Journals of the Senate
58 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2009, Canada
Journals of the Senate
2nd Session, 40th Parliament
Issue 70
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
1:30 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Baker, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, Champagne, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Demers, Downe, Duffy, Eaton, Eggleton, Fairbairn, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Grafstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Keon, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Manning, Meighen, Milne, Mitchell, Mockler, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ogilvie, Oliver, Patterson, Peterson, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, Robichaud, Rompkey, Seidman, Sibbeston, St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Wallace, Watt, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Baker, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, Champagne, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, *Dawson, *Day, Demers, Downe, Duffy, Eaton, Eggleton, Fairbairn, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Grafstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, *Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Manning, *Massicotte, Meighen, Milne, Mitchell, Mockler, *Moore, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ogilvie, Oliver, Patterson, Peterson, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, *Rivard, Robichaud, Rompkey, Seidman, Sibbeston, St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Wallace, *Wallin, 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
SENATORS' STATEMENTS
Some Honourable Senators made statements.
DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS
Tabling of Documents
The Honourable Senator Comeau tabled the following:
Government Response, dated November 12, 2009, to the
fourth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled
Nunavut Marine Fisheries: Quotas and Harbours, tabled in the Senate on
June 4, 2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-857S.
(Pursuant to rule 131(4), the report and the response were deemed referred to
the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans)
Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills
The Honourable Senator Comeau presented a Bill S-8, An Act to implement conventions and protocols concluded between Canada and Colombia, Greece and Turkey for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
The bill was read the first time.
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Demers, that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a second reading two days hence.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Milne tabled the following:
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the Fourth Part of the 2009 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg, France, from September 28 to October 2, 2009.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-858.
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 21 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Pépin, for the second reading of Bill S-235, An Act to provide the means to rationalize the governance of Canadian businesses during the period of national emergency resulting from the global financial crisis that is undermining Canada's economic stability.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Comeau 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.
° ° °
Order No. 23 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Commons Public Bills
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees
Orders No. 1 to 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Orders No. 98 (motion), 21 (inquiry), 42, 93 and 94 (motions) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Grafstein, seconded by the Honourable Senator Banks:
That the Senate endorse the following Resolution, adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly at its 17th Annual Session, held at Astana, Kazakhstan, from June 29 to July 3, 2008:
RESOLUTION ON WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE OSCE AREA
1. Reiterating the fundamental importance of the environmental aspects of the OSCE concept of security,
2. Recognizing the link between natural resource problems and disputes or conflicts within and between states,
3. Noting the opportunities presented by resource management initiatives that address common environmental problems, including local ownership and sub-regional programmes and co-operation amongst governments, and which promote peace-building processes,
4. Recalling the OSCE's role in encouraging sustainable environmental policies that promote peace and stability, specifically the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, the 1990 Concluding Document of the CSCE Conference on Economic Co- operation in Europe (Bonn Document), the 1999 Charter for European Security adopted at the Istanbul Summit, the 2003 OSCE Strategy Document for the Economic and Environmental Dimension (Maastricht Strategy), other OSCE relevant documents and decisions regarding environmental issues, and the outcome of all previous Economic and Environmental Fora, which have established a basis for the OSCE's work in the area of environment and security,
5. Recognizing that water is of vital importance to human life and that it is an element of the human right to life and dignity,
6. Noting the severity of water management issues and the scarcity of water resources faced by many states in the OSCE region, affected in particular by unregulated social and economic activities, including urban development, industry, and agriculture,
7. Concerned by the impact of poor water management systems on human health, the environment, the sustainability of biodiversity and aquatic and land-based eco-systems, affecting political and socio-economic development,
8. Concerned by the more than 100 million people in the pan-European region who continue to lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation,
9. Concerned by those areas and people in the North American region of the OSCE space without access to safe drinking water and sanitation,
10. Concerned by the potential for water management issues to escalate if options to address and reverse the problem are not duly considered and implemented,
11. Recognizing the importance of good environmental governance and responsible water management for the governments of participating States,
12. Applauding the work of the Preparatory Seminar for the Tenth OSCE Economic Forum which took place in 2001 in Belgrade and which focused on water resource management and the promotion of regional environmental co-operation in South-Eastern Europe,
13. Applauding the work of the 15th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum and its preparatory meetings, "Key challenges to ensure environmental security and sustainable development in the OSCE area: Water Management,'' held in Zaragoza, Spain,
14. Applauding the OSCE's Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security adopted at the 2007 Ministerial Council which draws attention to water management as an environmental risk which may have a substantial impact on security in the OSCE region and which might be more effectively addressed within the framework of multilateral co-operation,
15. Expressing support for the efforts made to date by several participating States of the OSCE to deal with the problem, including the workshop on water management organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty in May 2007 for experts from Central Asia and the Caucasus,
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:
16. Calls on the OSCE participating States to undertake sound water management to support sustainable environmental policies;
17. Recommends that the OSCE participating States pursue and apply the measures necessary to implement the 2007 Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security;
18. Recommends that such water management and oversight activities include national, regional and local co- operative initiatives that share best practices and provide support and assistance amongst each other;
19. Recommends that the OSCE participating States adopt the multiple barrier approach to drinking water protection, with particular attention to water tables, in their national, regional and local regulations to ensure that people living throughout the OSCE space have access to safe drinking water;
20. Recommends that the OSCE participating States consider developing more effective national, sub-national and local results-based, action-oriented and differentiated approaches to sound water management policies;
21. Encourages the OSCE participating States to continue their work with other regional and international institutions and organizations with respect to water management solutions, providing for the establishment of supranational arbitral commissions with decision-making powers delegated by the States;
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Prud'homme, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Comeau, that the words "That the Senate endorse'' at the beginning of the motion be replaced by the words "That the Senate take note of''.
After debate,
Further debate on the motion in amendment was adjourned until the next sitting in the name of the Honourable Senator Cools.
° ° °
Orders No. 9, 7 (motions), 1, 27 (inquiries), 58, 73, 13, 67 (motions), 2 (inquiry), 68, 10, 51 (motions), 10 (inquiry), 25 (motion) and 23 (inquiry) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Order No. 13 (inquiry) was called and pursuant to rule 27(3) was dropped from the Order Paper.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 28(2):
Report of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, S.C. 2000, c. 17, sbs. 71(1).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-853.
Summaries of the Corporate Plan for the period 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 and of the Operating and Capital Budgets for 2009-2010 of the Blue Water Bridge Authority, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4). —Sessional Paper No. 2/40-854.
Report of the Blue Water Bridge Authority for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, pursuant to the Alternative Fuels Act, S.C. 1995, c. 20, s. 8.—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-855.
Summaries of the Corporate Plan for the period 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 and of the Operating and Capital Budgets of the Canadian Dairy Commission for the dairy year ending July 31, 2010, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-856.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 2:45 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 Meighen replaced the Honourable Senator Plett (November 18, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
The Honourable Senator Banks replaced the Honourable Senator De Bané, P.C. (November 18, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Harb replaced the Honourable Senator Eggleton, P.C. (November 18, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Mahovlich replaced the Honourable Senator Chaput (November 18, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Robichaud, P.C., replaced the Honourable Senator Ringuette (November 18, 2009).
Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations
The Honourable Senator Harb replaced the Honourable Senator Moore (November 17, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
The Honourable Senator Rompkey, P.C., replaced the Honourable Senator Cordy (November 18, 2009).