Journals of the Senate
58 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2009, Canada
Journals of the Senate
2nd Session, 40th Parliament
Issue 66
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
2:00 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Baker, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Callbeck, Carstairs, Champagne, Charette-Poulin, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, Di Nino, Dickson, Downe, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Grafstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Joyal, Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, Lang, Lapointe, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Martin, Massicotte, Meighen, Milne, Mitchell, Moore, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oliver, Patterson, Pépin, Peterson, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Rompkey, Seidman, Sibbeston, Smith, St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Wallace, Watt, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Baker, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Callbeck, Carstairs, Champagne, Charette-Poulin, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, Di Nino, Dickson, Downe, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, *Fairbairn, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Grafstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Joyal, Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, Lang, Lapointe, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, *Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Martin, Massicotte, Meighen, *Mercer, Milne, Mitchell, *Mockler, Moore, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oliver, Patterson, Pépin, Peterson, *Plett, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Rompkey, Seidman, Sibbeston, Smith, St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Wallace, Watt, Zimmer
The first list records senators present in the Senate Chamber during the course of the sitting.
An asterisk in the second list indicates a senator who, while not present during the sitting, was in attendance to business, as defined in subsections 8(2) and (3) of the Senators Attendance Policy.
PRAYERS
The Senate observed a minute of silence in memory of Sapper Steven Marshall, whose tragic death occurred recently while serving his country in Afghanistan.
SENATORS' STATEMENTS
Tributes
Tribute was paid to the memory of the Right Honourable Roméo Leblanc, P.C., former senator, whose death occurred on June 24, 2009.
Senators' Statements
Some Honourable Senators made statements.
DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS
Tabling of Documents
The Honourable Senator Comeau tabled the following:
Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration for the year 2009, pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27, sbs. 94(1).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-824.
Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, S.C. 1992, c. 20, s. 192.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-825.
Government Response, dated November 3, 2009, to the fifth
report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples,
entitled New Voter Identification Procedures and Related Impacts on
Aboriginal Peoples and Communities in Canada, tabled in the Senate on May 7,
2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-826S.
(Pursuant to rule 131(4), the report and the response were deemed referred to
the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples)
Report by the Global Centre for Pluralism for the fiscal year 2007-2008.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-827.
Report by the Global Centre for Pluralism for the fiscal year 2008-2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-828.
Corporate Plan 2009 of the Global Centre for Pluralism. —Sessional Paper No. 2/40-829.
° ° °
The Honourable the Speaker tabled the following:
The November 2009 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the House of Commons, pursuant to the Auditor General Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-17, sbs. 7(3), and of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the House of Commons, pursuant to the Auditor General Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-17, sbs. 7(3) and 23(5), together with an Addendum containing copies of Environmental Petitions received between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-830.
Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40- 831.
Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Cordy tabled the following:
Report of the Delegation of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the Conference on NATO's New Strategic Concept: Launching the Process, held in Brussels, Belgium on July 7, 2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-832.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Bills
Orders No. 1 to 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Inquiries
Order No. 2 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Senate Public Bills
Orders No. 1 to 24 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Commons Public Bills
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Martin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Neufeld, for the second reading of Bill C-268, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years).
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Banks, for the Honourable Senator Cools, moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Moore, 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 6 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Orders No. 58, 73 (motions), 1 (inquiry), 13, 67 (motions), 2, 21 (inquiries), 42, 68, 10, 8, 9, 51 (motions), 10 (inquiry), 7, 25 (motions), 17, 23, 13 and 25 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Spivak calling the attention of the Senate to Canadians' support for new direction in food production.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Banks moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Moore, 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 Grafstein moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day:
That,
(a) Canada supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Iran;
(b) Canada condemns the use of violence and force by Iranian authorities against their own people to suppress pro- democracy demonstrations following the Iranian presidential elections of June 12, 2009;
(c) Canada condemns the use of torture by Iranian authorities;
(d) Canada calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in Iran;
(e) Canada calls on Iran to fully respect all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice;
(f) Canada condemns Iran's complete disregard for legally binding UN Security Council Resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, and 1803 and International Atomic Energy Agency requirements;
(g) Canada affirms its opposition to nuclear proliferation and condemns any pursuit by Iran of nuclear weapons capability;
(h) Canada recommends to international organizations of which it is a member that a new set of targeted sanctions be implemented against Iran, in concert with allies, unless Iran comes into compliance with its human rights and nuclear obligations in law and in practice.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Di Nino moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Oliver, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Ordered, That committees of the Senate scheduled to meet today be authorized to sit until 5:15 p.m. even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 95(4) be suspended in relation thereto.
At 4:17 p.m., pursuant to rule 7(2), the sitting was suspended until 5:15 p.m.
The sitting resumed.
DEFERRED VOTE
At 5:30 p.m., pursuant to rule 67, the Senate proceeded to the taking of the deferred standing vote on the motion of the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cochrane:
That it be an instruction to the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence that it adopt a motion to provide that its Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure may only convene provided that it meets its quorum of three members and that one member from each recognized party is present.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted on the following vote:
YEAS
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Brazeau, Brown, Champagne, Di Nino, Dickson, Duffy, Eaton, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Frum, Gerstein, Greene, Housakos, Keon, Lang, LeBreton, MacDonald, Martin, Meighen, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oliver, Patterson, Prud'homme, Raine, Rivard, Seidman, St. Germain , Stewart Olsen, Stratton, Tkachuk, Wallace—37
NAYS
The Honourable Senators
Banks, Callbeck, Carstairs, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, Downe, Dyck, Eggleton, Fox, Fraser, Grafstein, Harb, Hubley, Joyal, Kenny, Losier-Cool, Mahovlich, Milne, Mitchell, Moore, Munson, Pépin, Peterson, Poulin, Ringuette, Rompkey, Sibbeston, Smith, Tardif, Watt, Zimmer—34
ABSTENTIONS
The Honourable Senators
Cools—1
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 28(2):
Report of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, together with the Auditor General's Report, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Act, S.C. 1991, c. 8, sbs. 26(3).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-822.
Report of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission on the operation of the National Do Not Call List for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Telecommunications Act, S.C., 1993, c. 38, s. 41.6.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-823.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Andreychuk:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 5:38 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 Agriculture and Forestry
The Honourable Senator Finley replaced the Honourable Senator Meighen (October 30, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The Honourable Senator Carstairs, P.C., replaced the Honourable Senator Moore (October 29, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
The Honourable Senator Neufeld replaced the Honourable Senator Raine (October 30, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Banks replaced the Honourable Senator Cowan (October 29, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Peterson replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (October 29, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The Honourable Senator Frum replaced the Honourable Senator Wallin (November 2, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Zimmer replaced the Honourable Senator Stollery (October 29, 2009).
Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
The Honourable Senator Massicotte replaced the Honourable Senator Dawson (October 29, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
The Honourable Senator Mercer replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (November 2, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
The Honourable Senator Manning replaced the Honourable Senator Lang (November 2, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Wallin replaced the Honourable Senator Oliver (November 2, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Oliver replaced the Honourable Senator Wallin (November 2, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
The Honourable Senator Fortin-Duplessis replaced the Honourable Senator Brazeau (November 3, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Mockler replaced the Honourable Senator Nolin (November 3, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Nolin replaced the Honourable Senator Mockler (October 29, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
The Honourable Senator Banks replaced the Honourable Senator Munson (October 29, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications
The Honourable Senator Andreychuk replaced the Honourable Senator Frum (October 30, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Rivard replaced the Honourable Senator Plett (October 30, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Seidman replaced the Honourable Senator Johnson (October 30, 2009).