Journals of the Senate
58 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2009, Canada
Journals of the Senate
2nd Session, 40th Parliament
Issue 12
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
1:30 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Atkins, Bacon, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carstairs, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Dickson, Downe, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Goldstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, Lapointe, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Manning, Martin, Massicotte, McCoy, Meighen, Mercer, Merchant, Milne, Mitchell, Mockler, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Oliver, Peterson, Phalen, Pitfield, Poy, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Segal, Sibbeston, Smith, Spivak, St. Germain, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Wallace, Wallin, Watt, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Atkins, Bacon, Banks, Brazeau, Brown, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carstairs, Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Dickson, Downe, Duffy, Dyck, Eaton, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fortin-Duplessis, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Gerstein, Goldstein, *Grafstein, Greene, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, *Johnson, Joyal, Kenny, Kinsella, Lang, Lapointe, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Manning, Martin, Massicotte, McCoy, Meighen, Mercer, Merchant, Milne, Mitchell, Mockler, Munson, Murray, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Oliver, Peterson, Phalen, Pitfield, Poy, Prud'homme, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Segal, Sibbeston, Smith, Spivak, St. Germain, 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:
Corporate Plan Summary for 2008-2009 to 2012-2013 of Marine Atlantic Inc., pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4).—Sessional Paper No. 2/40-168.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Bills
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
° ° °
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, seconded by the Honourable Senator Raine, for the second reading of Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Customs Act.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tardif moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cowan, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Inquiries
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Motions
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Senate Public Bills
Orders No. 1 to 26 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Orders No. 4, 2, 1 (inquiries), 10, 4 and 3 (motions) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
MOTIONS
The Honourable Senator Segal moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cochrane:
That the Senate approve in principle the installation of equipment necessary to the broadcast quality audio-visual recording of its proceedings and other approved events in the Senate Chamber and in no fewer than four rooms ordinarily used for meetings by committees of the Senate;
That for the purposes set out in the following paragraph, public proceedings of the Senate and of its committees be recorded by this equipment, subject to policies, practices and guidelines approved from time to time by the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (``the committee'');
That selected and packaged proceedings categorized according to subjects of interest be prepared and made available for use by any television broadcaster or distributor of audio-visual programmes, subject to the terms specified in any current or future agreements between the Senate and that broadcaster or distributor;
That such selected proceedings also be made available on demand to the public on the Parliamentary Internet;
That the Senate engage by contract a producer who shall, subject only to the direction of that committee, make the determination of the programme content of the selected and categorized proceedings of the Senate and of its committees;
That equipment and personnel necessary for the expert selection, preparation and categorization of broadcast- quality proceedings be secured for these purposes; and
That the committee be instructed to take measures necessary to the implementation of this motion.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Andreychuk moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator St. Germain, P.C., that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted, on division.
° ° °
The Honourable Senator Chaput moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Corbin:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages be authorized to study and to report from time to time on the application of the Official Languages Act and of the regulations and directives made under it, within those institutions subject to the Act;
That the committee be authorized to study the reports and papers produced by the Minister of Official Languages, the President of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Commissioner of Official Languages as well as any other material concerning official languages;
That the papers and evidence received and taken and work accomplished by the committee on this subject since the beginning of the First Session of the Thirty-ninth Parliament be referred to the committee;
That the committee report from time to time to the Senate but no later than June 30, 2010, and that the Committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until December31,2010.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
° ° °
The Honourable Senator St. Germain, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Champagne, P.C.:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples be authorized to examine and report on the federal government's constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples and on other matters generally relating to the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada.
That the Committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than March 31, 2010.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 28(2):
Summaries of the Corporate Plan and the Capital and Operating Budgets for the period 2008-2009 to 2012-2013 of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4).—Sessional Paper No.2/40-166.
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Framework Agreement on Agriculture, Agri-Food and Agri-Based Products Policy between the governments of Canada and the governments of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, pursuant to the Farm Income Protection Act, S.C. 1991, c. 22, sbs. 6(1).—Sessional Paper No.2/40-167.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Di Nino:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 2:47 p.m. the Senate was continued until 1:30p.m. tomorrow.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 85(4)
Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
The Honourable Senator Hubley replaced the Honourable Senator Fairbairn, P.C. (February 24, 2009).
The Honourable Senator Lovelace Nicholas replaced the Honourable Senator Munson (February 24, 2009).
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
The Honourable Senator Mitchell replaced the Honourable Senator Banks (February 25, 2009).
Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament
The Honourable Senator Fraser replaced the Honourable Senator Milne (February 24, 2009).
Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations
The Honourable Senator Cordy replaced the Honourable Senator Cook (February 24, 2009).