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Thursday, June 11, 2015 · sitting No. 229
Commons debates bill to protect service animals at third reading
The House devoted the largest share of its time to third reading debate on Bill C-35, the justice for animals in service act, also known as Quanto's law. Conservative MP Costas Menegakis said the bill would create a specific offence for killing or injuring law enforcement, service or military animals. Liberal MP Sean Casey and New Democrat MP Ève Péclet both said their parties would support the measure while questioning whether further steps were needed.
Question period featured repeated exchanges on Senate expenses and the Prime Minister's absence. New Democrat MP Megan Leslie asked why the Prime Minister had left the country again when the Auditor General's report on senators' expenses was released. Conservative MP Paul Calandra replied that the government expected the Senate to implement the report's recommendations and that the Prime Minister was attending the G7 summit.
Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett and New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash pressed the government on whether the Prime Minister had asked Pope Francis for an apology to residential school survivors. Conservative MP Mark Strahl said the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development had written to the Vatican about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations.
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 · 2015-06-11
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
The Senate
New Democrat MP Peter Julian said the government had abandoned its promise of Senate reform and was now defending the status quo alongside the Liberals.
Read the exchangeHealth
New Democrat MP Murray Rankin said the government was allowing uninspected foreign drug ingredients into Canada and trusting companies to inspect themselves.
Read the exchangeThe Environment
Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia asked what explanation the Prime Minister had given the Pope for Canada's failure to regulate oil and gas emissions more strictly.
Read the exchangePromotion of Local Foods
New Democrat MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach said the government had voted against her bill to promote local foods despite support from farm organizations across Canada.
Read the exchangePensions
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said the voluntary approach to retirement saving had failed and that 60 per cent of Canadians wanted an expanded Canada pension plan.
Read the exchangeQuestion 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
- deflectedEthicsMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). loaded question.Answer discusses Senate reforms and Supreme Court ruling without addressing PM knowledge or Europe trip.
as you know, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General in.
- misdirectedEthicsMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). rhetorical question.Answer attacks NDP and Liberals instead of addressing PM travel during scandals.
that question just highlights that it is not only the Liberals who are incapable of ever governing this country again
- deflectedEthicsMs. Megan Leslie (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). loaded question.Answer repeats Senate status quo line then pivots to attacking NDP debt instead of addressing Senate cleanup.
There are 68 members of that caucus who owe three times as much as the Auditor General identified in the Senate report.
- partly answeredAboriginal AffairsMr. Romeo Saganash (NDP) asked Mr. Mark Strahl (Conservative). substantive question.Answer confirms PM drew attention to the letter but does not state whether an apology was requested.
The Prime Minister also drew attention to the letter sent by the minister to the Holy See during his meeting with Pope Francis.
- partly answeredAboriginal AffairsMr. Romeo Saganash (NDP) asked Mr. Mark Strahl (Conservative). substantive question.Answer repeats notification of the report but does not confirm if apology request was made during the meeting.
The Prime Minister , when he met with the Pope today, also drew attention to that letter.
- deflectedInternational TradeMs. Judy Foote (Liberal) asked Mr. Parm Gill (Conservative). loaded question.Answer boasts about trade deals and stats without addressing CETA finalization or the $400-million fund.
Our government has concluded free trade agreements with 38 countries, with many more to come.
- misdirectedPensionsRalph Goodale (Liberal) asked Kevin Sorenson (Conservative). substantive question.Answer attacks Liberal leader's tax plan instead of addressing CPP expansion or retirement crisis.
the Liberal leader has confirmed that he would implement the Ontario Liberals' payroll tax on every worker
- misdirectedPensionsRalph Goodale (Liberal) asked Kevin Sorenson (Conservative). substantive question.Answer contrasts Liberal policies instead of addressing CPP expansion or Flaherty's recommendation.
We have lowered taxes for seniors and pensioners, but the Liberals would raise taxes for middle-class seniors.
- deflectedLabourMs. Jean Crowder (NDP) asked K. Kellie Leitch (Conservative). substantive question.The answer pivots to government actions and opposition voting instead of addressing agreement on harassment-free workplaces.
Our government has been focused on taking significant actions to ensure that Canadians are protected.
- misdirectedEthicsMs. Irene Mathyssen (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the NDP caucus spending rather than addressing the Auditor General findings on senators.
There are 68 members of that caucus who have spend three times as much as the Auditor General found in the Senate.
- misdirectedEthicsMs. Irene Mathyssen (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). loaded question.The answer shifts entirely to demanding NDP repayment instead of responding to Senate expense issues.
Canadians do not think it is fanciful to want their $2.7 million back from the NDP.
- misdirectedEthicsMs. Ève Péclet (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's own expenses rather than addressing the Prime Minister's position on Senate repayment.
The member who asked the question owes the taxpayers of her riding over $27,000, and she is refusing to pay it back.
- misdirectedEthicsMs. Ève Péclet (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). substantive question.The answer accuses the member of improper office spending instead of addressing oversight for Senate expenses.
The member then funnelled money out of her constituency to an illegal office in Montreal, along with 67 other members of that party.
- misdirectedEthicsMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's personal debt rather than explaining the Conservative response to Senate issues.
The member admitted there was a debt and said that it was the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley 's debt.
- misdirectedThe SenateMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Mr. Paul Calandra (Conservative). rhetorical question.The answer quotes the member to attack him personally instead of addressing changes to the Senate.
These are the things that he said while he was throwing the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley under the bus.
- partly answeredAboriginal AffairsCarolyn Bennett (Liberal) asked Mr. Mark Strahl (Conservative). substantive question.The answer addresses the letter to the Vatican and the 2008 apology but does not explain why no direct request for an apology was made.
the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development has written to the Vatican to draw its attention to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentMr. Francis Scarpaleggia (Liberal) asked Mr. Colin Carrie (Conservative). loaded question.The answer lists government environmental achievements but never addresses the question about the Prime Minister's conversation with the Pope.
We were the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity generation, as coal is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the entire world.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentJohn McKay (Liberal) asked Mr. Colin Carrie (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the Liberals' past record and lists policies without addressing the Pope's reaction or any call for stronger action.
I find it rich coming from a Liberal member. When the Liberals were in government, they did absolutely nothing to address climate change.
- answeredHealthMr. Murray Rankin (NDP) asked Rona Ambrose (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly rebuts the claim of inadequate inspections and explains Health Canada's processes for drug safety.
Whenever there has been factual evidence in front of us, we have acted and we have ensured that any products or drugs are not allowed into Canada if there are any safety risks.
- partly answeredHealthMs. Christine Moore (NDP) asked Rona Ambrose (Conservative). substantive question.The answer explains reliance on foreign inspectors like the FDA but does not address the low number of inspections or self-inspection concerns.
Where our inspectors are unable to be, we use inspectors such as the FDA.
- misdirectedHealthMs. Christine Moore (NDP) asked Rona Ambrose (Conservative). substantive question.The answer pivots to attacking the court ruling and warning about marijuana risks instead of addressing compliance with the Supreme Court decision.
The judges have decided to displace Health Canada as the health regulator and decide that a drug is a medicine.
- misdirectedHealthMr. Murray Rankin (NDP) asked Rona Ambrose (Conservative). substantive question.The answer criticizes judges for overriding medical experts rather than stating whether the government will follow the ruling.
Unfortunately, judges think they can make decisions where medical experts should be making the decisions.
- deflectedShippingMr. François Choquette (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The answer shifts to trade and budget praise while accusing the asker of not reading the budget, without clarifying the spill-response coverage gap.
If that opposite member had actually read the budget and voted in favour of it, he would have been on the same side of the issue as we now are.
- answeredShippingMr. Hoang Mai (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly confirms the expanded pilot area now covers Montreal to Anticosti Island.
clearly I have already just indicated that we have expanded the pilot project area to include the traffic on the river from Montreal to Anticosti Island.
- answeredThe EnvironmentMs. Anne Minh-Thu Quach (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The answer directly explains the regulatory hold preventing the ship's move until compliance is confirmed.
It is for that reason that the Kathryn Spirit is under a departure prohibition from Transport Canada, and it will remain in place until the final inspection has been taken out and it confirms that all regulations are being complied with.
- deflectedPublic SafetyMr. Pierre-Luc Dusseault (NDP) asked Steven Blaney (Conservative). substantive question.The response emphasizes past actions and opposition non-support rather than outlining specific help for the current flooding.
Unfortunately, we could not count on our colleagues' support, but we will continue to be there for our communities.
- misdirectedCitizenship and ImmigrationJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the Liberal Party's record instead of addressing the request for an apology.
Why will the Liberal Party not tell the truth about its sorry record on immigration over decades and its inability and unwillingness to do anything to face up to the real threat of terrorism in this day and age?
- misdirectedCitizenship and ImmigrationJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Chris Alexander (Conservative). loaded question.The answer accuses the questioner of untruths and pivots to labeling the Liberal Party as racist historically.
This is the only party in this Parliament that is taking action to protect Muslims and other Canadians from the threat of terrorism.
- partly answeredAir TransportationMs. Peggy Nash (NDP) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). substantive question.The minister acknowledges the issue and promises to confer but offers no concrete steps or commitment.
I appreciate the question from the hon. member and will confer with the Minister of Labour on the matter with respect to airlines and regulation labour situations.
- answeredAir TransportationMs. Peggy Nash (NDP) asked K. Kellie Leitch (Conservative). substantive question.The answer explains the independent board process and confirms ongoing mediation work with both parties.
What we are doing at the labour program, though, with our mediators and facilitators, is continuing to work with both parties to make sure they come to a resolution of their issues.
- partly answeredTaxationMr. Emmanuel Dubourg (Liberal) asked Joe Oliver (Conservative). substantive question.The response notes past tax measures and states the bill will be reviewed without indicating support.
We will take a look, as we always do, at the private member's bill and make a determination on its merits.
- deflectedSteel IndustryMr. David Christopherson (NDP) asked Mike Lake (Conservative). substantive question.The answer cites legal barriers to disclosure and shifts focus to government economic achievements.
it is against the law for the Government of Canada to release this information without the consent of the company.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentMr. Louis Plamondon (Bloc) asked Lisa Raitt (Conservative). loaded question.The answer shifts entirely to trade and ports without addressing the pipeline, supertankers, or environmental risks raised.
we are embarking upon Canada's most ambitious trade agenda, and in doing so we want to ensure that we are able to get our goods to market and are able to receive goods from other markets as well.
- deflectedBusiness of the HouseMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Peter Van Loan (Conservative). substantive question.The answer focuses on past productivity and Conservative achievements rather than outlining plans for Senate cleanup or the upcoming agenda.
I sincerely appreciate the New Democrats' efforts to associate themselves with the record of legislative achievement that our government has demonstrated.