investment as a percentage of the GDP.
  20. partly answered
    InfrastructureMr. Adam Vaughan (Liberal) asked Denis Lebel (Conservative). substantive question.Answer cites specific Toronto projects and gas tax changes but does not address the 90% spending cut or back-end loading for the named cities.Since the member was a member of a city council, we have fixed the Scarborough subways, the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, the Sheppard light rail transit, and Union Station revitalization, and more, only in Toronto.
  21. answered
    Rail TransportationMrs. Carol Hughes (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.Answer directly states actions taken on tank cars and coordination with the US in response to the safety board recommendation.Transport Canada has already removed the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tank cars.
  22. answered
    Rail TransportationMr. Hoang Mai (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.Answer lists completed and planned phase-outs plus US coordination to meet the call for stricter standards.Transport Canada also announced that within three years, we would also be phasing out the other DOT-111 cars, to new higher standards.
  23. deflected
    Aboriginal AffairsMs. Mylène Freeman (NDP) asked K. Kellie Leitch (Conservative). substantive question.Answer lists existing bills and programs but does not address the request for a national public inquiry.Our government has put forward a bill to make sure that matrimonial property rights for women living on reserve receive the support that they require.
  24. deflected
    Aboriginal AffairsMs. Mylène Freeman (NDP) asked K. Kellie Leitch (Conservative). substantive question.Answer explicitly rejects the inquiry and pivots to criticizing opposition for wanting to talk rather than act.we do not support a call for a national inquiry.
  25. deflected
    Democratic ReformMr. Craig Scott (NDP) asked Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.The answer promotes ID policy and public support rather than addressing anticipation of court challenges.We will defend that position in court, and we are very confident that we will win.
  26. deflected
    Democratic ReformMr. Pierre-Luc Dusseault (NDP) asked Pierre Poilievre (Conservative). loaded question.The answer repeats support for ID rules and surveys instead of addressing why students might be prevented from voting.the Liberals and the New Democrats want to let people vote without showing identification.
  27. misdirected
    Foreign AffairsMs. Hélène Laverdière (NDP) asked Rob Nicholson (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the Liberal Party for the incident rather than confirming any follow-up with the Pakistani High Commissioner.exploiting an ambassador or an official for partisan gain is clearly unacceptable.
  28. answered
    Foreign AffairsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Rob Nicholson (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly states the action of deeming such participation inappropriate and expresses hope the Liberals learned from it.it is inappropriate for foreign dignitaries to participate in partisan events.
  29. partly answered
    Veterans AffairsMs. Joyce Murray (Liberal) asked Erin O'Toole (Conservative). loaded question.The answer addresses the hiring priority but only partially covers the pension transfer issue by noting a small reservist situation.We are looking at a specific and small situation for reservists that treats them fairly
  30. answered
    National DefenceMs. Joyce Murray (Liberal) asked Jason Kenney (Conservative). substantive question.The answer confirms ongoing medical coverage and a review while noting privacy limits further comment.both DND and the Canadian Armed Forces are continuing to cover her medical costs and meet her medical needs relating to her present condition.
  31. deflected
    Quebec BridgeMr. Denis Blanchette (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). loaded question.The answer restates the government's funding commitment and shifts responsibility to CN instead of addressing the Prime Minister keeping his promise.it is up to CN. CN has to come to the table and commit the other funds that are necessary for this project to get done.
  32. deflected
    Quebec BridgeMs. Annick Papillon (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). loaded question.The answer repeats the call for CN to contribute without addressing whether the Prime Minister will keep his word unconditionally.we call on CN to commit and come to the table and make sure that the funds that are necessary to get this work done are there.
  33. deflected
    Foreign AffairsMr. Marc Garneau (Liberal) asked Lynne Yelich (Conservative). substantive question.Answer restates general consular efforts and criticizes the asker instead of addressing the specific request for a prime ministerial call.I think that instead of writing ill-informed letters to the editor, the member should take the time to understand that our government is very clear at all levels.
  34. deflected
    Official LanguagesMr. Claude Gravelle (NDP) asked Shelly Glover (Conservative). loaded question.Answer ignores the premise of cuts to security and bilingualism and pivots to unrelated official languages spending.The proof is the roadmap for official languages, the most comprehensive investment in our country's history.
  35. partly answered
    Natural ResourcesMr. Louis Plamondon (Bloc) asked Greg Rickford (Conservative). loaded question.Answer addresses only the translation obligation and directs other questions elsewhere, leaving the consultation process unaddressed.first of all, the National Energy Board has fulfilled its obligations under the Official Languages Act.
  36. deflected
    Public SafetyMr. Brent Rathgeber (Independent) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.Answer shifts focus to the review committee's powers rather than addressing the adequacy of court oversight for CSIS warrants.This is an independent review body with extensive powers to decide the scope and type of investigations it conducts.