Journals of the Senate
56 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2007, Canada
Journals of the Senate
1st Session, 39th Parliament
Issue 82
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
2:00 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Adams, Andreychuk, Atkins, Bacon, Banks, Biron, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carney, Carstairs, Chaput, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Cools, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Downe, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fortier, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Goldstein, Gustafson, Hays, Hervieux-Payette, Hubley, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, Lapointe, Lavigne, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, Mahovlich, Massicotte, McCoy, Meighen, Mercer, Milne, Mitchell, Moore, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Nolin, Oliver, Pépin, Pitfield, Poulin (Charette), Poy, Prud'homme, Ringuette, Robichaud, Rompkey, St. Germain, Segal, Sibbeston, Smith, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Trenholme Counsell, Watt, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Adams, Andreychuk, Atkins, Bacon, Banks, Biron, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carney, Carstairs, Chaput, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Cools, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Downe, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fortier, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Goldstein, Gustafson, Hays, Hervieux-Payette, Hubley, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, Lapointe, Lavigne, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, Mahovlich, Massicotte, McCoy, Meighen, Mercer, Milne, Mitchell, Moore, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Nolin, Oliver, Pépin, Pitfield, Poulin (Charette), Poy, Prud'homme, Ringuette, Robichaud, Rompkey, St. Germain, Segal, Sibbeston, Smith, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Trenholme Counsell, Watt, Zimmer
PRAYERS
SENATORS' STATEMENTS
Some Honourable Senators made statements.
DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS
Tabling of Documents
The Honourable Senator Comeau tabled the following:
Document entitled: Plan of Action for Drinking Water in First Nations Communities—Progress Report—March 22, 2007. —Sessional Paper No. 1/39-715.
With leave of the Senate,
The Honourable Senator Losier-Cool tabled the following:
Report on the parliamentary seminar entitled: Parliamentary Democracy: The Canadian Experience, held in Porto Novo, Benin, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Bamako, Mali, from January 8 to 16, 2007.—Sessional Paper No. 1/ 39-716.
Presentation of Reports from Standing or Special Committees
The Honourable Senator Atkins, Deputy Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, tabled its eleventh report entitled: Canadian Security Guide Book 2007 — Coasts.—Sessional Paper No. 1/39- 717S.
The Honourable Senator Atkins moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Murray, P.C., that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Day tabled the following:
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canada-China Legislative Association and of the Canada-Japan Inter- parliamentary Group, respecting its participation at the fifteenth Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentarians Forum (APPF), held in Moscow, Russian Federation, from January 21 to 26, 2007.—Sessional Paper No. 1/39-718.
ANSWERS TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS
Pursuant to rule 25(2), the Honourable Senator Comeau tabled the following:
Reply to Question No. 24, dated February 1, 2007, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Downe, respecting Canada Research Chairs Program.—Sessional Paper No. 1/39-719S.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Bills
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Second reading of Bill C-49, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2007.
The Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Johnson, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
The bill was then read the second time.
The Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Nolin, that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a third reading at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Second reading of Bill C-50, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2008.
The Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Nolin, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
The bill was then read the second time.
The Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Nolin, that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a third reading at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 4 to 6 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Motions
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Day, seconded by the Honourable Senator Banks, for the adoption of the thirteenth report (first interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance (2007-2008 Estimates), presented in the Senate on March 22, 2007.
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Day, seconded by the Honourable Senator Banks, for the adoption of the twelfth report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance (2006-2007 Estimates), presented in the Senate on March 21, 2007.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 3 to 5 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Senate Public Bills
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Banks, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dallaire, for the third reading of Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (clean drinking water).
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 2 and 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Phalen, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day, for the second reading of Bill S-222, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and to enact certain other measures, in order to provide assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Andreychuk moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Stratton, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 5 to 8 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Commons Public Bills
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mitchell, seconded by the Honourable Senator Trenholme Counsell, for the second reading of Bill C-288, An Act to ensure Canada meets its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, seconded by the Honourable Senator Comeau, that Bill C-288 be not now read a second time, but that the subject-matter thereof be concurrently referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce and the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources;
That the committees report back no later than December 31, 2007; and
That the Order to resume debate on the motion for the second reading of the bill not appear on the Order Paper and Notice Paper until such time as both committees have reported on the subject matter of the bill.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Stratton moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Di Nino, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted, on division.
A point of order was raised with respect to the extension of speaking times.
After debate,
The Speaker reserved his decision.
Order No. 2 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Second reading of Bill C-292, An Act to implement the Kelowna Accord.
The Honourable Senator Campbell moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Hubley, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Stratton moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Reports of Committees
Orders No. 1 to 11 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Consideration of the second report (interim) of the Special Senate Committee on Aging entitled: Embracing the Challenge of Aging, tabled in the Senate on March 1, 2007.
Debate concluded.
Consideration of the sixth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, entitled: Sharing Canada's Prosperity — A Hand Up, Not A Handout, tabled in the Senate on March 20, 2007.
The Honourable Senator St. Germain, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Segal:
That the sixth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples entitled: Sharing Canada's Prosperity — A Hand Up, Not A Handout, tabled in the Senate on March 20, 2007, be adopted and that, pursuant to rule 131(2), the Senate request a complete and detailed response from the Government, with the Minister of Indian Affairs being identified as Minister responsible for responding to the report.
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 15 to 17 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Orders No. 23 (inquiry), 92 (motion), 22, 9 and 12 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
The Order was called for resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Di Nino, seconded by the Honourable Senator Andreychuk:
That the Senate urge the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Dalai Lama, notwithstanding their differences on Tibet's historical relationship with China, to continue their dialogue in a forward-looking manner that will lead to pragmatic solutions that respect the Chinese constitutional framework, the territorial integrity of China and fulfill the aspirations of the Tibetan people for a unified and genuinely autonomous Tibet.
A point of order was raised with respect to the acceptability of the motion.
After debate,
The Speaker pro tempore reserved her decision.
Orders No. 14, 21 and 8 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Dallaire, calling the attention of the Senate to the final phase of the restoration of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, begun in 2001 under the auspices of the Canadian Battlefield Memorials Restoration Project.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Banks moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bacon, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 25 (inquiry), 81, 119 (motions), 20 and 15 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Dallaire calling the attention of the Senate to the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan and the importance of Canada's commitment to the people of this war-torn country.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Cowan moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tardif, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 6, 19, 11 (inquiries) and 5 (motion) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
INQUIRIES
The Honourable Senator Banks called the attention of the Senate to the failure of the Government of Canada to carry out its constitutional duty to appoint qualified persons to the Senate.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tkachuk moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Nolin, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
MOTIONS
The Honourable Senator Bacon moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:
That, notwithstanding the Order of the Senate adopted on Thursday, May 11, 2006, the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, which was authorized to examine and report on containerized freight traffic in Canada's ports, be empowered to extend the date of presenting its final report from March 31, 2007, to October 31, 2007.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 28(2):
Report of the National Arts Centre, together with the Auditor General's Report, for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, pursuant to the National Arts Centre Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. N-3, sbs. 17(2).—Sessional Paper No. 1/39-714.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 7:04 p.m. the Senate was continued until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 85(4)
Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The name of the Honourable Senator Gustafson substituted for that of the Honourable Senator Meighen (March 27).