2nd Session, 41st Parliament

Issue 90

Wednesday, October 29, 2014
1:30 p.m.

The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker

The Members convened were:

The Honourable Senators

Ataullahjan, Baker, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Black, Boisvenu, Carignan, Chaput, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dawson, Day, Downe, Doyle, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Greene, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McInnis, McIntyre, Merchant, Meredith, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, 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

Ataullahjan, Baker, Batters, Bellemare, Beyak, Black, Boisvenu, Carignan, Chaput, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dawson, Day, Downe, Doyle, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Enverga, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Greene, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, McInnis, McIntyre, Merchant, Meredith, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ngo, Nolin, Ogilvie, Oh, Patterson, Plett, Poirier, Raine, Ringuette, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, 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

Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees

The Honourable Senator Neufeld, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, presented its seventh report (Bill C-501, An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day, without amendment).

The Honourable Senator Neufeld moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Doyle, 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.

Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations

The Honourable Senator Oh tabled the following:

Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canada-China Legislative Association respecting its participation at the Co-Chairs' Annual Visit to China, held in Shanghai, Beijing, Urumqi and Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, from May 11 to 15, 2013.—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-915.

°    °    °

The Honourable Senator Maltais tabled the following:

Report of the Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) respecting its participation at the 13th Winter Meeting of the OSCE PA, held in Vienna, Austria, from February 12 to 14, 2014.—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-916.

Report of the Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) respecting its participation at the Election Observation Mission of the OSCE PA, held in Kyiv, Ukraine, from May 25 to 28, 2014.—Sessional Paper No. 2/41-917.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

Bills — Second Reading

Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Motions

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

Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Senate Public Bills — Second Reading

Orders No. 1 to 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

°    °    °

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ngo, seconded by the Honourable Senator Ogilvie, for the second reading of Bill S-219, An Act respecting a national day of commemoration of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees and their acceptance in Canada after the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

The bill was then read the second time.

The Honourable Senator Martin moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth, that the bill be referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

°    °    °

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mercer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mitchell, for the second reading of Bill S-223, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speakership of the Senate).

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Greene 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.

Commons Public Bills — Second Reading

Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Reports of Committees — Other

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ogilvie, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marshall, that the fifteenth report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology entitled: Prescription Pharmaceuticals in Canada: Unintended Consequences, tabled in the Senate on October 21, 2014, be adopted and that, pursuant to rule 12-24(1), the Senate request a complete and detailed response from the government, with the Minister of Health being identified as minister responsible for responding to the report.

After debate,

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

°    °    °

Orders No. 2 and 3 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

Motions

Orders No. 73, 8, 47, 74, 79, 62, 55, 69, 9 and 56 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

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Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Nolin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:

That a Special Committee on Senate Modernization be appointed to consider methods to make the Senate more effective, more transparent and more responsible, within the current constitutional framework, in order, in part, to increase public confidence in the Senate;

That the committee be composed of nine members, to be nominated by the Committee of Selection, and that five members constitute a quorum;

That the committee have the 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 the committee be authorized to hire outside experts;

That, notwithstanding rule 12-18(2)(b)(i), the committee have the 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 December 31, 2015.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Fraser, for the Honourable Senator Cowan, moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tardif, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

°    °    °

Order No. 60 was called and postponed until the next sitting.

Inquiries

Orders No. 27, 33, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 28, 10, 13, 16, 29, 26, 14 and 20 were called and postponed until the next sitting.

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Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Munson, calling the attention of the Senate to lighthouses as irreplaceable symbols of Canada's maritime heritage and monuments that enrich communities and the landscape of this country.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Cordy moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Baker, P.C., that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

°    °    °

Order No. 5 was called and, pursuant to rule 4-15(2), dropped from the Order Paper.

INQUIRIES

The Honourable Senator Cordy called the attention of the Senate to sickle cell disease and thalassemic disorder and the importance of screening to identify infants with sickle cell disease and the need for improvement of the management of sickle cell disease and thalassemic disorders in Canada.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Tardif, for the Honourable Senator Jaffer, 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.

REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 14-1(7):

Report of the Chief Public Health Officer on the State of Public Health in Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, pursuant to the Public Health Agency of Canada Act, S.C. 2006, c. 5, sbs. 12(2).—Sessional Paper No. 2/41- 913.

Report of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on the operation of the National Do Not Call List for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, pursuant to the Telecommunications Act, 1993, c. 38, s. 41.6. —Sessional Paper No. 2/41-914.

ADJOURNMENT

The Honourable Senator Martin moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marshall:

That the Senate do now adjourn.

The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.

(Accordingly, at 2:50 p.m. the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)

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Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 12-5

Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs

The Honourable Senator Patterson replaced the Honourable Senator Frum (October 28, 2014).

Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence

The Honourable Senator Enverga replaced the Honourable Senator Beyak (October 28, 2014).

Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages

The Honourable Senator McIntyre replaced the Honourable Senator Rivard (October 28, 2014).

Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament

The Honourable Senator Frum replaced the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C. (October 28, 2014).