Journals of the Senate
2nd Session, 41st Parliament
Issue 66
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
1:30 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Ataullahjan, Baker, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Black, Boisvenu, Buth, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Demers, Downe, Doyle, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Greene, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McInnis, McIntyre, Mercer, Merchant, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Segal, Seidman, Seth, Smith (Cobourg), Smith (Saurel), Stewart Olsen, Tannas, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, Wallace, Watt, Wells, White
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Ataullahjan, Baker, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Black, Boisvenu, Buth, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Demers, Downe, Doyle, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Greene, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McInnis, McIntyre, Mercer, Merchant, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Segal, Seidman, Seth, Smith (Cobourg), Smith (Saurel), Stewart Olsen, Tannas, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, Wallace, Watt, Wells, White
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.
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Tabling of documents
With leave of the Senate,
The Honourable the Speaker tabled the following:
Letter dated May 27, 2014, from the Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, to the Speaker of the Senate, concerning the manuscript presented to Her Majesty The Queen, on the occasion of the birth of Their Royal Highnesses' son, Prince George.—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-530S.
Presenting or Tabling of Reports from Committees
The Honourable Senator Dawson, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on
Transport and Communications, tabled its fifth report (Subject matter of Bill
C-31 (Divisions 15, 16 and 28 of Part 6)).—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-531S.
(Pursuant to the order adopted on April 9, 2014, the report was deemed
referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and placed on the
Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.)
° ° °
The Honourable Senator Dallaire, Deputy Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, tabled its eighth report (interim), entitled: The Transition to Civilian Life of Veterans.—Sessional Paper No. 2/ 41-532S.
The Honourable Senator Dallaire, moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dawson, 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.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Reports of Committees — Other
Orders No. 1 to 7 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Motions
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Martin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Demers:
That, in accordance with subsection 53(1) of the Privacy Act, Chapter P-21, R.S.C. 1985, the Senate approve the appointment of Mr. Daniel Therrien as Privacy Commissioner.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted, on division.
° ° °
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Inquiries
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Order No. 2 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Commons Public Bills — Third Reading
Orders No. 1 to 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Senate Public Bills — Second Reading
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Runciman, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace, for the second reading of Bill S-221, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (assaults against public transit operators).
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
The bill was then read the second time.
The Honourable Senator Runciman moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Black, that the bill be referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
° ° °
Orders No. 3 to 9 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Commons Public Bills — Second Reading
Orders No. 1 to 9 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees — Other
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Motions
Orders No. 9, 56, 66, 55, 60, 8 and 47 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ringuette, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy:
That a Special Committee on Senate Transformation be appointed to consider;
1. methods to reduce the role of political parties in the Senate by establishing regional caucuses and systems to provide accountability to citizens;
2. methods to broaden participation of all senators in managing the business of the Senate by establishing a committee to assume those responsibilities, and to provide for equal regional representation on said committee;
3. methods to allow senators to participate in the selection of the Speaker of the Senate by providing a recommendation to the Prime Minister;
4. methods to adapt Question Period to better serve its role as an accountability exercise; and
5. such other matters as may be referred to it by the Senate;
That the committee be composed of nine members, to be nominated by the Committee of Selection and that four members constitute a quorum;
That, the committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; to examine witnesses; and to publish such papers and evidence from day to day as may be ordered by the committee;
That, notwithstanding rule 12-18(2)(b)(i), the committee have power to sit from Monday to Friday, even though the Senate may then be adjourned for a period exceeding one week; and
That the committee be empowered to report from time to time and to submit its final report no later than June 30, 2015.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Martin moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marshall, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Inquiries
Orders No. 28, 8, 10, 29, 17, 13, 25, 26, 12, 22, 21, 16, 23, 5, 15, 7, 14 and 18 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Nolin, calling the attention of the Senate to its role in parliamentary diplomacy.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Fraser moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Munson, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Nolin, calling the attention of the Senate to the activities of some Senators in promoting and defending causes that concern public interest.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Munson moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mercer, 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 Seth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Plett:
That the Senate recognize the second week of May as "International Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week'', with the goal of engaging Canadians on the health issues affecting mothers, newborns, and children in Canada and around the world; reducing maternal and infant mortality; improving the health of mothers and children in the world's poorest countries; promoting equal access to care to women and children living in households of lower socioeconomic status, those with lower levels of education, those living at or below the low-income cut-off, those who are newcomers, and those groups who live in remote and sparsely populated areas of Canada; and preventing thousands of mothers and children from unnecessarily dying from preventable illnesses or lack of adequate health care during pregnancy, childbirth and infancy.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Martin, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
° ° °
The Honourable Senator Plett moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Frum:
That, on the occasion of the visit of Gino Farnetti-Bragaglia to Canada, the Senate of Canada express its gratitude to the four Canadian soldiers who saved his life and cared for him seventy years ago; pay respect to the families of the four soldiers; and honour the bravery and sacrifice of all Canadian soldiers who fought in the Italian campaign during the Second World War.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Meredith moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Manning, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 14-1(7):
Report of the Judge Advocate General to the Minister of National Defence on the Administration of Military Justice for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, pursuant to the National Defence Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. N-5, s. 9.3(3).—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-529.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Martin moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Demers:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 3:33 p.m. the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 12-5
Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
The Honourable Senator Beyak replaced the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan (June 3, 2014).
Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights
The Honourable Senator Hubley replaced the Honourable Senator Munson (June 3, 2014).
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
The Honourable Senator Tkachuk replaced the Honourable Senator Gerstein (June 3, 2014).
Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
The Honourable Senator Enverga replaced the Honourable Senator Segal (June 3, 2014).
The Honourable Senator Day replaced the Honourable Senator Ringuette (June 3, 2014).
The Honourable Senator Dallaire replaced the Honourable Senator Campbell (June 3, 2014).
Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
The Honourable Senator Fortin-Duplessis replaced the Honourable Senator Rivard (June 3, 2014).
Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament
The Honourable Senator Furey replaced the Honourable Senator Fraser (June 3, 2014).
Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications
The Honourable Senator Seidman replaced the Honourable Senator Demers (June 3, 2014).