Journals of the Senate
61 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2012, Canada
Journals of the Senate
1st Session, 41st Parliament
Issue 49
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
1:30 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Ataullahjan, Baker, Boisvenu, Braley, Brown, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, Demers, Di Nino, Downe, Doyle, Duffy, Eaton, Eggleton, Fairbairn, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, Mercer, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Ogilvie, Patterson, Peterson, Plett, Poirier, Poy, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Segal, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, Smith (Cobourg), Smith (Saurel), St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, Wallace, Wallin, Watt, Zimmer
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Andreychuk, Angus, Ataullahjan, Baker, Boisvenu, Braley, Brown, Callbeck, Campbell, Carignan, *Champagne, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cools, Cordy, Cowan, Dagenais, Dallaire, Dawson, Day, *De Bané, Demers, Di Nino, Downe, Doyle, Duffy, Eaton, Eggleton, Fairbairn, Finley, Fortin-Duplessis, Fraser, Frum, Furey, Gerstein, Harb, Hervieux-Payette, Housakos, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Kinsella, Lang, LeBreton, Lovelace Nicholas, MacDonald, Mahovlich, Maltais, Manning, Marshall, Martin, Massicotte, Mercer, Meredith, Mitchell, Mockler, Moore, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Nolin, Ogilvie, Patterson, Peterson, Plett, Poirier, Poy, Raine, Ringuette, Rivard, Rivest, Robichaud, Runciman, Segal, Seidman, Seth, Sibbeston, Smith (Cobourg), Smith (Saurel), St. Germain, Stewart Olsen, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Unger, Verner, 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 Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Dawson tabled the following:
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) respecting its participation at the 122nd IPU Assembly and related meetings, held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 27 to April 1, 2010.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-685.
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) respecting its participation at the 259th Session of the IPU Executive Committee, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from February 17 to 19, 2011.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-686.
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union respecting its participation at the 2011 Annual Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 21 and 22, 2011.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-687.
Report of the Canadian Delegation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) respecting its participation at the Meeting of the IPU Asia-Pacific Working Group, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14, 2011.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-688.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Motions
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace:
That, at the end of Question Period and Delayed Answers on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, the Senate resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole in order to receive Ms. Anne-Marie Robinson respecting her appointment as President of the Public Service Commission; and
That the Committee of the Whole report to the Senate no later than one hour after it begins.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Order No. 26 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Senate Public Bills
Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mitchell, seconded by the Honourable Senator Banks, for the second reading of Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (carbon offset tax credit).
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mockler, that further debate on the motion be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Second reading of Bill S-207, An Act to amend the Interpretation Act (non-derogation of aboriginal treaty rights).
The Honourable Senator Watt moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Lovelace Nicholas, that the bill be read the second time.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., 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
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ogilvie, seconded by the Honourable Senator MacDonald, that the sixth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology entitled: Opening the Door: Reducing Barriers to Post-Secondary Education in Canada, deposited with the Clerk on December 22, 2011, be adopted and that, pursuant to rule 131(2), the Senate request a complete and detailed response from the government, with the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development being identified as minister responsible for responding to the report.
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Order No. 2 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Smith P.C. (Cobourg), seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy, for the adoption of the first report of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (Revised Rules of the Senate), presented in the Senate on November 16, 2011.
After debate,
Further debate on the motion was adjourned until the next sitting in the name of the Honourable Senator Smith, P.C. (Cobourg).
Other
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Raine, seconded by the Honourable Senator Andreychuk:
That the Senate call upon the Government of Canada to modernize and standardize the laws that regulate Canada's maple syrup industry, which is poised for market growth in North America and overseas, and which provides consumers with a natural and nutritious agricultural product that has become a symbol of Canada;
That the Government of Canada should do this by amending the Maple Products Regulations, in accordance with the September 2011 recommendations of the International Maple Syrup Institute in its document entitled "Regulatory Proposal to Standardize the Grades and Nomenclature for Pure Maple Syrup in the North American and World Marketplace'', for the purpose of
(a) adopting a uniform definition as to what constitutes pure maple syrup;
(b) contributing toward the development of an international standard for maple syrup, as it has become very apparent that the timing for the introduction of such a standard is ideal;
(c) eliminating non-tariff measures that are not found in the international standard that may be used as a barrier to trade such as container sizes and shapes;
(d) modernizing and standardizing the grading and classification system for pure maple syrup sold in domestic, import and export markets and through interprovincial trade, thereby eliminating the current patchwork system of grades that is confusing and fails to explain to consumers in meaningful terms important differences between grades and colour classes;
(e) benefiting both marketing and sales for an industry that is mature, highly organized and well positioned for growth;
(f) enhancing Canadian production and sales, which annually constitutes in excess of 80% of the world's annual maple products output; and
(g) upholding and enhancing quality and safety standards as they pertain to maple products;
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Nolin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Lang, that the motion be amended as follows:
1) By replacing the words "which is poised for market growth'' by the words "which wants to pursue its dynamic development''; and
2) By replacing paragraph (d) in the motion by the following:
"Modernizing and standardizing the grading of pure Maple syrup sold in domestic, import and export markets and through interprovincial trade which would explain more clearly to the consumer the classification and the grading system;''.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Mockler moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace, that further debate on the motion in amendment be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 31 and 29 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Hubley, calling the attention of the Senate to the 5th anniversary of the tabling of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology's report: Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada.
After debate,
The Honourable Senator Tardif, for the Honourable Senator Losier-Cool, moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Hubley, that further debate on the inquiry be adjourned until the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Orders No. 27, 30 (inquiries), 19 (motion), 9 (inquiry), 37 (motion), 15 (inquiry), 56 (motion), 3, 20, 23, 17 and 8 (inquiries) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Order No. 16 (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 on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, pursuant to the Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 24 (4th Supp.), s. 8.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-681.
Copy of the Regulations amending the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations (P.C. 2012-8), pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act, S.C. 1992, c. 17, sbs. 7(1). —Sessional Paper No. 1/41-682.
Copy of the Regulations amending the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations (P.C. 2012-10), pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act, S.C. 1992, c. 17, sbs. 7(1). —Sessional Paper No. 1/41-683.
Report on the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, pursuant to the Act, S.C. 1988, c. 28, ss. 231 and 238.—Sessional Paper No. 1/41-684.
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 3:10 p.m. the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 85(4)
Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
The Honourable Senator Meredith replaced the Honourable Senator Dagenais (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry
The Honourable Senator Nolin replaced the Honourable Senator Buth (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The Honourable Senator MacDonald replaced the Honourable Senator Greene (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
The name of the Honourable Senator Baker, P.C., was added to the membership (February 7, 2012).
The Honourable Senator Lang replaced the Honourable Senator Dickson (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
The Honourable Senator Losier-Cool replaced the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C. (February 7, 2012).
The Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., replaced the Honourable Senator Losier-Cool (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The Honourable Senator Patterson replaced the Honourable Senator Wallin (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights
The Honourable Senator Harb replaced the Honourable Senator Baker, P.C. (February 7, 2012).
The Honourable Senator Brazeau replaced the Honourable Senator Plett (February 7, 2012).
The Honourable Senator Andreychuk replaced the Honourable Senator Nolin (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on National Finance
The Honourable Senator Maltais replaced the Honourable Senator Buth (February 7, 2012).
The Honourable Senator Finley replaced the Honourable Senator Rivard (February 7, 2012).
Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
The Honourable Senator Eaton replaced the Honourable Senator Champagne, P.C. (February 7, 2012).